By 
Samson Mahbod is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey right winger who began his career in 2010 playing for the Elmira Jackals in the ECHL 2010-2011 season.
Even early in his career, Mahbod showed he was willing to give his all. He was honored by the PEI Rocket’s Fan Choice Awards for the efforts he put in during the 2009-10 season of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). During the event, he was awarded “Most Hardworking”.
His career took him to several US teams in the East Coast Hockey League including:
- South Carolina Stingrays
- Arizona Cyclones
- Utah Grizzlies
He then moved on to the Central Hockey League where he played for the Arizona Sundogs, then back to the ECHL for the Alaska Aces, one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.
After his stint in the United States, he signed a contract for one year to play for Ciarko PBS Bank KH Sanok where he scored 81 points that season with 54 assists and 27 goals earning him the title of the “Polish League’s Best Player”.
He used that victory to play in Russia’s Supreme Hockey League (VHL) winning the Championship in 2014 while playing for Toros Neftekamsk. He took his VHL victory and signed a one-year contract with the Finnish Elite League. There he played for the Espoo Blues during the 2015-16 season. When that contract was finished he moved on to play in the KHL for Medvescak Zagreb, with whom he signed in July of that same year.
When he left Medvescak Zagreb, he continued his European tour and played 8 games with HC Vítkovice Ridera after which he was offered a contract to play with the German DEL on the Krefeld Pinguine team where he contributed 6 assists in 16 games while contracted with them.
Mahbod played last season for Hokejový Klub Dukla Trenčín, in the Slovak Extraliga. While with Extraliga on the Dukla Trencin team, he played 20 games resulting in 19 points. 8 of those points came from goals and the other 11 were from assists. He was the 5th highest-scoring player on the team by points during the season and the highest-scoring right wing/center.
Mahbod set the record for points in the Polish Hockey League, having scored 36 goals and 68 assists in 53 games. That record-setting season proved to other players that the PHL could be used to gain access to higher leagues.
Mahbod proved this by going from the PHL to the VHL, Liiga, and the KHL subsequent to playing for the PHL earlier in his career. He showed other players that successes in leagues like the PHL and other smaller, less well-known leagues can and should be taken seriously.
During his career in 537 games, Mahbod has scored 149 goals and had 285 assists for a total of 434 points. Included in these statistics are the earlier years during which he was honing his skill set. Also included are his championship years where he was named the PHL’s best player.
Since then, Mahbod has done his part to lead his team to victory. He always shows up and plays hard. Today he is a free agent, ready and willing to put his trademark hardworking tenacity back where it belongs, on the ice.
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