Justin Bailey

For the basketball player, see Justin Bailey (basketball).

Justin Bailey
Bailey with the Buffalo Sabres in 2016
Born	(1995-07-01) July 1, 1995 (age 29) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	San Jose Sharks San Jose Barracuda  (AHL) Buffalo Sabres Philadelphia Flyers Vancouver Canucks
NHL draft	52nd overall, 2013 Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	2015–present

Justin Bailey (born July 1, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Early life

Bailey was born on July 1, 1995, in Buffalo, New York. ^[1] He grew up in nearby Williamsville, in the same apartment complex as several members of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). ^[2] His father Carlton Bailey was a gridiron football player who served as a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Carlton played with the Bills for five seasons, and scored the touchdown that helped take the team to Super Bowl XXVI in 1992. ^[3] Bailey's parents separated when he was young, and he lived with his mother, Karen Buscaglia, while maintaining contact with his father during birthdays or holidays. ^{[2] [3]}

Bailey's minor ice hockey career began with the Buffalo Regals of the Midwest Elite Hockey League (MEHL). A shoulder injury limited Bailey to 22 games during the 2010–11 MEHL season, during which he scored 13 goals and nine assists. ^[4] Bailey also helped take the Regals to the state championship finals, where they faced the Long Island Royals and coach Pat LaFontaine, who was intrigued both by Bailey's size and by his talent. ^[5]

Playing career

Buffalo Sabres

Bailey was selected by his hometown team, the Buffalo Sabres in the 2nd round (52nd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. ^[6]

Bailey signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres on November 2, 2014. ^[7] He was recalled to the Sabres from the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans on February 10, 2016, and made his NHL debut on February 11. ^[8] He was reassigned to Rochester on February 18, ^[9] only to be recalled again three days later following an injury to Ryan O'Reilly. ^[10] He scored his first NHL goal on January 3, 2017, against Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers. ^[11]

During the 2017–18 season, Bailey was suspended one game for a high hit on Reid McNeil during a game against the Syracuse Crunch in March. However, he was called up to the NHL on March 14, 2018, a day before he was set to serve his suspension. ^[12] He was set to serve his suspension once he is sent back to the AHL. ^[12] He was reassigned to the AHL on March 27, 2018, after playing in 5 games. ^[13]

Bailey with the Rochester Americans in 2017.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Sabres traded Bailey to the Philadelphia Flyers on January 17, 2019, in exchange for forward Taylor Leier. ^[14] He was assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers' AHL affiliate, playing on a line with Mikahil Vorobyev and Colin McDonald for the Flyers to assess whether there was a position for him in their NHL roster. ^[15] He was recalled to the Flyers on February 10 under suspicion that, should Wayne Simmonds be traded as part of the February 25 trading deadline, Bailey would take his position in the roster. ^[16] Even after Simmonds was traded to the Nashville Predators, however, Bailey struggled to remain in the Flyers lineup, and spent most of his time in Lehigh. ^[17] Between February 10 and April 11, Bailey was sent either up or down between the two teams 10 times. His final recall came on March 20, and he finished out the season with the Flyers. Altogether, he played 11 games for Philadelphia and 17 for Lehigh Valley. ^[18] The Flyers did not extend a qualifying offer to Bailey at the end of the season, making him an unrestricted free agent. ^[19]

Vancouver Canucks

On July 4, 2019, Bailey signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Vancouver Canucks. ^[20]

On January 30, 2020, Bailey was called-up by the Vancouver Canucks from the Utica Comets following an injury to Tyler Motte. ^[21] He appeared in two games ^[22] prior to the pause of the 2019–20 season. ^[23]

After playing just 3 games, Bailey was injured on February 11, 2021. The injury required surgery causing him to miss the remainder of the season. ^[24]

Edmonton Oilers

As a free agent from the Canucks, Bailey failed to gain interest for an NHL contract before opting to sign a one-year AHL deal with the Bakersfield Condors on September 8, 2022. ^[25] In the 2022–23 season, Bailey recorded 10 points through his first 16 games with the Condors leading him to sign a one-year, two-way contract with NHL affiliate, the Edmonton Oilers, on January 6, 2023. ^[26] He remained with the Condors for the duration of his contract, posting 32 points through 58 regular season games.

San Jose Sharks

As a free agent at the conclusion of his contract with the Oilers, Bailey remained un-signed over the summer before joining the San Jose Sharks 2023 training camp. On October 12, 2023, he was signed by AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda to a one-year contract. ^[27] Adding 6 goals and 11 points through 16 games, for the second consecutive season, Bailey earned a NHL contract during the season, in signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Sharks on November 27, 2023. ^[28] With the Sharks suffering a rash of injuries, Bailey was immediately recalled and made his Sharks debut on the same day, marking his return to the NHL by adding a primary assist on the game-winning goal of a 2–1 victory over the Washington Capitals. ^[29] On June 30, 2024, he re-signed with the Sharks, signing a one-year contract. ^[30]

Personal life

He is the son of former Buffalo Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey ^[31] and was raised by his mother, Karen Buscaglia. ^{[11] [32]}

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010–11	Buffalo Regals 16U AAA	T1EHL		12	4	1	5	0		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Long Island Royals 16U AAA	AYHL		22	21	13	34	52		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Indiana Ice	USHL		2	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		57	17	19	36	34		10	1	2	3	4
2013–14	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		54	25	18	43	20		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		35	22	19	41	32		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	OHL		22	12	16	28	12		14	7	7	14	6
2015–16	Rochester Americans	AHL		70	20	25	45	16		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		8	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Rochester Americans	AHL		52	23	13	36	35		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		32	2	2	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Rochester Americans	AHL		37	10	5	15	28		3	2	0	2	0
2017–18	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		12	3	1	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Rochester Americans	AHL		37	9	11	20	18		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	AHL		17	6	2	8	12		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		11	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Utica Comets	AHL		53	28	19	47	39		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		3	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Abbotsford Canucks	AHL		30	15	12	27	20		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		14	0	0	0	6		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Bakersfield Condors	AHL		58	19	13	32	42		2	0	1	1	4
2023–24	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		16	6	5	11	16		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	San Jose Sharks	NHL		59	5	9	14	6		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				141	10	13	23	24		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012	United States	IH18	7th		4	2	0	2	2
Junior totals					4	2	0	2	2

References

1. "Justin Bailey Stats and News". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
2. Vogl, John (June 30, 2013). "NHL prospect Bailey has a pro pedigree". The Buffalo News . Retrieved September 1, 2021.
3. Roth, Leo (January 19, 2017). "Roth: Amerks' sniper Justin Bailey just living the dream". Democrat & Chronicle . Retrieved September 1, 2021.
4. Snow, Kevin (September 27, 2012). "All-American Prospects Game: Justin Bailey". National Hockey League. Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
5. Kennedy, Ryan (September 27, 2012). "Justin Bailey". The Hockey News . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 1, 2021.
6. "2013 NHL Draft: Sabres Take Williamsville, NY Native Justin Bailey With Pick #52". June 30, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
7. Hamilton, Paul. The Sabres ink a local second-round pick Archived November 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . WGR. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
8. Boron, Andy (February 10, 2016). "Sabres recall Justin Bailey from Rochester". Die By The Blade . Retrieved February 10, 2016.
9. Kania, Melissa (February 19, 2016). "Buffalo Sabres Return Bailey, Catenacci to AHL". Sabre Noise. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
10. LaBarber, Jourdon (February 21, 2016). "O'Reilly out against Pittsburgh; Bailey recalled". Buffalo Sabres . Retrieved February 21, 2016.
11. Harrington, Mike (January 4, 2017). "Bailey flooded by memories after scoring first NHL goal for Sabres". The Buffalo News. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
12. Moritz, Amy (March 14, 2018). "Sabres Notebook: Bailey call-up delays AHL suspension". The Buffalo News. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
13. Vogl, John (March 27, 2018). "Sabres send Justin Bailey back to Amerks". Buffalo News. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
14. "Flyers acquire right wing Justin Bailey from Buffalo". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. January 17, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
15. Isaac, Dave (January 23, 2019). "Justin Bailey felt a trade was coming before Flyers acquired him" . Courier-Post . Retrieved September 2, 2021.
16. Carchidi, Sam (February 10, 2019). "Flyers recall winger Justin Bailey from Lehigh Valley Phantoms" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved September 2, 2021.
17. Meltzer, Bill (April 13, 2019). "Meltzer: Analyzing the RFA situation". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
18. Hoppe, Bill (April 11, 2019). "Former Sabres prospect Justin Bailey adjusting to new organization" . The Buffalo News. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
19. "Flyers announce Qualifying Offers to four players". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. June 25, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
20. "Canucks sign Justin Bailey". Vancouver Canucks. July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
21. "Canucks Recall Justin Bailey and Zack MacEwen from Utica". January 30, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
22. "Justin Bailey Stats and News" . Retrieved April 14, 2020.
23. Gaydos, Ryan (March 12, 2020). "NHL suspends 2019–20 season over coronavirus outbreak". Fox News. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
24. "Canucks' Justin Bailey out for season after shoulder surgery".
25. "Condors sign Bailey". Bakersfield Condors. September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
26. "Oilers sign Bailey to two-way contract". Edmonton Oilers. January 6, 2023.
27. "Barracuda sign Bailey, Kaspick". theahl.com. October 12, 2023.
28. "Sharks sign forward Justin Bailey". San Jose Sharks. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
29. "Luke Kunin scores winner, Sharks beat Capitals 2–1". The Hockey News. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
30. "Sharks re-sign forward Luke Kunin". NHL.com. San Jose Sharks. June 30, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
31. "2013 NHL DRAFT – Buffalo Sabres" . Retrieved September 29, 2013.
32. Morreale, Mike G. (July 1, 2013). "Justin Bailey thrilled to land with hometown Sabres". NHL.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database