Johnny Oduya

Johnny Oduya
Oduya with the Jets in 2012.
Born	October 1, 1981 (1981-10-01) Stockholm, SWE
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Chicago Blackhawks Djurgårdens IF Frölunda HC New Jersey Devils Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets
National team	Sweden
NHL Draft	221st overall, 2001 Washington Capitals
Playing career	1999–present

David Johnny Oduya (born October 1, 1981) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman of partial Kenyan descent, who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

Oduya with the Devils

Playing career

Oduya's first club was Hammarby IF, where he played as a junior. In 2000, at the age of 19, he moved to North America to play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He spent one season in North America, splitting time between Victoriaville Tigres and Moncton Wildcats. After moving back to Sweden, he signed a contract with Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Elitserien. During the two seasons he spent with the team, he was known as an aggressive defenceman and a tough guy. At times he fought with opposition players and received loads of penalty minutes. However, he was also a very dependable player and played regularly in the Swedish national team during the Euro Hockey Tour. In the 2005–06 season, after he had been dismissed by the NHL team Washington Capitals, he moved to another Swedish team, Frölunda HC. In Frölunda, he played as a more offensive defenceman, scoring eight goals and eleven assists.

The following season, Oduya signed with the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. Many expected him to be a minor league player, who potentially would get a brief stint or two in the NHL. When several of the Devils' defenders were injured, Oduya got a spot in the lineup. He played surprisingly well in the NHL, sometimes playing around twenty minutes a game. He played in virtually every Devils game that season, except for a few that he missed due to a mid-season injury. However, in the playoffs, he wasn't even at the bench when the Devils were defeated in the second round. Him being benched was mostly due to Andy Greene, who stepped right into the lineup out of college.

Oduya was named to the 2010 Winter Olympics as a member of the Swedish men's ice hockey team.

On February 4, 2010, Oduya was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers along with Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and a 1st round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft for Ilya Kovalchuk and Anssi Salmela.

On February 27, 2012, Oduya was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2nd round pick and a 3rd round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season							Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
1999–00	Hammarby IF	J20		32	3	18	21	+12	48		6	1	2	3	—	4
1999–00	Hammarby IF	HA		1	0	0	0	0	0		1	0	0	0	0	0
2000–01	Moncton Wildcats	QMJHL		44	11	38	49	−9	147		—	—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Victoriaville Tigres	QMJHL		24	3	16	19	+31	112		13	4	9	13	+2	10
2001–02	Hammarby IF	HA		46	11	14	25	+18	66		2	1	0	1	+1	4
2002–03	Hammarby IF	HA		38	8	20	28	+33	162		10	7	5	12	−1	38
2003–04	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		42	4	4	8	+9	173		4	0	0	0	−3	6
2004–05	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		49	2	4	6	−9	139		12	0	2	2	−1	39
2005–06	Frölunda HC	SEL		47	8	11	19	+12	95		17	1	2	3	0	16
2006–07	New Jersey Devils	NHL		76	2	9	11	−5	61		6	0	1	1	+2	6
2007–08	New Jersey Devils	NHL		75	6	20	26	+27	46		5	0	1	1	−5	6
2008–09	New Jersey Devils	NHL		82	7	22	29	+21	30		7	0	0	0	+3	2
2009–10	New Jersey Devils	NHL		40	2	2	4	+2	18		—	—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		27	1	8	9	+6	12		—	—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		82	2	15	17	-15	22		—	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		63	2	11	13	-9	33		—	—	—	—	—	—
SEL totals				138	14	19	33	+12	407		33	1	4	5	+12	61
NHL totals				445	22	87	109	+27	222		18	0	2	2	0	14

Personal life

Johnny is the younger brother of deceased former NHL draftee Fredrik Oduya.

See also

• List of ice hockey players of black African descent

External links

• Johnny Oduya's career stats at Eliteprospects.com
• Johnny Oduya's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Johnny Oduya – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net