Where Are They Now: The 2022-23 AHL Goals Leader

Andy Andreoff had his last solid stint in the NHL seven years ago. The 32-year-old played 45 games for the Los Angeles Kings during the 2017-18 season and finished with nine points. Prior to last season in the American Hockey League, Andreoff was maybe most known for being the last Kings player standing in his March 5, 2016, fight against Anaheim. 

Andreoff’s NHL & AHL Career Summarized

Andreoff has become a household name for Bridgeport Islanders fans despite not being in the league anymore. He finished the 2022-23 AHL season as the top goal scorer in the league. The 2011 NHL Entry Draft pick (third round, #80 overall, Los Angeles Kings) scored 37 goals in 69 games a year ago and ended the season with a total of 65 points. The Pickering, Ontario, lefty edged out Calgary’s Matthew Phillips by one goal and finished with a total of 55 goals in two seasons with Bridgeport. 

His hot stick helped him win the AHL’s Willie Marshall Award, which is presented to the player who scores the most goals during the regular season. The award was established during the 2003-04 season to honor Willie Marshall, who is the league’s all-time leader in goals, assists, points, and games played. Andreoff became the first Bridgeport player to receive the honor since 2003-04 when Islanders star Jeff Hamilton took home the award. 

While the Islanders missed the postseason last season, Andreoff had his best goal-scoring season in his career and his second-highest points total since 2010-11. He would finish the season with 75 points for the Oshawa Generals (Canadian Hockey League). 

Where Can You Find Andreoff Playing Today?

Today, Andreoff is nowhere to be found on an NHL team. He’s not even back in uniform for Bridgeport as they’re gearing up for the start of the 2023-24 season starting on October 13.

In fact, Andreoff is now playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the Novosibirsk Sibir. The club that saw the likes of Vladimir Tarsenko (Ottawa) and Alexander Barkov (Florida) come up through the ranks. Andreoff signed a contract with Sibir Novosibirsk in early July, but it’s been a slow start for him in Russia. 

Andreoff and the Novosibirsk Sibir are off to a mediocre seven wins and eight losses start to this season and are coming off a 4-0 loss to Avtomobilist on Friday. A game where Andreoff had two shots on goal in 19:34 minutes of action. 

It’s been a slow start to the 2023-24 KHL season for Andreoff, especially in the goal-scoring department. He’s scored just three goals in 15 games and has four points on the year. 

Andreoff played for three NHL teams, including the Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Islanders. However, it’s unlikely he’ll suit up for another big-time club at this career stage. He most recently signed a two-year, $1,525,000 deal in 2022 with the New York Islanders, but that contract was terminated this past summer. 

We may never see the former Willie Marshall award winner back in the AHL or NHL, but he’ll be remembered for finding the back of the net for Bridgeport and for his gritty and tough play. 

Writer’s Note: This is Part I of the “Where Are They Now” Series. The “Where Are They Now” series takes a look at where the 2022-23 AHL stat leaders ended up for the upcoming hockey seasons.