Brandon Saad

Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992)[1] is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche 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]

Brandon Saad
Saad with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014
Born (1992-10-27) October 27, 1992
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Colorado Avalanche
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
National team  United States
NHL Draft 43rd overall, 2011
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2011–present

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. The Blackhawks traded Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2015–16 NHL season. He played in Columbus for two seasons before the Blackhawks reacquired him in another trade before the 2017–18 NHL season.[3] Saad was traded to the Colorado Avalanche ahead of the 2020–21 NHL season.[4]

Playing career

As a youth, Saad played in the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Pittsburgh Hornets minor ice hockey team.[5]

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.

Chicago Blackhawks

On October 4, 2011, the Chicago Blackhawks signed Saad to a three-year, entry-level contract.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

After his return to the Spirit, Saad was named CHL Player of the Week for October 17 to October 23.[9] 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,[10] finishing the year with an OHL-best 1.73 points-per-game average.[11]

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.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] Saad scored his first career NHL goal on February 5 against Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] 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 would tally six points throughout the Blackhawks' playoff run-a goal and five assists.

Saad during the Chicago Blackhawks 2013 Stanley Cup Parade

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. During the 2015 playoffs, Saad scored eight goals and had three assists. He scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 of the Final, assisted by Patrick Kane.[20]

Columbus Blue Jackets

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.[21] On July 3, Saad signed a six-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets worth $36 million.[22]

During the 2015–16 season, 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.[23]

Return to Chicago

On June 23, 2017, Saad returned to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Anton Forsberg and a fifth-round draft pick in 2018 via a trade from the Blue Jackets in exchange for Artemi Panarin, Tyler Motte and a sixth-round draft pick in 2017.[24] Saad began the 2017–18 season in style in his return to the Blackhawks by recording a hat-trick against the Pittsburgh Penguins en route to a 10–1 opening night victory.[25]

Saad drives to the net during the 2015 NHL Winter Classic at Nationals Park.

Colorado Avalanche

On October 10, 2020, the Blackhawks traded Saad away for a second time in his career, along with Dennis Gilbert, to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm. As a part of the transaction the Blackhawks retained $1 million of his $6 million salary for the remaining year of his contract.[4]

Family

Saad is the son of a Christian-Syrian father, George Sr., and an American mother, Sandy.[26] 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.[27][28]

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 7 5 1 6 10
2009–10 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 24 12 14 26 18 — — — — —
2009–10 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 39 17 15 32 34 — — — — —
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
2017–18 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 82 18 17 35 14 — — — — —
2018–19 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 80 23 24 47 12 — — — — —
2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 58 21 12 33 16 9 2 3 5 2
NHL totals 588 169 178 347 108 81 18 24 42 18

International
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Ice hockey
IIHF U18 Championships
2010 Belarus
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2009 United States U17 7 6 5 11 2
2010 United States WJC18 7 3 3 6 4
2012 United States WJC 7th 6 1 5 6 0
2016 Team North America WCH 5th 3 0 0 0 2
Junior totals 20 10 13 23 6
Senior totals 3 0 0 0 2

Awards and honors
Award Year
NAHL
First All-Star Team 2008–09
Rookie of the Year 2008–09 [29]
OHL
First All-Star Team 2011–12 [30]
William Hanley Trophy – (Most Sportsmanlike Player) 2011–12 [31]
AHL
CCM/AHL Player of the Week (Jan. 13) 2012–13 [32]
NHL
All-Rookie Team 2012–13 [33]
Stanley Cup (Chicago Blackhawks) 2013, 2015
NHL All-Star 2016 [34]
International
World U-17 Hockey Challenge – Tournament All-Star Team 2009 [35]

References
  1. Highly-touted Pittsburgh kid Brandon Saad discusses his NHL dream | Hockey Independent Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Saad, Brandon - NHL Entry Draft Prospect Profiles". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  3. "Artemi Panarin traded to Blue Jackets by Blackhawks for Brandon Saad". NHL.com. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  4. "Colorado Avalanche get Brandon Saad in 4-player trade with Chicago Blackhawks". ESPN. October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  5. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  6. Myers, Tracey. "Saad inks deal with Hawks, will start Friday". Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  7. Rogers, Jesse. "Chicago Blackhawks sign Brandon Saad". ESPN Chicago. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  8. Myers, Tracey. "Saad assigned to Saginaw". Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  9. "Generals' Christian Thomas Named CHL Player of the Week". Ontario Hockey League. December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  10. Austin, Kyle (January 17, 2012). "Brandon Saad named Saginaw Spirit captain". The Saginaw News. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
  11. Austin, Kyle. "Chicago Blackhawks recall Saginaw Spirit forward Brandon Saad". MLive.com. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  12. "Blackhawks recall six". Chicago Blackhawks. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  13. "Chicago Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes - Boxscore - April 21, 2012". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  14. "Blackhawks make roster moves". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  15. "IceHogs' Saad named Player of the Week". American Hockey League. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  16. Kuc, Chris (January 17, 2013). "Blackhawks' roster set for season opener". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  17. "Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks - Boxscore - February 5, 2013 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  18. "Blackhawks set NHL record for best start to season". ESPN.com/Associated Press. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  19. Compton, Bryan. "Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Huberdeau, Brandon Saad named Calder finalists - NHL Awards". National Hockey League. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  20. Lazerus, Mark (June 17, 2015). "Brandon Saad open to giving Hawks a hometown discount". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  21. Peters, Chris (June 30, 2015). "Blackhawks trade Brandon Saad to Blue Jackets in 7-player deal". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  22. "Blue Jackets sign left wing Brandon Saad to six-year contract extension". Columbus Blue Jackets Official Website. July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  23. "Brandon Saas records first hat-trick". National Hockey League. April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  24. Lazerus, Mark (June 23, 2017). "Blackhawks deal Panarin for Saad; ship Hjalmarsson to Arizona". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  25. Skrbina, Paul (October 6, 2017). "Brandon Saad becomes second Blackhawks player to score hat trick in season opener". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  26. John Burbridge (April 8, 2013). "Blackhawk star rookie makes appearance at The Charleyhorse". nwitimes.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  27. Rob McKenzie (April 13, 2014). "Blackhawks star Saad's story of coming to America a happy one". The National. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  28. Chris Kuc (May 24, 2015). "Family, hockey mean everything to Blackhawks' Brandon Saad". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  29. "Phantoms' Saad named NAHL Rookie of the Year". OurSportsCentral.com. April 1, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  30. "OHL Announces 2011-12 All-Star Teams". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  31. "Saad OHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  32. "Brandon Saad named CCM/AHL Player of the Week". AHL Press Release/Rockford IceHogs. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  33. "Calder finalists head NHL's All-Rookie team". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  34. "Brandon Saad selected to participate in 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  35. "U17's take bronze at World Challenge". North American Hockey League. May 6, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
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