Veteran forward Robby Fabbri signs a PTO contract

It hasn't been the smoothest ride for the Hamilton Hammers to start their inaugural AHL season. Sitting at 3-8-2 and dealing with key injuries, including one to forward Cole Eiserman, the New York Islanders' new affiliate has been scrambling for reinforcements. On Friday morning, the club made a pair of moves that should help shore up their forward depth, and one of the names involved carries some serious NHL pedigree.

A Stanley Cup Champion Looking for Another Chance

The Hammers announced they've inked veteran forward Robby Fabbri to a professional tryout agreement. The 30-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario has 463 NHL games on his resume across stints with St. Louis, Detroit, Anaheim, and Minnesota, accumulating 108 goals and 113 assists for 221 career points. He was a first-round selection by the Blues back in 2014 and burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2015-16, posting what remains his career-best mark of 18 goals and 37 points in 72 games.

Of course, Fabbri's career trajectory took a painful detour after that promising start. Multiple knee injuries cost him more than 100 games between 2016 and 2020, derailing what looked like a promising offensive career. Still, he managed to stick around long enough to earn a Stanley Cup ring with St. Louis in 2019, contributing seven points across the regular season and playoffs that year.

Fabbri's most recent NHL action came during the 2025-26 season. He started the year in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, putting up two points in three games before the Blues signed him to a one-year, two-way deal in December 2025. He slotted into a fourth-line role in St. Louis, collecting four points, 12 penalty minutes, and a minus-three rating in 15 games. When Robert Thomas returned from a month-long absence due to injury and personal leave, Fabbri was placed on waivers and picked up by the Minnesota Wild, where he appeared in just six more games.

A PTO in the AHL can last up to 25 games, and the team has the option to terminate it at any point or convert it into a standard contract if the player proves his worth. For Fabbri, who has only nine career AHL games to his name, this represents another opportunity to showcase that he still has something left in the tank.

Hamilton Also Adds Stranges to the Mix

Alongside the Fabbri signing, Hamilton also brought in forward Antonio Stranges on a PTO. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Dallas in the 2020 draft and has spent his entire professional career with the Texas Stars organization. Over 208 AHL games across five seasons, Stranges has compiled 47 goals and 66 assists for 113 points. He posted 14 goals and 34 points in 70 games last season, following up a strong 2024-25 campaign where he notched 18 goals and 43 points in 55 games.

Both additions should provide a boost to a Hammers roster that has been stretched thin. Mitchell Chaffee, who was leading the team in scoring early on, has spent the better part of a month up with the Islanders, leaving a noticeable gap in the lineup. Whether either player parlays this tryout into something more permanent remains to be seen, but for Fabbri in particular, this feels like a pivotal moment. At 30 years old with a Cup ring and nearly 500 NHL games behind him, the window to prove he belongs at the highest level is narrowing fast. Hamilton's struggles might just be the opening he needs.