| Brandon Saad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 27, 1992, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb) |
| Position | Left Wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team F. teams |
Columbus Blue Jackets Chicago Blackhawks |
| Ntl. team |  United States of America
|
| NHL Draft | 43rd overall, 2011 Chicago Blackhawks |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992)[1] is an Syrian-American professional ice hockey player for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saad was raised in Pittsburgh, and attended Pine-Richland High School. He is an American of Syrian descent.[2] He was drafted in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.
Playing career[]
Amateur[]
In 2008-09 season Brandon played for the Mahoning Valley Phantoms to start his amateur ice hockey career. In the 2009–10 season, Saad played within the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in the United States Hockey League (USHL), finishing the season with the most goals (12) and points (26) on the team. He would then transfer to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) for the 2010–11 season to play at the major junior level with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). At the end of the season, Saad was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, 43rd overall, at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Professional[]
On October 4, 2011, Chicago signed Saad to a three-year, entry-level contract.[3] It was announced that he would start the season with the Blackhawks, making him the lowest-selected Chicago draft pick, at 43rd overall, to start with the Blackhawks in their draft year since defenceman Lasse Kukkonen (drafted 151st overall) in the 2003–04 season.[4] Saad later made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks on October 7, 2011, against the Dallas Stars, though he was quickly reassigned to Saginaw five days later, on October 12.[5]
After his return to the Spirit, Saad was named CHL Player of the Week for October 17 to October 23.[6] Following the trade of Saginaw team captain Ryan O'Connor to the Barrie Colts, Saad was named his replacement as captain for the remainder of the 2011–12 season,[7] finishing the year with an OHL-best 1.73 points-per-game average.[8]
Following the conclusion of the OHL season, Saad was recalled to the Blackhawks on April 16, 2012, making his Stanley Cup playoff debut on April 19, 2012.[9] He scored his first NHL point two nights later on April 21 with an assist on a goal by defenceman Nick Leddy against the Phoenix Coyotes, an eventual 2–1 win for Chicago.[10]
Saad with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011.
On September 15, 2012, Chicago assigned Saad to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) in anticipation of the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[11] He was named CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period of January 7–13, 2013, after scoring six points in just three games, including two game-winning goals.[12] On January 17, 2013, after the lockout was resolved, the Blackhawks included Saad on the team's starting roster for the shortened, 48-game 2012–13 season.[13] Saad scored his first career NHL goal on February 5 against Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.[14] On February 22, Saad then scored a game-winning, short-handed goal against the Sharks to secure an NHL-record 17th straight game with at least one point to start a season for the 2012–13 Blackhawks, breaking the previous record of 16-straight games held by the 2006–07 Anaheim Ducks.[15] On May 6, Saad was named as a finalist for the 2013 Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie of the year, an award which ultimately went to the Florida Panthers' Jonathan Huberdeau.[16] On June 24, during the 2013 playoffs, Saad and the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Eastern Conference-winning Boston Bruins in six games in the Finals.
Saad with the Blackhawks in 2014.
During the 2014–15 season, Saad tallied a career-high 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points. He added eight more goals in the 2015 playoffs, including two game-winners and one short-handed goal, while also recording three assists. On June 15, 2015, Saad won his second Stanley Cup championship with Chicago as the Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Finals.[17]
On June 30, 2015, Chicago traded Saad's negotiation rights as a pending restricted free agent, along with prospects Alex Broadhurst and Michael Paliotta, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jeremy Morin, Marko Daňo, Artem Anisimov, Corey Tropp and a fourth-round draft pick in 2016.[18] On July 3, Saad signed a six-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets worth $36 million.[19]
On January 6, 2016, Saad was selected to his first All-Star Game.
On April 2, 2016, Saad scored his first NHL hat trick in a 5-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.[20]
Family[]
Saad is the son of a Christian-Syrian father, George Sr., and an American mother, Sandy.[21] His father migrated to America at the age of 18 and also aims to bring his relatives still living in Syria over to America, to avoid the threats of the Syrian Civil War.[22][23]
Career statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Mahoning Valley Phantoms | NAHL | 47 | 29 | 18 | 47 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | U.S. National Development Team (U18) | USHL | 24 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 59 | 27 | 28 | 55 | 47 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 10 | ||
| 2011–12 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 44 | 34 | 42 | 76 | 38 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 31 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 46 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 19 | 28 | 47 | 20 | 19 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 12 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 78 | 31 | 22 | 53 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 82 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 368 | 107 | 125 | 232 | 66 | 72 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 16 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for the  United States
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| IIHF U18 Championships | ||
| Gold | 2010 Belarus | |
International[]
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | United States | WJC18 | 
|
7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2012 | United States | WJC | 7th | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honors[]
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NAHL | ||
| First All-Star Team | 2008–09 | |
| Rookie of the Year | 2008–09 | [24] |
| OHL | ||
| First All-Star Team | 2011–12 | [25] |
| William Hanley Trophy – (Most Sportsmanlike Player) | 2011–12 | [26] |
| AHL | ||
| CCM/AHL Player of the Week (Jan. 13) | 2012–13 | [27] |
| NHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2012–13 | [28] |
| Stanley Cup (Chicago Blackhawks) | 2013, 2015 | |
| NHL All-Star | 2016 | [29] |
| International | ||
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge – Tournament All-Star Team | 2009 | [30] |
References[]
- ↑ Highly-touted Pittsburgh kid Brandon Saad discusses his NHL dream | Hockey Independent
- ↑ Saad, Brandon - NHL Entry Draft Prospect Profiles. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 24 September 2011.
- ↑ Myers, Tracey. Saad inks deal with Hawks, will start Friday. Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. Retrieved on 4 October 2011.
- ↑ Rogers, Jesse. Chicago Blackhawks sign Brandon Saad. ESPN Chicago. Retrieved on 4 October 2011.
- ↑ Myers, Tracey. Saad assigned to Saginaw. Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. Retrieved on 12 October 2011.
- ↑ Generals’ Christian Thomas Named CHL Player of the Week. Ontario Hockey League (December 6, 2011). Retrieved on 2011-12-08.
- ↑ Austin, Kyle. "Brandon Saad named Saginaw Spirit captain", 17 January 2012. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.
- ↑ Austin, Kyle. Chicago Blackhawks recall Saginaw Spirit forward Brandon Saad. MLive.com. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.
- ↑ Blackhawks recall six. Chicago Blackhawks. Retrieved on 16 April 2012.
- ↑ Chicago Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes - Boxscore - April 21, 2012. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 22 April 2012.
- ↑ Blackhawks make roster moves. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 16 September 2012.
- ↑ IceHogs' Saad named Player of the Week. American Hockey League. Retrieved on 17 January 2013.
- ↑ Kuc, Chris. "Blackhawks' roster set for season opener", 17 January 2013. Retrieved on 17 January 2013.
- ↑ Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks - Boxscore - February 5, 2013 - ESPN. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2013.
- ↑ Blackhawks set NHL record for best start to season. ESPN.com/Associated Press. Retrieved on 23 February 2013.
- ↑ Compton, Bryan. Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Huberdeau, Brandon Saad named Calder finalists - NHL Awards. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 6 May 2013.
- ↑ Brandon Saad open to giving Hawks a hometown discount (17 June 2015). Retrieved on 18 June 2015.
- ↑ Peters, Chris. "Blackhawks trade Brandon Saad to Blue Jackets in 7-player deal", 30 June 2015. Retrieved on 30 June 2015.
- ↑ Blue Jackets sign left wing Brandon Saad to six-year contract extension (July 3, 2015). Retrieved on July 3, 2015.
- ↑ https://www.nhl.com/news/brandon-saad-hat-trick/c-280090962
- ↑ "Blackhawk star rookie makes appearance at The Charleyhorse", nwitimes.com, 8 April 2013. Retrieved on 17 June 2015.
- ↑ "Blackhawks star Saad’s story of coming to America a happy one", The National, 13 April 2014. Retrieved on 17 June 2015.
- ↑ "Family, hockey mean everything to Blackhawks' Brandon Saad", Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2015. Retrieved on 17 June 2015.
- ↑ Phantoms' Saad named NAHL Rookie of the Year. OurSportsCentral.com (2009-04-01). Retrieved on 2014-03-16.
- ↑ OHL Announces 2011-12 All-Star Teams. Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.
- ↑ Saad OHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player. Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved on 14 April 2012.
- ↑ Brandon Saad named CCM/AHL Player of the Week. AHL Press Release/Rockford IceHogs. Retrieved on 17 January 2013.
- ↑ Calder finalists head NHL's All-Rookie team. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
- ↑ Brandon Saad selected to participate in 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2016-02-22.
- ↑ U17's take bronze at World Challenge. North American Hockey League (2009-05-06). Retrieved on 2014-05-16.
External links[]
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