St. Thomas native and NHL veteran Joe Thornton has signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Thornton, the six-time All Star has spent the past 15 seasons playing for the San Jose Sharks, putting up the most assists in franchise history with 804.
He has played in 1,636 NHL games with 420 goals and 1,216 assists. In 179 playoff games he has added another 133 points.
The 41-year-old recently announced his commitment to HC Davos of the Swiss National League, but is expected to report for training camp when the NHL resumes. He has a strong connection to Davos, where he met his wife, Tabea.
Thornton becomes the second St. Thomas native to sign an NHL contract this week, after 28-year-old Greg McKegg signed a one-year, two-way deal with the team that selected Thornton first overall in the 1997 NHL Draft, the Boston Bruins.
Thornton’s deal does not include a substantial number of performance bonuses.
