Mitch Love

Undrafted at the major junior level, Love was able to make the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors for a pair of games in the 1999–00 season, before landing a full time role for the 2000–01 season. In October of 2001 Love was traded to the Swift Current Broncos where he would bring an element of toughness to the team, fighting 18 times during the 2001-02 season.[3] Love would go on to lead the league and capture a Broncos record during the 2002–03 season with 327 penalty minutes, including 40 fighting majors.[4][5][6]

Prior to the 2003-04 season, Love was traded by the Broncos to expansion franchise the Everett Silvertips along with teammate Torrie Wheat for Matěj Trojovský and a 6th Round pick in the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft.[7] Love was named an alternate captain for the Silvertips, and played on the first defensive pairing for most of the season as well as posting career highs in goals and assists.[8] The Silvertips would go on to have one of the most successful inaugural seasons in hockey history, and Love would prove indispensable to the team during their deep playoff run, scoring a game winning goal in the western conference final.[8] Prior to the 2004-05 season, Love was named captain of the Silvertips for his final season in the WHL, again having a career year in terms of points, despite playing significantly less than a full season.[8]

After going undrafted in the NHL, and aging out of the WHL, Love was signed to an entry level contract by the Colorado Avalanche, and joined their AHL affiliate, the Lowell Lock Monsters for the 2005–06 season.[9] Love struggled to transition his scoring ability to the AHL, only managing four assists during his rookie season. Prior to the 2006-07 season, the Lock Monsters were purchased and renamed the Lowell Devils by the New Jersey Devils, forcing the Avalanche to select a new AHL affiliate with the Albany River Rats. During the season, Love again struggled to score, but more than made up for it with his physical style of play, accruing 184 penalty minutes, including 23 fighting majors, one less than the league leader.[10] Prior to the 2007-08 season, the Avalanche again changed AHL affiliates, this time to the Lake Erie Monsters. Love showed his grit during the pre-season Avalanche rookie training camp, where he fought teammate Brandon Straub.[11][12] Ultimately, Love would again spend the entire season in the minors, spending most of his time with the Monsters, but also playing a handful of games with the Avalanche's second tier minor league affiliate: the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL.

After his entry level contract expired, the Avalanche opted not to re-sign Love, marking an end to his time in an NHL system. Love opted to sign an AHL contract with the Houston Aeros for the 2008-09 season, where he again showcased his grit and toughness, collecting a professional single-league career high of 214 penalty minutes, including a league leading 34 fights.[1][2] During the season with the Aeros, Love transitioned to playing left wing, ostensibly to cover for an injury battered team, but Love would continue to play wing for the remainder of his playing career.[13] Love would play with the Aeros during their deep playoff run, scoring one goal and accruing 32 penalty minutes in 16 games. On July 28, 2009, Love signed with the Peoria Rivermen,[14] and again was towards the top of the team in terms in fights and penalty minutes; with 17 fights and 129 penalty minutes respectively.[15]

Due to AHL developmental rules, there is a limit to the number of veteran players that can be on a team's roster per game, with 260 professional games played being the most common cutoff point for veteran status.[16] This significantly limits the ability of many players to remain in the AHL as they age. As a result of this rule, as well as his diminishing production in terms of both scoring and fights in the previous season, Love was not offered a contract in the AHL for the 2010-11 season.[15]

On September 8, 2010, Love was signed as a free agent by the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the CHL.[15] Love played with the team for most of the season, posting 14 fights,[17] but due to a season ending double hip surgery was not with the team for the playoffs, where they would captured the Ray Miron President's Cup.[18] The Mudbugs organization folded immediately following their championship in the 2010-11 post-season, leaving Love without a team.[19] Opting not to continue his playing career, Love announced his retirement in order to join the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips as an assistant coach on August 13, 2011.[20]