Cam Atkinson

Cameron Thomas Atkinson (born June 5, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey player and alternate captain[1] for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Atkinson was selected by the Blue Jackets in the sixth round, 157th overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Cam Atkinson
Atkinson with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014
Born (1989-06-05) June 5, 1989
Riverside, Connecticut, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Right
NHL team Columbus Blue Jackets
National team  United States
NHL Draft 157th overall, 2008
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2011–present

Although smaller than most forwards in the NHL, he is known for his great speed, soft hands and excellent shooting skills.[2]

Playing career

Collegiate

Atkinson was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the sixth round, 151overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft out of Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut. He later attended Boston College, where he played for the Eagles hockey team in the NCAA's Division I Hockey East conference.

In the 2009–10 season, Atkinson lead the NCAA in goals scored with 30, including two in the National Championship game.[3] During one stretch of the 2009–10 season Atkinson scored three hat-tricks in ten games.[4]

Columbus Blue Jackets

In March 2011, Atkinson signed a two-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.[5] He then began playing for the Springfield Falcons, the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. While with the Falcons, Atkinson made his mark on the team by recording three goals and two assists for five points in five games.

His first NHL goal was scored on October 10, 2011, against Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks, a game the Canucks won 3–2.[6] He was returned to Springfield after playing four games with Columbus in the 2011–12 NHL season.[7]

After his return to the AHL, Atkinson was named to the 2012 AHL Eastern Conference All-Star Team on January 4, 2012, as a result of his impressive play with Springfield during the 2011–12 AHL season, with 15 goals and ten assists through 30 games. He was one of 13 rookies named to the two All-Star teams.[8]

Atkinson with the Blue Jackets, November 2013

On April 5, 2012, Atkinson recorded his first career NHL hat-trick against the Colorado Avalanche in a 5–2 Blue Jacket win.[9] Atkinson recorded his second hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks to help the Blue Jackets win 5–2 on March 27, 2015.[10][11] Atkinson recorded his third career hat trick during the 2015–16 season in a 5–2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.[12]

During the 2016-17 NHL season, Atkinson experienced a breakout season, recording phenomenal numbers and helping the Blue Jackets ascend to the top of the standings. He was named to the 2017 NHL All-Star Game as a replacement for Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, who was pulled out from a lower-body injury.[13] Atkinson was previously considered to have been "snubbed" by being left off the original roster.[14]

On November 16, 2017, the Blue Jackets signed Atkinson to a seven-year, $41.125 million contract extension worth $5.875 million annually.[15] During the 2017–18 season Atkinson recorded his fourth hat trick against the Philadelphia Flyers to help the Blue Jackets win their sixth straight game.[16][17]

Atkinson had statistically the best season of his career during the 2018–19 season. His 41 goals, 28 assists, and 69 points were career bests in each category. Atkinson also added 8 points in 10 games during the playoffs.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Avon Old Farms HS-Prep 25 15 20 35 16 — — — — —
2006–07 Avon Old Farms HS-Prep 27 28 24 52 12 — — — — —
2007–08 Avon Old Farms HS-Prep 28 26 37 63 10 — — — — —
2008–09 Boston College HE 36 7 12 19 28 — — — — —
2009–10 Boston College HE 42 30 23 53 30 — — — — —
2010–11 Boston College HE 38 31 21 52 28 — — — — —
2010–11 Springfield Falcons AHL 5 3 2 5 0 — — — — —
2011–12 Springfield Falcons AHL 51 29 15 44 31 — — — — —
2011–12 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 27 7 7 14 14 — — — — —
2012–13 Springfield Falcons AHL 33 17 21 38 14 — — — — —
2012–13 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 35 9 9 18 4 — — — — —
2013–14 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 79 21 19 40 18 6 1 2 3 0
2014–15 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 78 22 18 40 22 — — — — —
2015–16 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 81 27 26 53 22 — — — — —
2016–17 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 82 35 27 62 22 5 2 1 3 0
2017–18 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 65 24 22 46 14 6 2 2 4 2
2018–19 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 80 41 28 69 20 10 2 6 8 4
2019–20 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 44 12 14 26 6 8 3 5 8 4
NHL totals 571 198 170 368 142 35 10 16 26 10

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 United States WC 7th 8 1 2 3 4
2018 United States WC 10 7 4 11 2
Senior totals 18 8 6 14 6

Awards and honors
Award Year
College
All-Hockey East Second Team 2009–10 [18]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2010 [19][20]
All-Hockey East First Team 2010–11 [21][22]
AHCA East First-Team All-American 2010–11
Hockey East All-Tournament Team 2011 [23]
Hockey East Tournament MVP 2011 [24]
AHL
AHL Eastern Conference All-Star Team 2011–12 [25]
NHL
NHL All-Star 2017, 2019 [26]

References
  2. Howe, Jeff (March 31, 2010). "BC's Chris Kreider, Cam Atkinson Among Players to Watch During Frozen Four". NESN. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  3. Connolly, John (April 11, 2010). "Cam Atkinson reaches goals". The Boston Herald. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  4. Marrapese-Burrell, Nancy (April 9, 2010). "Atkinson helped to hold the line". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  5. "Blue Jackets sign Boston College forward Atkinson". USA Today. Associated Press. March 27, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  6. Vancouver Canucks at Columbus Blue Jackets Game Recap – 10/10/2011
  7. Berlet, B. "Whale Suffer Shootout Loss in Home Opener". Connecticut Whale. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  8. "2012 ALL-STAR ROSTERS UNVEILED". TheAHL.com. Springfield, Mass.: AHL. January 4, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  9. "Blue Jackets 5, Avalanche 2". cbssports.com. April 5, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  10. "Cam Atkinson lifts Blue Jackets past Blackhawks". March 27, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  11. Hedger, Brian (May 27, 2015). "Atkinson's hat trick lifts Blue Jackets by Blackhawks". NHL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  12. "Cam Atkinson nets hat trick to lead Blue Jackets past Canadiens". cbc.ca. January 25, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  13. "Cam Atkinson added to NHL All-Star Game roster". NHL.com. January 17, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  14. Clinton, Jared (January 10, 2017). "NHL ANNOUNCES ALL-STAR GAME ROSTERS, AND THERE ARE A FEW SNUBS AND SURPRISES". thehockeynews.com. The Hockey News. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  15. "Blue Jackets sign Cam Atkinson to a seven-year contract extension". NHL.com. Columbus, OH: Columbus Blue Jackets. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  16. Kimelman, Adam (March 15, 2018). "Blue Jackets hang on to defeat Flyers, gain in Metropolitan". NHL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  17. Carchidi, Sam (March 15, 2018). "Flyers' recent collapse continues in loss to Columbus". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  18. "Cam Atkinson Profile". The Hockey News.
  19. "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  20. National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 277. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
  21. Hockey East First-Team All-Stars
  22. "Hockey East Announces 2010–2011 All-Star Teams". Hockey East Online.
  23. "2013–14 Hockey East Media Guide". Hockey East. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  24. "Hockey East Tournament 2011: Boston College Defends Title, Wins 5–3 Over Merrimack". SB Nation Boston.
  25. "CAM ATKINSON". TheAHL.com. AHL. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  26. "Cam Atkinson named to NHL All-Star roster". NHL.com. Columbus, OH: Columbus Blue Jackets. January 26, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Matt Lombardi		 William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player
2011		 Succeeded by
Johnny Gaudreau
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