Aaron Ness
Aaron Ness was originally taken by the New York Islanders in the second round at 40th overall in the 2008 Draft. In 2011, the Islanders signed Ness to a three-year entry level deal. After finishing out his NCAA career with the University of Minnesota, Ness played in nine Islanders games in the 2011-12 season. The next season, Ness served as team captain for their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He also played 20 games with the Islanders in the 2013-14 season.
On July 1, 2015, Ness walked via free agency and signed a one-year, two-way deal in Washington. With John Carlson and Brooks Orpik on injured reserve, each with lower-body injuries, he was recalled to the Capitals in early January and made his Washington debut on Jan. 2, 2016 (source Washington Post, subscription required).
Ness played in eight games and had two assists and averaged 12:23 with the Capitals. Back in Hershey, Ness played in 62 regular season games and recorded 27 points (6 goals, 21 assists). In the playoff run to the Calder Cup, Ness had 12 assists.
The next year, Ness played in 57 AHL games and recorded 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) and had 24 penalty minutes. He also played in two Capitals games.
When the Capitals lost veteran defensemen Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Nate Schmidt to free agency and a Vegas expansion draft, roster spots were open at training camp and Ness made the lineup for Opening Night.
Ness struggled in the NHL and after eight games and just one assist from the home opener vs. Montreal served as a healthy scratch before being placed on waivers at the end of November. He cleared and has since played in Hershey.
Ness’ numbers improved since the switch to the AHL with 29 points in 55 games (4 goals, 25 assists) in 2017-18 and an even bigger improvement last season with 55 points (5 goals, 50 assists) in 71 games including an AHL-career best +/- of +24.
In case someone gets hurt this upcoming season, there’s no doubt that he’ll be ready should another recall from Hershey be in place.