Brett Kulak

Brett Kulak (born January 6, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kulak was selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round, 105th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He played junior hockey for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Brett Kulak
Kulak with the Stockton Heat
Born (1994-01-06) January 6, 1994
Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Montreal Canadiens
Calgary Flames
NHL Draft 105th overall, 2012
Calgary Flames
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

Junior

Kulak played four seasons of junior hockey for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL) between 2010 and 2014. In 216 games with the Giants, he scored 35 goals and added 93 assists.[1] The Calgary Flames selected Kulak with their fourth round pick, 105th overall, at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.[1] Following the conclusion of his WHL seasons in both 2012–13 and 2013–14, Kulak joined the Flames' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, on amateur try-out agreements; he played four and six games in each respective season.[2]

Professional

On March 18, 2014, the Flames signed Kulak to a three-year, entry-level contract.[3] He began the 2014–15 season with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles before earning a promotion to the AHL's Adirondack Flames. Kulak was then recalled to Calgary and made his NHL debut on April 11, 2015, in the Flames' final regular season game, a 5–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.[4]

On October 18, 2016, against the Buffalo Sabres, Kulak recorded his first career point, assisting on Michael Frolík's first period goal. The Flames won the game 4-3.[5] Kulak finished the 2016–17 season with 3 assists in 21 games.

On August 28, 2017, the Flames re-signed Kulak (who was a restricted free agent) to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000.[6]

On October 1, 2018, the Flames traded Kulak to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev. Kulak was subsequently assigned to the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.[7] On November 22, he was called up by the Canadiens after an injury to defenseman Noah Juulsen. He was immediately put into the line-up. A few games later, star defenseman Shea Weber was activated from injury reserve and the Canadiens sacrificed veteran defenseman Karl Alzner before Kulak by putting him on waivers.[8] On December 29, 2018, Kulak scored his first goal for Montreal in a 5-6 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning.[9] He scored his first game-winning goal in a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on January 12, 2019.[10]

On May 25, 2019, the Canadiens signed Kulak to a three-year, $5.55 million contract extension with an annual average of $1.85 million.[11]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 Vancouver Giants WHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2011–12 Vancouver Giants WHL 72 9 15 24 28 6 0 4 4 2
2012–13 Vancouver Giants WHL 72 12 32 44 34 — — — — —
2012–13 Abbotsford Heat AHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Vancouver Giants WHL 69 14 46 60 51 4 1 2 3 7
2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 6 1 2 3 2 4 0 0 0 2
2014–15 Adirondack Flames AHL 26 4 9 13 27 — — — — —
2014–15 Colorado Eagles ECHL 39 9 21 30 15 — — — — —
2014–15 Calgary Flames NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2015–16 Calgary Flames NHL 8 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2015–16 Stockton Heat AHL 59 3 14 17 36 — — — — —
2016–17 Calgary Flames NHL 21 0 3 3 12 — — — — —
2016–17 Stockton Heat AHL 22 2 8 10 14 5 0 4 4 4
2017–18 Calgary Flames NHL 71 2 6 8 27 — — — — —
2018–19 Laval Rocket AHL 19 3 8 11 4 — — — — —
2018–19 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 6 11 17 31 — — — — —
2019–20 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 0 7 7 12 10 0 3 3 0
NHL totals 214 8 27 35 84 10 0 3 3 0

Awards and honours
Award Year
WHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2012 [12]

References
  1. Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean; Buer, Greger, eds. (2014). 2014–15 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames. p. 117.
  2. "Brett Kulak player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  3. "Calgary Flames sign prospect Brett Kulak to entry-level contract". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, ON. March 18, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  4. Gilbertson, Wes (April 12, 2015). "Kulak no coaster". Calgary Sun. p. S2.
  5. "Buffalo Sabres at Calgary Flames Box Score — October 18, 2016".
  6. "Flames re-sign Brett Kulak to one-year, two-way deal". Sportsnet.ca. August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  7. "Canadiens acquire defenseman Brett Kulak from Calgary". NHL.com. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  8. "Canadiens recall defenseman Brett Kulak".
  9. Hickey, Pat (December 30, 2018). "Canadiens hang tight with potent Lightning, but drop 6-5 decision". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  10. Hickey, Pat (January 13, 2019). "Canadiens pour it on in the third to post 3-0 win over Avalanche". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  11. "Three-year contract for defenseman Brett Kulak". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  12. Giants d-man Brett Kulak goes from pond hockey to strutting stuff at CHL Top Prospects game | The Province Archived September 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
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