Rangers agree to terms with free-agent Locke

Corey Locke spent last season in the Minnesota Wild organization. His lone NHL regular-season appearance came with Montreal in the 2007-08 season.

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New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent forward Corey Locke.

Locke, 25, skated in 77 games with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, registering 25 goals and 54 assists for 79 points, along with 60 penalty minutes.  He established career-highs in assists and points. Locke ranked among the league leaders in several statistical categories, ranking fourth in assists, tied for seventh in points and tied for 13th in power play goals (13).  He also tied for the AHL lead with 29 power play assists. 

Locke led the Aeros in assists, points and power play goals, and finished second on the team in goals.  In addition, he recorded a team-high, 23 multi-point performances, including a four-point effort on October 18 vs. San Antonio (two goals and two assists). Locke registered a career-high, 10-game scoring streak from March 1 at Milwaukee to March 25 at Milwaukee, collecting 12 points (four goals and eight assists) over the span.

In 2007-08, Locke established a career-high in goals (30), while leading Hamilton (AHL) in goals, assists (42) and points (72).  He tied for 11th in the AHL in goals and points. He also tied the AHL season-high, and set a new career-high, for points in a game with six points on April 9 against Rochester (three goals and three assists).  In addition, Locke made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens on January 8 vs. Chicago.

The 5-9, 175-pound forward has skated in 390 career AHL games in five seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Houston Aeros, registering 110 goals and 198 assists for 308 points, along with 251 penalty minutes.  The three-time AHL All-Star (2006, 2008 and 2009) is Hamilton’s all-time leader in goals (85), assists (144) and points (229). 

In addition, Locke has skated in 46 AHL postseason contests with Hamilton and Houston, collecting 22 goals and 23 assists for 45 points, along with 44 penalty minutes.  Last season, Locke established career-highs in playoff goals (12) and points (23) while skating in 20 games for Houston. In 2007, he led Hamilton to the Calder Cup Championship, setting the franchise record for most points in a single postseason (22).

The Toronto, Ontario native was originally Montreal’s fourth round selection, 113th overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.