Jonathon Blum
Jonathon Blum | |||
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Born |
Long Beach, CA, USA | January 30, 1989||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
Weight | 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb) | ||
Position | Defense | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Nashville Predators Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) | ||
National team |
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NHL draft |
23rd overall, 2007 Nashville Predators | ||
Playing career | 2009–present |
Jonathon Blum (born January 30, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL). Drafted 23rd overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, he is a prospect for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Blum was born in Long Beach, California and grew up in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. He played minor hockey for the California Wave and was drafted by the Vancouver Giants after being scouted while playing for the Wave. During his major junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Giants, Blum won a President's Cup as WHL champions in 2006 and a Memorial Cup in 2007. He received the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL's top defenceman and the Canadian Hockey League Defenceman of the Year Award in 2009 and is the Giants' all-time assists leader. Internationally, Blum has represented Team USA on three occasions. He won silver at the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and has competed in the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Championships, finishing without a medal both times.
Early life
Blum was born in Long Beach, California, to parents John and Dana. An avid surfer growing up in Rancho Santa Margarita, approximately 40 miles southeast of Long Beach, Blum was initially playing roller hockey recreationally at four-years-old before discovering ice hockey a couple of years later.[1] He played minor hockey with the California Wave, a team led by Jeff Turcotte, younger brother of former NHL player Alfie Turcotte.[2] Due to the lack of elite minor hockey competition in California, the team travelled to Canada and the Northeast United States to play in top-level tournaments. Blum and the Wave recorded second place finishes in national Midget AAA and Bantam AAA championships culminating in an international Bantam tournament championship in Kamloops, B.C., in 2004.[1] Discovered by scouts at one such tournament, Blum was drafted by the Vancouver Giants of the WHL in the seventh round of the junior draft.[2]
In the midst of Blum's pending major junior career, his family was beset with tragedy. A few months prior to his first training camp in Vancouver and a freshman at Trabuco Hills High School,[1] his house caught fire from a gas leak on April 2, 2004, killing his twin sister, Ashley.[2] Blum has two remaining half-siblings, an older brother and sister. The following year, during his rookie season in the WHL, his mother was diagnosed with a form of juvenile cancer. She underwent heart surgery and chemotherapy to overcome the cancer by May 2006.[2]
Playing career
Drafted 134th overall in the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft,[3] Blum played his first season with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL in 2005–06, recording 24 points as a rookie. He added 8 points in the post-season, helping the Giants to a President's Cup as WHL champions[4] and a berth in the 2006 Memorial Cup in Moncton, where they finished third.[5] The following season, in 2006–07, Blum improved to 51 points as the Giants prepared to defend their WHL title as 2007 Memorial Cup hosts.[6] With a league-high +37 plus-minus, he earned the WHL Plus-Minus Award.[7] Blum also participated in the CHL Top Prospects Game along with teammates Tyson Sexsmith, Michal Řepík and Spencer Machacek.[8] The Giants met the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL finals, where they were defeated in seven games. Then, facing the Tigers in the Memorial Cup final Blum and the Giants captured the franchise's first Canadian Hockey League (CHL) title by a 3–1 score.[6] That off-season, going into the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Blum was ranked 17th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.[1] He would be selected 23rd overall by the Nashville Predators, becoming the first California-born-and-raised player to be drafted in the first round.[9]
After being sent back to junior from the Predators' training camp in September 2007,[10] Blum was signed to an entry-level contract with Nashville on December 17, 2007.[11] Earlier that month, on December 2, he set a Giants' franchise record with four assists in a 6–1 win over Portland Winter Hawks.[12] An alternate captain with Garet Hunt to captain Spencer Machacek,[13] he finished the season with a career-high 18 goals and 63 points, finishing second among league defensemen (behind Ty Wishart's 67 points in 72 games).[14] His offensive production also set a single-season franchise-record among Giants defensemen for goals (surpassed by Kevin Connauton in 2009–10)[15] and points (surpassed by Brent Regner in 2008–09).[16] At the end of the season, he was named to the WHL West Second All-Star Team, along with teammate Tyson Sexsmith.[17]
With the departure of Spencer Machacek to the professional ranks the following season, Blum was named team captain for the 2008–09 season.[18] He began the season with 14 points in his first 10 games and was named WHL Player of the Month for September/October.[19] On November 19, 2008, he recorded his first career WHL hat trick in a 4–1 win against the Chilliwack Bruins.[20] Later that season, on February 7, 2009, during a 4–2 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks, Blum became the Giants' all-time assists leader with his 148th assist to pass Adam Courchaine's 147-assists mark.[21] Nearly a week later, however, he was sidelined with a shoudler injury after receiving a couple of hits from Kelowna Rockets forward Jamie Benn in a 3–2 overtime loss.[22]
Blum returned to complete the season with 66 points in just 51 games to finish third in league scoring among defensemen behind teammate Brent Regner and Paul Postma of the Calgary Hitmen. Regner's 67 points bettered Blum's franchise single-season record by a defenseman of the previous campaign. Despite missing 21 games, Blum was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team, along with teammates Casey Pierro-Zabotel and Evander Kane,[23] and won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the league's top defenceman.[24] He was also later chosen as the CHL Defenceman of the Year over Dmitry Kulikov of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires.[25] In addition to his league-wide honours, he was named co-team MVP with Casey Pierro-Zabotel, as well as the Giants' Top Defenceman and Most Sportsmanlike Player.[26] After eliminating the Prince George Cougars in the first round, Blum scored 2 goals and 1 assist in the first 2 games of the second round against the Spokane Chiefs, earning WHL Player of the Week honors on April 6.[27] The Giants' post-season ended in the semi-finals against the Kelowna Rockets. Blum led the team in playoff scoring with 18 points in 17 games.
Upon the Giants' elimination, Blum was assigned by the Predators to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, for the remainder of their 2009 playoff run.[28] He joined the Admirals, making his professional debut, in the second round against the Houston Aeros. Blum appeared in 5 games, recording no points, as the Admirals were eliminated in seven games. He remained with Milwaukee in the AHL the following season and scored his first professional goal on October 14, 2009, against Hannu Toivonen in a 5–2 win against the Peoria Rivermen.[29]
International play
Medal record | ||
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Representing ![]() | ||
Ice hockey | ||
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament | ||
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2006 Czech Republic/Slovakia |
Blum debuted internationally for Team USA at the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.[30] He captured a silver medal, as the United States lost to Canada in the final. Two years later, he competed in the 2008 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic, finishing fourth with Team USA. Set to appear in the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Blum was named team captain of the United States.[31] He contributed two goals and two assists in six games, but once again failed to win a medal, finishing in fifth place.
Career statistics
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2004–05 | California Wave | Minor | 55 | 15 | 50 | 65 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 61 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 25 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 16 | ||
2006–07 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 72 | 8 | 43 | 51 | 48 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 8 | ||
2007–08 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 64 | 18 | 45 | 63 | 44 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | ||
2008–09 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 51 | 16 | 50 | 66 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 6 | ||
2008–09 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
WHL totals | 248 | 49 | 155 | 204 | 147 | 67 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 40 | ||||
AHL totals | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
International statistics
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | United States | WJC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
2009 | United States | WJC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
Junior int'l totals | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
- All stats taken from Jonathon Blum player profile at NHL.com
Awards
CHL
Award | Year(s) |
---|---|
Memorial Cup (Vancouver Giants) | 2007[6] |
Defenceman of the Year | 2009[25] |
WHL
Award | Year(s) |
---|---|
President's Cup (Vancouver Giants) | 2006[4] |
WHL Plus-Minus Award | 2007[7] |
West Second All-Star Team | 2008[17] |
Player of the Month | September/October 2008[19] |
West First All-Star Team | 2009[23] |
Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (top defenceman) | 2009[24] |
Player of the Week | April 6, 2009[27] |
Vancouver Giants
Award | Year(s) |
---|---|
Team MVP | 2009 (shared with Casey Pierro-Zabotel)[26] |
Top Defenseman | 2009[26] |
Most Sportsmanlike Player | 2009[26] |
Records
- Vancouver Giants' franchise record; all-time assists – 155 (surpassed Adam Courchaine, 147, on February 7, 2009)[21]
Transactions
- June 22, 2007 – Drafted by the Nashville Predators 23rd overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
- December 17, 2007 – Signed to an entry-level contract by the Nashville Predators.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d "Gamut of emotions". OC Register. 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b c d "Blum's hockey dream helps heal past personal wounds". ESPN. 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ "2004 WHL Bantam Draft List". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
- ^ a b "Ed Chynoweth Cup". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ^ "The 2006 Memorial Cup History". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ^ a b c "The 2007 Memorial Cup History". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ^ a b "Plus-Minus Award Winners". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ^ "Four Giants headed to Top Prospects". OurSports Central. 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ Wood, Dan (2007). "Blum puts California on hockey map". OC Register. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ "Reinforcements headed back to Giants from NHL". The Province. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b "Predators sign 1st-round pick Jonathon Blum". CBC. 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ "WHL:Record night for Giants' Jonathon Blum". TSN. 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ "Giants appoint team captains". OurSports Central. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ "Top Scorers - 2007-08 Regular Season - Defencemen". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ^ "Vancouver Giants defeat Kelowna Rockets 6-3". Vancouver Sun. 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
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(help) - ^ "Cannauton on pace for banner year". The Province. 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
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(help) - ^ a b "Vancouver Giant nominated for WHL rookie of the year". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
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(help) - ^ "Hay's words catch on with captain". The Province. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ a b "Giants' Blum named WHL player of the month". Vancouver Sun. 2008-11-03. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
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(help) - ^ "Blum paces Giants past Chilliwack". Vancouver Sun. 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
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(help) - ^ a b "Blum adds to glowing resumé". The Province. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
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(help) - ^ "Win-win with Bruins, Blum". The Province. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
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(help) - ^ a b "WHL Announces 2008–09 Western Conference All-Star Teams and Award Finalists". 'Western Hockey League. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ a b "WHL Announces 2008–09 Award Winners". Western Hockey League. 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ a b "Tavares, Hodgson garner end of year awards". TSN. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ a b c d "Giants Pound Cougars 6–0". OurSports Central. 2009-03-15. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
- ^ a b "Vancouver Giants Jon Blum Named Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week". Western Hockey League. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Blum's time with the Giants is over, but his seasons isn't". Vancouver Sun. 2009-04-29.
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(help); Text "accessdate-2009-05-10" ignored (help) - ^ "Admirals beat Rivermen 5–2 in Peoria". Examiner.com. 2009-10-14. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ "Jonathan Blum". American Hockey League. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ "Captain Blum Q&A". USA Hockey. 2008-12-22. Retrieved 2008-12-22.