"Brandon brings a veteran presence to our group and his power forward style of play and leadership qualities will be nice complements to our organization's depth," said Will. "He has worn a letter each of the last two seasons, and his combination of size and skill earned him his team's MVP honors last season. We are obviously familiar with him both on and off the ice and are excited to welcome him back to San Jose."

Mashinter, 28, registered 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) to go along with 70 penalty minutes for the Rockford IceHogs, American Hockey League affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, during the 2016-17 season, and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. He ranked T-1st on the team in goals, 8th in assists and T-3rd in points. In addition, Mashinter ranked 4th on the IceHogs in power-play goals with four on the year. In 471 AHL games, including a three and half year stint with the Worcester Sharks, Mashinter has recorded 115 goals, 117 assists and 608 penalty minutes. He spent the 2016-17 season as Rockford's alternate captain, and was the captain of the IceHogs in 2015-16.

He made his National Hockey League debut on Dec. 29, 2010 with the San Jose Sharks, and has played in 64 career NHL games with the Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers, scoring four goals and an assist with 50 penalty minutes.

The six-foot-four, 225-pound forward is a native of Bradford, Ontario and this will be his second stint with the organization, having originally signed with the club as a free agent on March 3, 2009.