Aaron Dell

Playing career

Aaron Dell began his college hockey career at the University of North Dakota. On October 11, 2014, he was traded from the Utah Grizzlies and went back to the Allen Americans. While playing for the Worcester Sharks, he inked a one-year entry-level deal with their NHL parent club, the San Jose Sharks, on March 1, 2015, covering the rest of that season. For the 2016–17 campaign, Dell earned a spot on the Sharks' opening night roster as the backup to Martin Jones. He made his NHL debut on October 18, 2016, and picked up a win against the New York Islanders. On February 28, 2018, he agreed to a two-year contract extension with San Jose.

As a free agent on October 13, 2020, Dell signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After attending the team's training camp for the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, he was assigned to the taxi squad. His short time with Toronto ended on January 18, 2021, when the New Jersey Devils claimed him off waivers. On July 28, 2021, he signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent. On September 13, the Sabres announced Dell would wear jersey number 30, a decision that angered many fans because the number had not been used since Ryan Miller left the team in 2014. During a game against the Ottawa Senators on January 25, 2022, Dell delivered an unprovoked hit on forward Drake Batherson, resulting in an ankle injury that kept Batherson out of the 2022 NHL All-Star Game. The next day, Dell received a three-game suspension for the hit, which was officially called interference.

Leaving Buffalo as a free agent, Dell returned to the San Jose Sharks on July 13, 2022, on a one-year, two-way contract. In August 2023, he signed a professional tryout agreement with the Columbus Blue Jackets but was let go on October 5. That December, he inked a PTO with the Carolina Hurricanes, was released without a contract, and then signed an AHL deal for the rest of the season with the Ontario Reign, the Los Angeles Kings' top affiliate, on January 6, 2024. After five appearances for the Reign, he secured a one-year, two-way contract with the Kings on March 5, 2024. On September 4, 2025, Dell announced his retirement from professional hockey.