Mike Sgarbossa is heading back to North America, and the Texas Stars are the team bringing him in.
The forward signed a one-year AHL standard contract with Texas for the 2026-27 season, giving the Dallas Stars’ affiliate a veteran center with a long track record at both the NHL and AHL levels. It’s Sgarbossa’s first contract back in the U.S. since 2024-25.
The 33-year-old spent last season in Switzerland, splitting time between two National League clubs. He played 27 games for HC Lugano, finishing with 9 goals and 18 points, then moved on loan to SC Bern for 12 games and added 13 points there. Sgarbossa also represented Canada at the Spengler Cup.
Before that, he built a wide-ranging pro career in North America. Sgarbossa has appeared in 93 NHL games, beginning with the Colorado Avalanche after his rights were traded from the San Jose Sharks while he was still in the OHL. His NHL path later took him to the Anaheim Ducks in 2015 and the Florida Panthers in 2016, where he logged his longest stretch in the league with 29 games in 2016-17.
He went on to sign with the Winnipeg Jets and then the Washington Capitals, where he spent seven years in the organization. In Hershey, Washington’s AHL club, he had his biggest season in 2018-19, leading the Bears with 30 goals and 65 points. He also got a call-up in 2024 when he was asked to fill the spot left by Evgeny Kuznetsov’s departure.
Across 609 AHL games, Sgarbossa has suited up for the Lake Erie Monsters, Norfolk Admirals, San Diego Gulls, Springfield Thunderbirds, Moose and Bears. He’s also been selected twice for the AHL All-Star Classic, first in 2012-13 with Lake Erie and again in 2019-20 with Hershey.
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