Jonathan Huberdeau

Jonathan Huberdeau
Huberdeau as a member of Team Canada at the 2012 World Junior Championships
Born	(1993-06-04) June 4, 1993 Saint-Jérôme, QC, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	177 lb (80 kg; 12 st 9 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Florida Panthers
NHL Draft	3rd overall, 2011 Florida Panthers
Playing career	2009–present

Jonathan Huberdeau (born June 4, 1993) is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected third overall by the Panthers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Junior

Huberdeau as a member of Team Canada at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

Huberdeau played Midget AAA hockey with the Ste. Eustache Vikings of the Quebec Midget League. He led the league in scoring during the 2008–09 season. After his performance, he was drafted in the 1st round (18th overall) in the 2009 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Midget draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs. Huberdeau scored a goal in his first QMJHL game against the Acadie–Bathurst Titan.^[1] Huberdeau was the leading scorer among 16-year olds in the QMJHL for the 2009–10 season, and scored on all 6 of his shootout attempts.^[1] In January 2010, Huberdeau was named the league's scholastic player of the month.^[2] The Sea Dogs reached the QMJHL finals during Huberdeau's rookie season.^[3]

Prior to the start of the 2010–11 season, Huberdeau was one of 33 prospects selected to attend the NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp in August. The prospects were invited to participate to try out potential rule changes the NHL was considering, and also to be briefed with information on security and professionalism to assist with their future careers in the public eye.^[4] Huberdeau was considered a solid prospect for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at the start of the 2010–11 QMJHL season, and his strong play helped him move up the rankings. He scored 43 goals and added 62 assists in 67 games for the Sea Dogs.^[3] The Sea Dogs captured the 2011 QMJHL championship, and represented the league at the 2011 Memorial Cup. Huberdeau was nominated for three QMJHL awards at the end of the season, including the Michel Briere Trophy for Most Valuable Player, the Mike Bossy Trophy as top professional prospect, and the Paul Dumont Trophy as the league's personality of the year.^[5] He did not win any of the awards, Sean Couturier was named MVP and top prospect, while Louis Leblanc captured the award for personality of the year. Huberdeau was named to the league's First All-Star Team.^[6]

At the Memorial Cup tournament, the Sea Dogs earned a bye to the final game after victories in their first two round-robin games. In the final against the Mississauga Majors, Huberdeau recorded a goal and an assist, helping the Sea Dogs to a 3–1 victory. He was awarded the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the tournament's Most Valuable Player,^[7] and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.^[8]

At the end of the 2010–2011 season, NHL Central Scouting ranked him third among North American skaters, moving up one spot from the mid-season rankings.^[3] Ahead of the NHL draft, Vityaz Chekhov made Huberdeau the fifth overall selection in the 2011 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Junior Draft.^[9] After being informed of his selection, Huberdeau said "For sure, I don’t want to go there. I didn’t talk to anybody about that."^[10]

Florida Panthers

On September 20, 2011, playing in his second NHL pre-season game, Huberdeau scored a goal against the Nashville Predators. He played five preseason games with the Panthers, tallying 3 goals and 1 assist to lead the team in preseason scoring before being sent back to Saint John on October 3.

Following the conclusion of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Huberdeau made the Panthers starting roster for the 2012–13 NHL season. He scored his first NHL goal on January 19, 2013 against Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes on the second shift and first shot of his NHL career. Huberdeau would add two assists in the 5-1 victory to earn the first star of the game in his NHL debut. NHL regulations allowed the Panthers to keep Huberdeau in their lineup for a maximum of five games before they could either return him to his junior team or keep him in Florida. On January 28, 2013, after registering a goal and two assists in five games, the Panthers announced that the rookie would remain with the Panthers for the duration of the NHL season.^[11]

As a result of his outstanding rookie season, Huberdeau won the 2013 Calder Memorial Trophy.

International play

Jonathan Huberdeau

Medal record
Competitor for Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Bronze	2012 Canada

Huberdeau's first experience with Hockey Canada came when he represented Team Quebec at the 2010 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. He scored two goals and added a single assist in five games.^[1] He represented Canada at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, recording three assists as Canada captured the gold medal.^[1]

Huberdeau continued his international success by representing Canada in the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He posted one goal and four assists in Team Canada's 8-1 victory over Team Finland to open the tournament.

Personal life

Huberdeau was raised in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec.^{[citation needed]} Huberdeau's first language is French, and chose to attend Saint Malachy's Memorial high school, an English-speaking high school, to better prepare himself for the NHL.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honours

• QMJHL First Team All-Star (2010–11)^[6]
• Memorial Cup All-Star Team (2011)^[8]
• Calder Memorial Trophy (2013)
• NHL All-Rookie Team (2013)

References

External links

• Jonathan Huberdeau's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
• Jonathan Huberdeau's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database