The North American portion of Darren Archibald’s professional hockey career is over, at least for now. After spending last season with the Toronto Marlies and Belleville Senators of the AHL, Archibald has taken his talents to Europe and signed with the Vienna Capitals of the Austrian ICEHL.
Now 30, Archibald is an excellent example of how dedication and work ethic can eventually result in success. Undrafted, he spent his first two professional seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, spending just as much time with the Kalamazoo Wings as the Chicago Wolves. After his entry-level deal expired without any time at the NHL, Archibald inked another one-year deal with the Canucks and worked hard to earn a shot. That chance came in October of 2013 when he made his NHL debut at the age of 23. A few days later, Archibald would record his first NHL point against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
Though his career has still mostly been spent at the AHL level, Archibald scored 14 points in 55 career NHL games, all of them coming with the Canucks. He’ll now take a journey familiar to undrafted players and suit up overseas for the next chapter of his hockey career.