Justin Vaive

Justin Vaive
Vaive with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2015
Born	(1989-07-08) July 8, 1989 (age 35) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight	240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Left
ECHL team Former teams	Cincinnati Cyclones San Antonio Rampage Hartford Wolf Pack Bridgeport Sound Tigers Rochester Americans Belleville Senators
NHL draft	92nd overall, 2007 Anaheim Ducks
Playing career	2011–present

Justin Vaive (born July 8, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. His father is former National Hockey League All-Star right-winger Rick Vaive. ^[1] Vaive was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 4th round (92nd overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Vaive attended Ohio's Miami University, where he played four seasons (2007–2011) of NCAA college hockey with the Miami RedHawks men's ice hockey team.

On August 24, 2011, the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League signed Vaive to a contract. ^[2]

On July 24, 2014, Vaive re-signed to a one-year ECHL contract with the Greenville Road Warriors. ^[3] Prior to the 2014–15 season on September 3, he was signed to return with Road Warriors AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, on a one-year deal. ^[4]

On July 2, 2015, Vaive agreed to his first NHL contract as a free agent, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. ^[5] Vaive was unable to claim a roster spot with the Islanders and was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the duration of the 2015–16 season.

With his rights not retained by the Islanders, Vaive went un-signed over the summer as a free agent before agreeing to return to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL on October 14, 2016. ^[6] After appearing in the season opener, he accepted a professional try-out offer to return to the AHL with the Rochester Americans the following day. ^[7]

Having captained the Cyclones for the previous two seasons, Vaive agreed to a contract extension in approaching his seventh year within the ECHL with the Cyclones for the 2020–21 season. However, the Cyclones opted to commence a hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and he was immediately released as a free agent. On January 6, 2021, Vaive signed a contract to continue in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. ^[8] Adding experience to the Komets forward group, Vaive added 18 points through 48 regular season games and 6 points in 13 playoff contests to help the Komets claim their first Kelly Cup in franchise history.

With the Cyclones returning to play for the 2021–22 season, Vaive returned to the club agreeing to a one-year contract on July 14, 2021. ^[9] In 2024, he continues to play, and remains as team captain. ^[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004–05	Milton Icehawks	OPJHL		1	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	U.S. National Development Team	NAHL		24	4	8	12	34		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	U.S. National Development Team	NAHL		15	4	1	5	22		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Miami University (Ohio)	CCHA		41	3	7	10	65		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Miami University (Ohio)	CCHA		37	6	6	12	44		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Miami University (Ohio)	CCHA		43	5	3	8	51		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Miami University (Ohio)	CCHA		39	9	7	16	48		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		40	6	12	18	65		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		15	0	0	0	10		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		41	2	2	4	38		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		6	2	2	4	10		15	1	2	3	21
2013–14	Greenville Road Warriors	ECHL		13	10	8	18	20		13	6	5	11	14
2013–14	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		27	1	4	5	31		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		62	14	18	32	94		8	0	1	1	10
2015–16	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		63	11	6	17	79		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Rochester Americans	AHL		66	3	6	9	90		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		48	32	13	45	107		5	5	1	6	12
2017–18	Belleville Senators	AHL		6	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		65	19	15	34	120		11	3	6	9	6
2019–20	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		58	21	14	35	86		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Fort Wayne Komets	ECHL		47	10	8	18	93		13	4	2	6	4
2021–22	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		70	22	26	48	116		7	2	3	5	6
2022–23	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		72	32	20	52	89		11	2	1	3	22
2023–24	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		45	13	15	28	48		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				280	31	36	67	344		8	0	1	1	10

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006	United States	U17			6	0	4	4	6
2007	United States	U18			7	3	3	6	2
Junior totals					13	3	7	10	8

Awards and honors

Award	Year
ECHL
Kelly Cup (Fort Wayne Komets)	2021	[11]

References

1. Conrad, Pete (March 24, 2010). "Hockey a family tradition for Miami's Vaive". Journal-News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
2. "Rampage Sign Justin Vaive to AHL Contract". OurSportsCentral.com. 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
3. "Justin Vaive returns to the Road Warriors". Greenville Road Warriors. 2014-07-24. Archived from the original on 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
4. "Justin Vaive signs AHL deal with Wolf Pack". Hartford Wolf Pack. 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
5. "Islanders sign six to two-way deals". New York Islanders. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
6. "Cyclones unveil season opening roster". Cincinnati Cyclones. 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
7. "Amerks sign Justin Vaive to PTO". Rochester Americans. 2016-10-15. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
8. ECHL (January 6, 2021). "Player signing by Komets". Twitter . Retrieved January 6, 2021.
9. "Vaive, Schultz return to Cyclones". ECHL. July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
10. "Justin Vaive back to Captain the Cyclones". Cincinnati Cyclones. October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
11. "Fort Wayne wins 2021 Kelly Cup". ECHL. July 3, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.

External links

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