David Savard
| David Savard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 22, 1990 St. Hyacinthe, QC, CAN |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Right |
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Columbus Blue Jackets Springfield Falcons (AHL) |
| NHL Draft | 94th overall, 2009 Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Playing career | 2010–present |
David Savard (born October 22, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the 4th round (94th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Born in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Savard was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 4th round (94th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, after his second junior season where he played as reliable defenseman with defensive skills.
The following season, by demand from the team that had drafted him, Savard started to support the offense a little more aiming to become a more complete player. Consequently, he was awarded many trophies at the end of his third junior season, such as the Émile Bouchard Trophy rewarding the best QMJHL Defensive defenseman and the Kevin Lowe Trophy awarded to the best QMJHL defenseman, while finishing first league scorer among defensemen, establishing a league record for assists as a defenseman.
In the same year, he was selected to participate to the Subway Super Series, wearing a Quebec jersey in the tournament. He was named the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) best defenseman, recognizing his remarkable season with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL in 2009-2010.
The next year, while still being eligible to play for a junior team, the Columbus Blue Jackets assigned him to play in Springfield, their American Hockey League affiliate team. After an excellent pro training camp, the Blue Jackets decided Savard would progress faster at the AHL, following his high marks in junior hockey the former year.
Savard then donned the Springfield Falcons colors in the American Hockey League during the 2010–11 season where he finished as the team's top scoring defenseman, and second among the league's rookie defencemen.
David scored his first NHL Goal on February 7, 2012 against Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom. After playing 31 games in the NHL that season at the age of 21, he was slowed by the injury he has inflicted in December 2012, shortly before the end of the lockout. At the Blue Jackets camp, he was not able to do justice at the beginning of a season that was going to be shortened, but still managed to be in he lineup for 4 of the 48 games of the team. In fact, Savard had taken the decision to delay surgery in the abdomen because he wanted to play in the National League, but it ultimately did not help his cause, often struggling to skate because of the pain. Therefore, he mainly evolved in the American League in 2012-13.
David Savard took into overdrive after the operation and after accepting a one-year contract. Back to health, he had a great camp and began the 2013-14 season with the big club. With an imposing stature (six feet two inches, 219 pounds), Savard thus begins the season with the intention to contribute offensively while wanting to do well defensively.
October 18th, 2013 will remain etched in his memory: he realized his childhood dream by playing his first game in his native region in his NHL career, facing the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center.
Career Statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2007–08 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar | QMJHL | 35 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 22 | -2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 32 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 | -19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 68 | 9 | 35 | 44 | 33 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 64 | 13 | 64 | 77 | 36 | 32 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 8 | ||
| 2010–11 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 72 | 11 | 32 | 43 | 18 | -6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 44 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 72 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 31 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 60 | 5 | 26 | 31 | 40 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2012–13 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 35 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Notable awards and honours
- CHL Defenceman of the Year (2009–10)
- Emile Bouchard Trophy (QMJHL Best Defenceman) (2009–10)
- Kevin Lowe Trophy (QMJHL Best Defensive Defenceman) (2009–10)
- QMJHL First All-Star Team (2009–10)
References
External links
- David Savard's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- David Savard's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Preceded by Dmitri Kulikov |
Emile Bouchard Trophy 2009–10 |
Succeeded by Simon Despres |
| Preceded by Maxime Ouimet |
Kevin Lowe Trophy 2009–10 |
Succeeded by Andrew Randazzo |
| Preceded by Jonathon Blum |
CHL Defenceman of the Year 2009–10 |
Succeeded by Ryan Ellis |