For at least the next several weeks, Drew Shore will get to play with his brother. HK Dukla Trencin in Slovakia has signed both Drew and Nick Shore until the end of the calendar year.
Drew, 29, has been traveling the world the last few years, suiting up in several different countries after his NHL career petered out. He last played for the Vancouver Canucks in 2016-17, scoring just two points in 14 games. Though he was a second-round pick in 2009 by the Carolina Hurricanes, Drew ended up playing just 94 NHL games, a number dwarfed by his younger brother. He has a chance to catch up if he can somehow land himself a job with the Hurricanes, who signed him to a one-year two-way contract last month. He would likely return if training camp starts at some point in December.
Nick, 28, wasn’t drafted quite as high but ended up with a longer and more productive NHL career to this point. He played 63 games last season, split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, scoring six points. Nick is one regular season game shy of 300 for his career, though there is certainly no guarantee that he cracks that mark.
This offseason has been difficult for fringe NHL players like the Shore brothers, but Drew did land himself an NHL contract in the early part of free agency. Nick may have to settle for something similar, or perhaps take another year off from North America and search for a job overseas. In 2018-19, Nick played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL, scoring 21 points in 43 games.
Or overshores