Player Profile: Dan Girardi
By Adam Gavriel, Prosports blogging.com
Before the NHL:
Girardi (again) like most other Canadian prospects decided to take the route of the CHL to prepare his skills as a future NHL dman hopeful, more specifically, in the OHL with the Barrie Colts. Girardi could barely make a name for himself in Barrie and he was traded to the Guelph Storm during the 02-03 season (recall, Callahan was a member of Guelph). Girardi was able to find himself a niche in Guelph where his D game really started to take shape. Girardi spent 1 full season, and two half seasons with Guelph (he was traded to London midway through his second full year with Guelph), his best season coming in his first full year with the Storm where he recorded 47 points in 68 games. More impressive were his playoff totals that year of 19 points in 22 games. After one more full season with the storm Girardi was signed by the Rangers before the 05-06 season and he was placed on the Charlotte Checkers, the Rangers ECHL affiliate.
Girardi wouldn’t be with Charlotte long before proving that he could play at a higher level, and in the 7 games he played there before being called up to the Wolf Pack Girardi recorded 5 points. Girardi then spent the remainder of that season with the Wolf Pack where he really started to make a name for himself as a Rangers prospect recording 39 points in 66 games in that 05-06 season. After that season Girardi earned himself a two year entry level deal with the Rangers. He would spend the beginning of the 06-07 season with the Wolf Pack and earned himself a mid-season call up that he took full advantage of and Girardi has been with the Rangers since.
