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Sharks re-sign persistent Kearns: report

Bracken Kearns

Sharks forward Bracken Kearns has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension, according to RDS reporter Renaud Lavoie.

Per CapGeek, the deal is worth $550,000 in the NHL and $150,000 in the AHL.

If you’re not familiar with Kearns’ story, it’s a good one. The 32-year-old son of former NHL d-man Dennis Kearns was never drafted; in fact, he never even played junior hockey.

From NHL.com:

Kearns wound up walking onto the hockey team at the University of Calgary, where he scored 83 points in four seasons while earning his degree in economics. After that, he earned a job with Toledo of the ECHL. Minor-league stops followed in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Norfolk, Reading, Rockford, San Antonio and Worcester. Kearns played five games for the Florida Panthers in 2011-02 before the one this season for the Sharks.

What’s kept him going?

“I feel like I’ve gotten better every year,” Kearns said. “That was the big thing. And I’ve been given new opportunities. New teams have taken chances on me. July 1 rolls around and you’re never sure if you’re going to be able to stay and play. I’ve been pretty lucky around that time. I’ve gotten calls from teams, and they’re pretty easy decisions. Europe’s not really an option for me. It doesn’t really appeal to me right now. My dream is to play in the NHL, and that’s where I’d like to be.”

Kearns finally made his NHL debut, for Florida, on Oct. 20, 2011. In 2013, he played one regular-season game for the Sharks and made seven playoff appearances.

While he’s yet to register a point in 13 NHL games (regular season and playoffs combined), he’s confident he can produce in the world’s best league.

“In the back of my mind I feel like I can be a difference-maker if given the opportunity,” he said. “That’s what I want to focus on. It’s good enough in a sense to go out and play like a fourth-liner, but it’s obviously even better if you can chip in here or there with a goal or an assist.”