Braydon Coburn

Braydon Coburn (born February 27, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career
Coburn was born in Calgary, Alberta but grew up in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan where he played most of his minor hockey. After his Bantam season in 1999-2000, Coburn was selected 1st overall in the WHL Bantam Draft by the Portland Winterhawks. The following season, Coburn played Midget AAA hockey for the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League.

Coburn played major junior hockey with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was awarded the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year for the 2001–02 season. Although his points total dipped from 37 points to 19 the following year, he remained a top prospect and was drafted 8th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Upon being drafted, he returned to the WHL for two more seasons and was awarded the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy in 2004 as humanitarian of the year. On February 4, 2005, Coburn tied a WHL record for most goals by a defenceman in a game with 4 against the Seattle Thunderbirds in a 7-4 win. He completed his final year with the Winter Hawks in 2004–05 with a junior career-high 44 points.

During Coburn's time in the WHL, he also competed in two World Junior Championships for Team Canada, winning silver in 2004 and gold in 2005. In 2004, when Marc-André Fleury went to clear a puck, it went off of Coburn's leg and into the net. Winning the gold for Team USA.

After several years in the Thrashers organization, splitting time between the NHL and the Thrashers' minor league affiliate, the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL), he was dealt on February 24, 2007, at the trade deadline, to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Alexei Zhitnik. The trade is often considered one of the more lopsided trades in recent NHL history, as Coburn went on to become one of the Flyers top defenders while Zhitnik was considered a huge disappointment with the Thrashers and was eventually bought out. The following season, in 2007–08, Coburn emerged with a 9-goal, 36-point season with Philadelphia. In the midst of the Flyers' 2008 playoff run, Coburn was injured on May 11, 2008, two minutes into game 2 of the Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins when a deflected puck hit him above the eye. The resulting gash required 50 stitches to be closed; Coburn did not return for the rest of the series.

On July 1, 2010, Coburn signed a two-year contract extension with the Flyers.

Philadelphia extended Coburn on November 9, 2011, at a rate of $18 million over 4 years ($4.5 million annual cap hit).[4]

Awards

 * 2002 - WHL Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy
 * 2004 - WHL Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy
 * 2004 – WHL West First All-Star Team
 * 2005 - WHL West First All-Star Team

Records

 * WHL record for most goals in one game by a defenceman - 4 (on February 4, 2005, against the Seattle Thunderbirds; tied with 5 other players)

Transactions

 * June 21, 2003 — Drafted in the 1st round, 8th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft
 * February 24, 2007 — Traded by the Atlanta Thrashers to the Philadelphia Flyers for Alexei Zhitnik