Observations:

February 2015 – No longer with the Hurricanes, Palushaj currently plays in the KHL. Austin Wallace

January 2014- Aaron Palushaj was recalled from the AHL on January fifth and played 9:04 worth of ice time in a win against the Nashville predators. Palushaj finished with one shot on net and an even plus/minus rating. Riley Nash is headed to the injured reserve and Palushaj will be filling in for the time being. Palushaj is a gritty forward and will probably stay on the third or fourth lines but he has made his way up to the top lines in a limited agitator role when playing in Colorado.  Andrew Ward

July 2013- Palushaj has signed a two way deal with Carolina. Palushaj showed some glints of what he can do when he was traded to the Avalanche. He has yet to find consistency in the NHL but is a fast forward with decent hands. Palushaj will be a solid depth forward for Carolina who was decimated by injuries last season with very little quality to fill holes where they needed. – Andrew Ward

March 2013 – The Avs plucked Palushaj off of waivers when the Habs tried to sneak him through to the AHL. After some early success (four points in four games), Palushaj hit a wall and has again been a frequent healthy scratch… Can’t get over the hump. – Dobber

December 2012 – Production is down in Hamilton with Palushaj suffering the most. It was expected he would lead the offense with Blake Geoffrion, but with Geoffrion suffering an expected season ending injury the outlook is poor for Palushaj and the Bulldogs. Since The loss of Geoffrion, he has only produced four points in eight games while being a minus four. On the upside, coach Sylvain Lefebvre, has used Palushaj in all situations possible. The production may not show up this year, but his growth as a player should bode well for his future.  Jason Banks

September, 2012 – A natural winner throughout his hockey career, Palushaj has been unable to find his niche at the NHL level. Your classic “tweener”, he has been unable to produce enough to justify a fair shot in the top six yet his skill-set is a little too offensive to justify a checking role. That’s not to say he doesn’t have two-way skill – he does. It’s just that there are often better options. A prolific producer at other levels, including the AHL, he just needs to translate that at the NHL level. In the Montreal organization, where the top six is set, he may not ever have that chance. And the clock is ticking, he’s 23 now.

Fantasy Outlook: C-

Odds are he’ll be a serviceable third liner who may peak at 40 points, barring a couple of bounces his way.

Footage:

Aaron Palushaj’s first NHL goal:

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Fantasy Prospects Report Notes (Any FPR’s released in the last 18 months will not be listed here):

2009 Fantasy Prospects Report:

One of the USHL’s top players as a 17-year-old in 2006-07, Aaron Palushaj showed flashes of greatness as he finished with a 1.19 PPG rate during the regular season and almost 1.5 PPG in the playoffs – this despite being almost a year younger than most of his draft class. Starring with the University of Michigan the last two seasons, the 19-year-old has accumulated almost 100 points in his brief college career. Palushaj may finish his Wolverines career just shy of the century mark, though; a pro-ready player in skill, heart and now size the 6’0, 185 lbs forward could be a contributor in St. Louis next season. While likely not skilled enough to be a PPG player, Palushaj is the type of glue winger who does the little things required to win. He should be full time by 2010-11.

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Aaron Palushaj’s statistics courtesy of Elite Prospects