Sean Couturier

Sean Gerald Couturier (born December 7, 1992) is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers selected him eighth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Minor
Couturier was born in Phoenix, Arizona while his father, Sylvain Couturier, was playing for the International Hockey League (IHL)'s Phoenix Roadrunners. Following his father's retirement, the family moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick, where his father became general manager of the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Couturier played his minor hockey in Bathurst and calls the city home.

Junior
Drummondville had the second overall pick in the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft, and picked Couturier after defenceman Brandon Gormley was selected by the Moncton Wildcats. Couturier joined Drummondville for the 2008–09 season and helped the team win their first President's Cup as QMJHL champions. He was tenth on the team in points during the regular season.

In 2009–10, Couturier stepped forward to lead the QMJHL in points; he had the lowest point totals required to win the Jean Béliveau Trophy as leading scorer in QMJHL history. Nicolas Deschamps had the same number of points but had scored fewer goals. Teammate Gabriel Dumont was the leading QMJHL goalscorer while Couturier was fourth in the goalscoring race (also trailing Luke Adam of the Montreal Junior Hockey Club and Drummondville teammate Mike Hoffman). In the 2010 playoffs, Drummondville advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated by the eventual champions, the Moncton Wildcats. Couturier was third on his team in points for the playoffs, behind Dumont and Chris DiDomenico.

In 2010–11, Couturier had a bout with mononucleosis over the off-season, a condition that usually takes a year to fully recover from. Despite this setback, Couturier once again had an impressive year. Couturier matched the 96 points he scored the year before in 10 fewer games, leaving him fourth overall in QMJHL scoring, while having the highest points per game of any draft eligible CHL player. In the playoffs, Drummondville advanced to the second round, before being eliminated in seven games by the Gatineau Olympiques, who would continue on to the President's Cup final. Couturier finished the playoffs with 11 points in 10 games.

His 2010–11 campaign resulted in him being named to the QMHJL First All-Star team, as well as winning the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy as the league MVP and the Mike Bossy Trophy as the best professional prospect in the QMJHL.

Philadelphia Flyers
Couturier was drafted eighth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The Flyers acquired the pick via trade that sent Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Jakub Voráček and the Blue Jackets' first-round and third-round (which the Flyers used to select Nick Cousins) selections. Couturier signed a three-year, entry-level contract on September 21, 2011.

Couturier made an impression in training camp and started the 2011–12 season with the Flyers, also receiving ice time on the penalty kill. He earned his first point in the NHL in his third game on October 12 against the Vancouver Canucks with a primary assist on a goal by Jakub Voráček. Couturier scored his first NHL goal in his fifth game on October 18, 2011, against Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators in a 7–2 win. He was one of the youngest players to participate in the NHL All-Star Game festivities, named on the rookie team and participating in the skills competition.

During the Flyers' opening round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Couturier was tasked with shutting down Art Ross Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Couturier earned much praise for his play, holding Malkin to one even strength point while Couturier was on the ice during the series, and also scoring his first career hat-trick, becoming the second-youngest player to score a hat-trick in a playoff game, and adding an assist in a four-point performance during game two of the series. Teammate Jaromír Jágr compared Couturier to Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis.

International play
During his third QMJHL season, Couturier was invited to take part in the Canadian National Junior Team's selection camp in December 2010. Couturier was named to the team for the 2011 World Junior Championships, held in Buffalo, New York, as Canada's only NHL draft-eligible player.

He played for Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2015 World Championships, where they won the title for the first time since 2007 with a perfect 10–0 record.