Garnet Exelby

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Garnet Exelby and have assigned him to the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

Exelby, 29, has spent the 2010-11 season with Rockford, serving as team captain and ranking second on the club with 49 penalty minutes in 17 contests. The Ste. Anne, Manitoba, native is a veteran of 408 career National Hockey League regular-season games, racking up 43 assists, 50 points and 584 penalty minutes with the Atlanta Thrashers (2002-09) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2009-10).

Currently in his ninth professional campaign, Exelby spent parts of two seasons with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves (2001-03), winning a Calder Cup with the Wolves in 2002. He was originally drafted by the Thrashers with their ninth choice, 217th overall, in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.