GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. The Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League on Wednesday signed veteran defenseman Mark Eaton.

Eaton, 27, has appeared in 244 NHL contests since 1999, including a 2003-04 campaign with the Nashville Predators in which he established NHL career highs with 75 games played, four goals, nine assists, 13 points and 26 penalty minutes.

Named the 1998 CCHA Rookie of the Year during his lone season at Notre Dame, Eaton represented Philadelphia in the 2000 AHL All-Star Classic and has logged 124 AHL games with the Phantoms and Milwaukee Admirals, totaling 63 points (19-4463).

Eaton is expected to make his Grand Rapids debut this Friday when the Griffins host Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m.