Connor Carrick

Connor Carrick (born April 13, 1994) is an American ice hockey defenseman. He is currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. Carrick was selected by the Washington Capitals in the 5th round (137th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Junior
Connor started playing AAA hockey in Chicago with the Chicago Fury, who subsequently retired his sweater number. He played there a season before getting drafted into the OHL by the Guelph Storm in the 11th round, 212nd overall. The next two years, Carrick played with the US National Team Development Program, playing with the U-17 team the first year and the U-18 team the second year. That year, during his second season with the US National Team Development Program, he was traded from the Guelph Storm (for whom he chose not to play) to the Plymouth Whalers in exchange for a sixth-round pick and a pair of third-round picks.

During the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the Washington Capitals selected Carrick in the fifth round, 137th overall. He chose to play the 2012–13 season in the OHL, where he played 68 games with the Whalers, recording 12 goals and 32 assists, for a total of 44 points, as well as 18 points in the post-season, while only playing in 15 games. He also led Plymouth in assists during the post-season with 16.

Carrick won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championship.

Professional
On September 23, 2013, the Washington Capitals signed Carrick to a three-year entry-level contract, worth $550,000 the first two years and $575,000 the third year.

The following season, Carrick made the Capitals' opening-night roster for Washington. He scored his first NHL goal on October 3, 2013, against Karri Ramo of the Calgary Flames, by a breakout pass from teammate Marcus Johansson that sent him on a breakaway as he left the penalty box.

On February 28, 2016, on the eve of the trade deadline, Carrick was traded, alongside struggling forward Brooks Laich and a 2nd round pick in the 2016 draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Daniel Winnik and the Anaheim Ducks' 5th round selection in 2016. Carrick was immediately recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs to finish the season with the big club, joining other rookies such as Zach Hyman, William Nylander and Nikita Soshnikov. Upon the completion of the season, Carrick, along with the other rookies, were reassigned to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, in order to help the team in their playoff run. Carrick experienced a phenomenal playoffs, recording 18 points in 15 games (including one 5 point performance) to become the league's leading playoff scorer; a rare feat for a defenseman. Despite this accomplishment, the Marlies were unable to secure a championship, being eliminated in the third round to Carrick's former team, the Hershey Bears. In reward for his strong statistics in Toronto, the Maple Leafs rewarded Carrick with a two-year contract extension on July 22, 2016. The deal is a one way contract carrying an average annual value of $750,000.

Awards and honors

 * League wide leading playoff scorer during the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs