Fort Wayne, Ind. - The Fort Wayne Komets announced that veteran forward Stefano Giliati has agreed to terms for next season, while forward Tyler Busch will return for his second season with the club and David Thomson joins the team for his first full pro campaign.
Giliati will return to North America after 11 seasons of playing in Europe. He has played in the top leagues in Italy, Germany, Finland, Switzerland and Russia, collecting 307 points (124g-183a in 476 games. The 34-year-old started his professional career with Toronto of the American Hockey League in 2008 and went on to skate 46 ECHLgames with Reading during the 2009-10 season, while splitting time with the Marlies. He also appeared in 69 AHL games with Norfolk during the 2010-11 campaign.
Busch, 26, played in 59 games with the Komets last season, netting 19 points (8g-11a) with 56 penalty minutes. He also appeared in four games with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.
Thomson, 24, made his professional debut last season with Wichita, collecting six points (1g-5a). Before turning pro, he skated three seasons with the University of Toronto, amassing 69 points (28g-41a) in 62 games.