Curtis Lazar
Curtis Lazar (born February 2, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the first round (17th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
| Curtis Lazar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lazar at the 2019 AHL All-Star Game | |||
| Born |
February 2, 1995 Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 211 lb (96 kg; 15 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre/Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Buffalo Sabres Ottawa Senators Calgary Flames | ||
| NHL Draft |
17th overall, 2013 Ottawa Senators | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
Lazar played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) with whom he won the 2014 Memorial Cup Championship.[1]
Playing career
Junior
In February 2011, Lazar captained Team British Columbia to win the gold medal in ice hockey at the 2011 Canada Winter Games.[2] He broke the tournament goal scoring record previously set by Steven Stamkos (12) and Sidney Crosby's points mark (17) in six games.[3] He was the second overall choice in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft.[3] Lazar played at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy before playing in the CSSHL with the Okanagan Hockey Academy during the 2010–11 season.[4] During the 2011–12 season he helped his Edmonton Oil Kings team capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as the WHL Champions.[5] During the 2012–13 season he played with Team Canada to win a gold medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament,[6] and was an invited participant at the 2013 CHL Top Prospects Game.[7]
Lazar's playing style had been compared to that of Milan Lucic[8] and former Senators' forward Mike Fisher.[9] At the NHL Entry Draft on June 30, 2013, he was selected 17th overall in the first round by the Ottawa Senators. On September 17, 2013, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Senators.[10]
Professional
Lazar made the Senators' 2014–15 opening night lineup and scored his first NHL goal against Jhonas Enroth of the Buffalo Sabres on December 15, 2014. Lazar was given permission by the Senators to represent Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship in which Canada would win gold. In the tournament Lazar served as the team captain.[11] Following the tournament's conclusion, Lazar rejoined the Senators.
In the 2016–17 season, Lazar's development with the Senators stalled as his produced 1 assist in 33 games including a demotion to the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Binghamton Senators. On March 1, 2017, Lazar was dealt at the NHL trade deadline by the Senators along with Michael Kostka to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2017 second-round pick and Jyrki Jokipakka.[12]
On July 14, 2017, the Flames re-signed Lazar to a two-year, $1.9 million contract extension.[13]
In the 2018–19 season, Lazar, after clearing waivers, was assigned to play the majority of the year with the Stockton Heat. He appeared in just one game for the Flames. On June 25, 2019, the Flames chose not to tender Lazar a qualifying offer, making him a free agent.[14] Lazar
On July 1, 2019, Lazar signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Buffalo Sabres.[15] He split the 2019-20 season between the Sabres and Rochester Americans.
On September 24, 2020, the Sabres signed Lazar to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension.[16]
Personal life
Lazar was born in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, but grew up in Vernon, British Columbia.[17] His parents, Dave and Karen Lazar, have three other children, Jenna, Ryan and Cory.[3] Lazar lists Joe Sakic and Ryan Getzlaf as his favourite hockey players growing up.[18]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 63 | 20 | 11 | 31 | 56 | 20 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 72 | 38 | 23 | 61 | 47 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 20 | ||
| 2013–14 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 58 | 41 | 35 | 76 | 30 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 67 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 76 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 33 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 65 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 57 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 18 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 38 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 284 | 20 | 41 | 61 | 68 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2012 Piešťany | |
| IIHF World U20 Championship | ||
| 2015 Canada | |
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| CHL Top Prospects Game | 2013 | [19] |
| WHL First All-Star Team (East) | 2013–14 | [20] |
| Memorial Cup Championship | 2014 | [21] |
| Memorial Cup Most Sportsmanlike player | 2014 | |
| International | ||
| Canada Winter Games Gold Medal (Team British Columbia) | 2011 | [22] |
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal (Team Canada) | 2012 | [23] |
| IIHF World U20 Championship Gold Medal | 2015 | |
References
- "Curtis Lazar prospect profile". Hockey'sFuture.com. March 4, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- "Prospect watch: Curtis Lazar". The Hockey News. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- Vernon Morning Star (June 30, 2013). "Vernon's Curtis Lazar drafted by Ottawa". Vernon Morning Star. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- "Oil Kings Lazar embraces leadership role on young squad". HockeysFuture.com. May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- "NHL Draft prospects: No. 11 Curtis Lazar". Sportsnet.ca. June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- "Little things make Curtis Lazar big-time prospect". National Hockey League. June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- "Edmonton Oil Kings' Curtis Lazar, Tristan Jarry best friends forced to battle in CHL Top Prospects Game". Yahoo! Sports. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- Staff, Hockey's Future. "Hockey's Future - Curtis Lazar". hockeysfuture.com. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- TheScore.com Staff (June 18, 2013). "NHL Draft Profile: Curtis Lazar". The Score. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- "Ottawa Senators sign forward Curtis Lazar to three-year, entry-level contract". NHL.com. Ottawa. September 17, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- "Lazar scores first goal, but Ottawa Senators lose". Ottawa Sun. December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- "Senators give Curtis Lazar a fresh start with trade to Flames". Ottawa Sun. March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- Johnston, Mike (July 14, 2017). "Calgary Flames sign Curtis Lazar to two-year contract". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- "Flames provide qualifying offers to eight players". Calgary Flames. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- "Sabres sign Curtis Lazar to one-year contract". Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- Ryndak, Chris. "Sabres sign Lazar to 2-year contract". Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- "Curtis Lazar's NHL Draft Profile". National Hockey League. June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
- Garrioch, Bruce (June 30, 2013). "Ottawa Senators select Edmonton Oil Kings forward Curtis Lazar with No. 17 pick in NHL entry draft". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
- "Bowey and Pulock to play in 2013 CHL Top Prospects Game". HockeyManitoba.ca. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- "WHL Announces All-Stars & Awards". Western Hockey League. April 1, 2014. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- "Oil Kings vs Storm". Memorial Cup. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- "Top prospect profile: Curtis Lazar". Western Hockey League. February 3, 2012. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- "2013 NHL Draft Profile: Curtis Lazar". StarsInsideEdge.com. June 22, 2013. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cody Ceci |
Ottawa Senators first round draft pick 2013 |
Succeeded by Thomas Chabot |