Keith Aulie

Keith Aulie (born June 11, 1989) is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Aulie was drafted by the Calgary Flames 116th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Aulie played junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL), and was honoured as the league's Top Scholastic Player in 2007. Internationally, Aulie played in the 2009 World Junior Championships, where he paired with Tyler Myers on defence and helped Canada capture a gold medal. He was traded to the Maple Leafs when they acquired Dion Phaneuf from the Flames during the 2009–10 NHL season. Professionally, Aulie has played for the Abbotsford Heat and Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). He made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs in November 2010. Off the ice, Aulie was honoured by the Canadian Red Cross for saving his father after he fell through ice on the family farm.

Junior
Aulie played junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL), after being selected in the first round of the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft. Prior to being drafted, Aulie played minor hockey with the Weyburn Bantam RedCoat Rams. Aulie made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings during the 2005–06 WHL season, playing in 38 games and recording two assists. After the 2006–07 season, Aulie was named the winner of the Doc Seaman Trophy, as the league's top scholastic player. He played in 66 games that season, scoring his first career WHL goal, and adding eight assists. The Calgary Flames made Aulie their fourth round pick (116th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In the leadup to the draft, Aulie was ranked 108th overall among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Aulie spent his entire WHL career with the Wheat Kings, and in his final season (2008–09 season) he served as the team's captain and was named to the WHL Eastern Conference All-Star Team. Aulie improved his point totals in each of his four WHL seasons, finishing with 17 points in his third season and 33 during his final season.

Professional
Aulie signed his first professional contract with the Calgary Flames in January 2009. After exhausting his junior eligibility, Aulie started his professional career with the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Flames' affiliate club. During his first professional season with the Heat, Aulie's rights were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Dion Phaneuf and Fredrik Sjostrom in return for Matt Stajan, Ian White, Niklas Hagman, and Jamal Mayers. After the trade, Aulie joined the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. His season was cut short after only five games with the Marlies due to an injury. He played 48 games during his first professional season, scoring two goals and adding four assists between both teams at the AHL level.

At the start of the 2010-11 season, Aulie was assigned to the Marlies after training camp with the Maple Leafs. He was called up to the NHL on November 12, 2010 when Phaneuf was injured. He played his first NHL game the next day against the Vancouver Canucks. Aulie played twelve games with the Maple Leafs, before being returned to the Marlies. Despite the time he spent away from the AHL, Aulie was selected to the Western Conference team for the AHL All-Star game. During the Skills Competition, Aulie competed in the hardest shot event, finishing third, with a top speed of 95.5 mph. After the Maple Leafs traded Francois Beauchemin to the Anaheim Ducks, Aulie was called up to rejoin the team. General manager Brian Burke said one of the reasons for the trade was to open up a spot at the NHL level for Aulie, "...as soon as we get a roster spot, we're calling up Keith Aulie. We expect him to be here for a while." Aulie had his first NHL fight against Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers, earning the nickname "Muhammad Aulie". He scored his first career NHL goal against the New York Islanders on March 9, 2011. . Prior to the 2011-12 NHL season, Aulie was sent down to the Toronto Marlies.

International
Aulie represented Canada internationally for the first time at the 2009 World Junior Championships. He played on a defensive pairing with Tyler Myers and helped Canada to a gold medal. Aulie, standing 6'5" tall, and Myers at 6'7" were nicknamed the "twin towers" by media covering the event. After the tournament, Aulie was honoured by his hometown of Rouleau with a steak supper, and by the Calgary Flames when he attended a game against the St. Louis Blues.

Personal life
Aulie's parents are Bill and Karen. He has a younger sister, Krystal. When he was not in Brandon, playing with the Wheat Kings, Aulie attended high school at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox. He helped capture a provincial volleyball championship while in school. In December 2006, Aulie's father was using a tractor to clear snow off a frozen dugout in anticipation of an outdoor shinny game on New Year's Day. The ice could not support the weight of the tractor, and he fell through. Aulie was able to pull his father out of the water and get him to safety. The Canadian Red Cross honoured Aulie with their Rescuer Award for his act.

Junior and professional
Junior and professional statistics source

International
International statistics source