GAMBARDELLA AND RUSSO TO RETURN TO COMETS NEXT SEASON
May 19, 2023Utica, NY. – Utica Comets General Manager, Dan MacKinnon, announced today that the team has signed forward Joe Gambardella to a two-year AHL contract and Robbie Russo to one-year AHL contract starting next season.
Gambardella, 29, will enter his third year with the during the 2023-24 campaign. Scoring 10 goals and 25 assists in 59 games for Utica last season, the Staten Island, NY native also had one assist in six playoff games for the team. He has suited up in 124 games for the Comets over the last two seasons scoring 20 goals and 46 assists in that time. Last season, he ranked tied for fourth in team scoring. Gambardella is a former AHL All Star in 2019 and has played 307 AHL games along with 15 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers.
Russo, 30, played the last two seasons for the Comets totaling 142 regular season games scoring nine goals and 54 assists as a Comets’ defenseman. During the 2022-23 campaign, he ranked third in scoring amongst blueliners putting up six goals and 22 assists for 28 points. This past year, he played in his 500th AHL game which coincided with the team’s last regular season game. The 2017 Calder Cup champion with the Grand Rapids Griffins, played in six playoff games for the Comets putting up four assists. He is one assist shy of 200 in the AHL and has scored 40 goals in 500 AHL games. In this career, Russo played in 19 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings including the last game at the historic Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
For more information on season tickets and the upcoming 2023-24 season, please visit www.uticacomets.com.