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Lee Stempniak

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Lee Stempniak
Stempniak with the Boston Bruins in 2016
Born (1983-02-04) February 4, 1983 (age 41)
West Seneca, New York, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs
Phoenix Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Rangers
Winnipeg Jets
New Jersey Devils
Boston Bruins
Carolina Hurricanes
National team  United States
NHL draft 148th overall, 2003
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 2005–2019

Lee Edward Stempniak (born February 4, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes.

Stempniak graduated from St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, New York, in 2001, and played his college hockey at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. A well-traveled and versatile forward, Stempniak has played for ten different teams in his NHL career, which is tied for the second-most in NHL history. On October 1, 2019 after 14 seasons in the NHL he announced his retirement.[1][2]

Early life

Stempniak lived near an ice hockey rink where he knew the owner. The owner would let him practice whenever he could. After high school, he wanted to continue to play hockey, but his parents wanted him to go to college. Stempniak went to the only college that showed interest in him, Dartmouth. At Dartmouth, he majored in economics. He became a top player for the Big Green ice hockey team and was named a two-time All American, as well as his team's captain.[3]

Playing career

Stempniak as a member of the St. Louis Blues.

St. Louis Blues

Stempniak was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round, 148th overall, at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He led the team in goals in his first full season (2006–07), with 27, despite being just 23 years of age. He and David Backes joined Jay McClement to form one of the NHL's youngest lines.

Toronto Maple Leafs

On November 24, 2008, Stempniak was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. Stempniak wore number 12 in Toronto.[4][5]

Phoenix Coyotes

On March 3, 2010, Stempniak was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for Matt Jones and a fourth- and seventh-round draft pick 2010. Twelve days later, Stempniak was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week, scoring five goals in three games, all in victories for the Coyotes.[6] On April 1, 2010, Stempniak earned the NHL's Player of the Month honor for March after scoring 13 goals since the trade to Phoenix.[7]

On August 30, 2010, Stempniak signed a two-year contract extension with the Coyotes.[8]

Lee Stempniak prior to making his debut with the Flames in 2011.

Calgary Flames

On August 29, 2011, the Coyotes traded Stempniak to the Calgary Flames for Daymond Langkow.[9] He went on to record 14 goals with 14 assists during 61 games in 2011–12. On June 29, 2012, Stempniak re-signed with the Flames on a two-year, $5 million deal.[10]

Pittsburgh Penguins

During the 2013–14 season, on March 5, 2014, Stempniak was dealt at the NHL trade deadline to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round draft pick.[11] In 21 games with the club, Stempniak recorded 11 points. He also had three points in 13 playoff games as the Penguins would lose in Round 2 against the New York Rangers.

New York Rangers

On July 19, 2014, Stempniak agreed to join his sixth NHL team, signing a one-year contract as a free agent with the New York Rangers.[12] In the 2014–15 season, Stempniak was primarily used by the Rangers in a bottom six role, compiling nine goals and 18 points in 53 games.

Winnipeg Jets

On March 1, 2015, Stempniak was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Carl Klingberg.[13]

Stempniak with the Penguins in 2014

Stempniak scored the first playoff goal in Winnipeg since 1996 when he beat Anaheim's Frederik Andersen in the first period of Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarter Finals for a 1-0 Jets lead.[14]

New Jersey Devils

On September 16, 2015, Stempniak agreed to join the New Jersey Devils on a professional tryout. He was signed by the Devils to a one-year contract worth $850,000 on October 3, 2015.[15] In the 2015–16 season, Stempniak made a seamless transition to provide instant value to the Devils. In a scoring role, Stempniak was leading the Devils with 41 points in 63 games, having his best offensive season since 2010.

Boston Bruins

Stempniak was traded for a third consecutive season at the trade deadline to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a second-round and fourth-round pick on February 29, 2016.[16] Stempniak finished out the season scoring 10 points in 19 games.

Carolina Hurricanes

Unable to help the Bruins into the post-season, Stempniak familiarly approached the off-season as a free agent. Following a successful individual year, on July 1, 2016, Stempniak was promptly signed to a two-year contract to join his tenth NHL club, the Carolina Hurricanes.[17]

Return to Boston

Stempniak joined the Boston Bruins during the start of training camp, signing a Professional Tryout (PTO) contract on September 10, 2018.[18] Stempniak began the 2018–19 without a contract, however continued to train with the Bruins at times throughout the first months of the season.[19] While continuing informally with the team, Stempniak belatedly signed a professional try-out contract in the AHL to join affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on February 15, 2019.[20] After 4 games with Providence, and ahead of the NHL trade deadline, Stempniak signed a one-year, one-way contract with Boston on February 24, 2019.[21]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1998–99 Saint Francis High School HSNY 16 16 16 32
1999–2000 Saint Francis High School HSNY
1999–2000 Rochester Jr. Americans AAA Midget
2000–01 Buffalo Lightning OPJHL 48 34 41 85 36
2001–02 Dartmouth College ECAC 32 12 9 21 8
2002–03 Dartmouth College ECAC 34 21 28 49 32
2003–04 Dartmouth College ECAC 34 16 22 38 42
2004–05 Dartmouth College ECAC 35 14 29 43 34
2005–06 Peoria Rivermen AHL 20 8 5 13 25 3 0 3 3 2
2005–06 St. Louis Blues NHL 57 14 13 27 22
2006–07 St. Louis Blues NHL 82 27 25 52 33
2007–08 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 13 25 38 40
2008–09 St. Louis Blues NHL 14 3 10 13 2
2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 61 11 20 31 31
2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 62 14 16 30 18
2009–10 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 18 14 4 18 8 7 0 2 2 0
2010–11 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 19 19 38 19 4 0 0 0 0
2011–12 Calgary Flames NHL 61 14 14 28 16
2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 47 9 23 32 12
2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 52 8 15 23 28
2013–14 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 21 4 7 11 4 13 2 1 3 6
2014–15 New York Rangers NHL 53 9 9 18 18
2014–15 Winnipeg Jets NHL 18 6 4 10 2 4 1 0 1 0
2015–16 New Jersey Devils NHL 63 16 25 41 34
2015–16 Boston Bruins NHL 19 3 7 10 4
2016–17 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 82 16 24 40 32
2017–18 Charlotte Checkers AHL 1 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 37 3 6 9 4
2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 20 7 11 18 8 4 0 1 1 10
2018–19 Boston Bruins NHL 2 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 911 203 266 469 327 28 3 3 6 6

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2007 United States WC 7 6 4 10 27
2008 United States WC 7 0 3 3 6
2009 United States WC 9 2 0 2 6
Senior totals 23 8 7 15 39

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team 2001–02
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 2003–04, 2004–05
AHCA East First-Team All-American 2003–04
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 2004–05

References

  1. ^ "Sports Log". bostonglobe.com. Associated Press. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  2. ^ Scott Burnside (2019-10-10). "Q&A: From his greatest teammates to all the trades, Lee Stempniak reflects on a career well-played". The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  3. ^ "Central: Stempniak a smart addition to Blues' attack". nhl.com. Retrieved 2007-07-10. [dead link]
  4. ^ "Leafs acquire winger Stempniak from Blues". tsn.ca. 2008-11-24. Archived from the original on 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  5. ^ "Leafs trade Steen, Colaiacovo". sportsnet.ca. 2008-11-24. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  6. ^ "Stempniak named NHL's second star of the Week". Phoenix Coyotes. 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
  7. ^ "Stempniak, Howard and Henrik Sedin named NHL three stars of month". National Hockey League. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  8. ^ "Coyotes re-sign Stempniak to two-year contract". Phoenix Coyotes. 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  9. ^ "Flames acquire Lee Stempniak". Calgary Flames. 2011-08-29. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
  10. ^ "Stempniak re-signs for 2 years, $5 million". Twitter. 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  11. ^ "Flames forward Stempniak headed to Pittsburgh". Calgary Herald. 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  12. ^ "Rangers agree to terms with Lee Stempniak". New York Rangers. 2014-07-19. Archived from the original on 2014-07-22. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  13. ^ "Rangers trade Lee Stempniak to Jets for Carl Klingberg". National Hockey League. 2015-03-01. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  14. ^ "Lee Stempniak scores first Stanley Cup playoff goal in Winnipeg since 1996 (Video)". Yahoo Sports. 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
  15. ^ "Stempniak, Devils agree to terms on one-year contract". National Hockey League. 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
  16. ^ "Boston Bruins announce trade deadline acquisitions". Boston Bruins. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
  17. ^ "Lee Stempniak agrees to terms with Hurricanes". Carolina Hurricanes. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  18. ^ "Bruins' Lee Stempniak: Inks PTO". CBS Sports. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  19. ^ "Bruins expected to make decision on KHL tryout Kovar soon". NBC Sports. 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  20. ^ Mark Divver (2019-02-15). "Lee Stempniak joins Providence roster". Twitter. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  21. ^ "Bruins ink Stempniak to one-year deal". The Sports Network. 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2019-02-24.