Bill Sweatt

Bill Sweatt
Born September 28, 1988 (1988-09-28) (age 23)
Elburn, IL, USA
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team Vancouver Canucks
NHL Draft 38th overall, 2007
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2010–present

Bill Sweatt (born September 28, 1988) is an American ice hockey left winger who currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks organization of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sweatt played junior hockey with the United States National Development Program and college hockey with the Colorado College Tigers. Selected 38th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, he became a free agent after going unsigned by the club. In 2010, he signed with the Canucks. As a roller hockey player, Sweatt has competed internationally with Team USA, winning a gold medal at the 2006 World InLine Championships.[1] His older brother Lee Sweatt is a retired hockey player; the two have played with each other with the Colorado College Tigers and the Manitoba Moose.

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Early life

Sweatt was born in Elburn, Illinois, a village west of Chicago. He played minor hockey with his older brother Lee, in Highland Park, Illinois. His father was a former football player, while his mother was a hockey fan. Growing up, the family lived in the country and had a paved basement, where the brothers played roller hockey.[2]

Playing career

Sweatt joined the U.S. National Under-18 Team in 2004–05. After two seasons with the program, he joined the college ranks with the Colorado College Tigers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). During his freshman year, Sweatt skated alongside Lee, who was finishing up his college career with Colorado as a senior defenceman. Following a 26-point effort over 30 games, Sweatt was selected 38th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He returned to Colorado to complete his NCAA career, which culminated in a college career-high 15 goals, 18 assists and 33 points over 39 games as a senior in 2009–10.

In the off-season, Sweatt was traded from the Blackhawks to the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 30, 2010, along with forward Kris Versteeg. Opting not to sign with Toronto, he became a free agent on August 16, 2010. Three days later, he signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Vancouver Canucks worth US$2.7 million, plus performance bonuses.[3] Sweatt joined his brother Lee in the Canucks organization, who had been signed by the team three months prior.[4]

Following the pre-season, the Canucks assigned both Sweatt brothers to their American Hockey League(AHL) affiliate the Manitoba Moose.[5] Together, they became the first pair of brothers to play at the same time for the franchise.[2] Moose head coach Claude Noel described Sweatt in his professional rookie season as a physical player who can forecheck quickly and make plays.[2] Sweatt recorded 46 points (19 goals and 27 assists) over 80 games, ranking second in team-scoring (12 behind winger Sergei Shirokov),[6] as well as ninth among league rookies.[7] During the off-season, Lee was left unsigned by the Canucks organization, splitting the brothers up. Despite signing with the Ottawa Senators, Lee announced his retirement shortly thereafter.

During the Canucks' 2011 training camp, Sweatt was injured during a prospects tournament in Penticton, British Columbia, causing him to miss the team's first two pre-season games in September.[8] After being assigned to the Chicago Wolves, the Canucks' new AHL affiliate, to start the season, he received his first NHL call-up on December 7, 2011. Making his NHL debut the following night against the Montreal Canadiens, he registered two shots on goal and one hit in six minutes and eighteen seconds of ice time; Vancouver won the game 4–3.[9]

International play

Medal record
Competitor for United States
World Junior Championships
Bronze 2007 Sweden
IIHF World U18 Championships
Gold 2006 Sweden
InLine Hockey World Championship
Gold 2006 Hungary

Sweatt was named Top Forward at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships in 2006,[3] where the United States won gold. He also participated in the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for the US, coming home with a bronze medal. While playing roller hockey, Sweatt won a gold medal at the 2006 World InLine Championships.[1]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 U.S. National Under-18 Team NAHL 41 7 9 16 12 — — — — —
2005–06 U.S. National Under-18 Team NAHL 17 10 15 25 4 — — — — —
2006–07 Colorado College NCAA 30 9 17 26 18 — — — — —
2007–08 Colorado College NCAA 37 10 17 27 38 — — — — —
2008–09 Colorado College NCAA 37 12 11 23 28 — — — — —
2009–10 Colorado College NCAA 39 15 18 33 18 — — — — —
2010-11 Manitoba Moose AHL 80 19 27 46 28 14 1 5 6 2
AHL Totals 80 19 27 46 28 14 1 5 6 2

References

  1. ^ a b "Chicago Blackhawks: Bill Sweatt". http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=11881. 
  2. ^ a b c "The sweet smell of the Sweatts". Manitoba Moose. 2010-10-14. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. http://www.webcitation.org/5wExfYKJK. Retrieved 2011-02-02. 
  3. ^ a b "Canucks Sign Bill Sweatt". TSN.ca. 2010-08-19. http://www.webcitation.org/5s7ApmqOr. Retrieved 2010-08-19. 
  4. ^ "Canucks sign defencemen Yann Sauve, Lee Sweatt, and Chris Tanev". Vancouver Canucks. 31 May 2010. http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=530581. Retrieved 31 May 2010. 
  5. ^ "Canucks reduce preseason roster by five players". Canucks.com. 2010-10-03. http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=539401&navid=DL. Retrieved 2010-10-03. 
  6. ^ "2010-11 Regular Season - Manitoba Moose". American Hockey League. http://theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=skaters&subType=14&season_id=34&leagueId=4&lastActive=&singleSeason=&confId=0. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  7. ^ "2010-11 Regular Season - Rookies". National Hockey League. http://theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=top_scorers&subType=4&season_id=34&leagueId=4&lastActive=&singleSeason=&confId=0. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  8. ^ Jamieson, Jim (2011-09-24). "Hodgson in offensive spotlight as Canucks to audition fourth-liners Saturday". The Province. http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Hodgson+offensive+spotlight+Canucks+audition+fourth+liners+Saturday/5454167/story.html. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  9. ^ Ziemer, Brad (2011-12-08). "Bill Sweatt living the lifelong dream". The Vancouver Sun. http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Bill+Sweatt+living+lifelong+dream/5833505/story.html. Retrieved 2011-12-11. 

External links