Mark Flood (ice hockey)

Playing career

Mark Flood entered the NHL when the Montreal Canadiens picked him in the sixth round, 188th overall, during the 2003 draft. He started his pro career in the ECHL before signing as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he played for their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. On November 26, 2006, the Blue Jackets traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes organization in exchange for defenseman Derrick Walser. Carolina did not bring him back, so on July 6, 2009, Flood signed a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. He spent most of that season in the AHL. After Islanders defenseman Dustin Kohn suffered a concussion, Flood got called up and made his NHL debut on March 25, 2010, against the Calgary Flames. He appeared in six games for the Islanders, notching one assist and a minus-4 plus-minus rating. In the 2010 offseason, Flood signed a one-way contract with the Manitoba Moose, the Vancouver Canucks' farm team. On July 3, he inked a deal with the Winnipeg Jets. He scored his first NHL goal as a Jet on November 5, 2011, beating Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. On July 22, 2012, reports emerged that Flood had signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL. He joined the team as it rebuilt after the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, which had forced the club to cancel its 2011–2012 season. Over 52 games with Yaroslavl in the 2012–13 season, Flood served as a steady, stay-at-home defenseman, recording six points. On July 10, 2013, he returned to North America on a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. After one season back in the Hurricanes system, Flood went to the KHL again on June 11, 2014, signing a two-year deal with KHL Medvescak Zagreb. Following a single season in Croatia, he moved to KHL rival HC Lada Togliatti on a one-year contract on June 19, 2015. During the 2015–16 season, Flood struggled to generate offense, managing six points from the blue line in 38 games. On June 24, 2016, he left the KHL to sign a one-year contract with EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). The next offseason, Flood returned to North America as a free agent. On September 25, 2017, he accepted a tryout invitation with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, the affiliate of his former team, the Winnipeg Jets. He played just one game for the Moose before being released from the tryout on October 17, 2017.