A. J. Gale (born February 23, 1987) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player. He last played professionally with the

Denver Cutthroats The Denver Cutthroats were a minor league ice hockey team, as a member of the Central Hockey League, that began play in the 2012–13 season. They served as a farm team of the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche and the American Hockey ...

of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(CHL).

Playing career

Undrafted, Gale originally played in the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams. From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Ca ...

with the Nanaimo Clippers and at a collegiate level with

St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximately ...

and

St. Norbert College St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the co ...

. Gale made his professional debut in the Central Hockey League in the 2009–10 season with the Fort Worth Brahmas before moving to the Wichita Thunder the following season and scoring at a point-per-game pace. In his third professional season, Gale left as a free agent to experience European hockey, initially signing with

Copenhagen Hockey Hvidovre Fighters/Copenhagen Hockey is a professional ice hockey team based in Hvidovre, Denmark. They play in the second-highest hockey league in Denmark, the 1.division. Founded in 1966, they have taken on many different names, starting with the ...

of the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

AL-Bank Ligaen Metal Ligaen is the premier league in Danish ice hockey. The league consists of 9 professional teams. The name of the league has changed many times, but is being sponsored by Dansk Metal and therefore got the name Metalligaen. History It is a ...

on May 4, 2011. As an offensively skilled forward, Gale tallied 14 points in 14 games with Copenhagen during the 2011–12 season, before transferring to Sweden on October 28, with Asplöven HC of Division 1. In the remainder of the season, Gale was amongst the club's scoring leaders, scoring 17 goals and 32 points in just 27 games. Gale returned to North America the following the completion of his season in Sweden and signed a one-year contract with the inaugural Denver Cutthroats of the CHL. His signing on August 8, 2012 marked a reunion alongside former Wichita Thunder team and line mate

Troy Schwab Troy Schwab (born December 24, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey center, who played in the ECHL and the Central Hockey League. He is currently an assistant coach for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Playing career Schwab first pla ...

. During the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season, Gale formed the top scoring line in the CHL alongside Schwab and former NHL veteran

Brad Smyth Bradley Smyth (born March 13, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who endured a journeyman career and played in the National Hockey League with the Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Nashville Predators a ...

, leading the CHL with 46 goals in just 64 games. On February 20, 2013, Gale was called up to play four games with the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

affiliate, the

Lake Erie Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

. In returning to the Cutthroats, he finished fourth in league scoring with 84 points and was a finalist for league MVP, before being selected to the All-CHL team. On August 6, 2013, Gale re-signed on a one-year deal for a second season with the Cutthroats.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, A. J. 1987 births Asplöven HC players Canadian ice hockey forwards Copenhagen Hockey players Denver Cutthroats players Fort Worth Brahmas players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Lake Erie Monsters players Living people Manchester Monarchs (AHL) players Sportspeople from Nanaimo St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey players Wichita Thunder players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Denmark Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden