Justin Abdelkader
| Justin Abdelkader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 25, 1987 Muskegon, MI, USA |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) |
| Position | Left wing/center |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team | Detroit Red Wings |
| National team |  United States |
| NHL Draft | 42nd overall, 2005 Detroit Red Wings |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
Justin Abdelkader (/ˈæbdəlkeɪdər/; born February 25, 1987) is an American ice hockey forward currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League.
Playing career
Amateur
On April 7, 2007, Abdelkader scored the game-winning goal in the 2007 NCAA Championship Game against Boston College, securing the NCAA Division 1 National Championship for Michigan State University and earning him the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. He scored the latest game-winning regulation goal ever scored in an NCAA Frozen Four championship game when he scored with just 18.9 seconds left.
Professional
- Detroit Red Wings
Abdelkader was selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the 42nd overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
On April 3, 2008, Abdelkader signed a one-game amateur tryout with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and was to play that night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In doing so, he forfeited his college eligibility for the 2008–09 season. The following day, Abdelkader signed a three-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.[1]
Abdelkader scored 24 goals for the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2008–09 season and was one of the team's best offensive players in the playoffs.[2]
On May 8, 2009, Abdelkader was brought up to the Red Wings as the replacement for Tomáš Kopecký, who sat out Game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals series against the Anaheim Ducks. Coach Mike Babcock sent Abdelkader to replace Kopecký "because he'll run over people. We expect him to play hard like Darren Helm. He's on the forecheck and he's a physical guy."[3] During the game Abdelkader scored his first career point on an assist to Johan Franzén.
Abdelkader scored his first career NHL goal on May 30, 2009, in Game 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After shooting the puck, he grabbed the rebound out of the air with his glove, dropped the puck, and beat Marc-André Fleury high stick side.[4][5] His second goal came nearly 24 hours later in the second game of the series, off of what commentators described as a "knuckle puck." He carried the puck into the forward zone alone against three Penguins defenders and fired a slapshot past Fleury. He became the first rookie to score a goal in consecutive finals games since Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli did it in 1981.[6]
During the 2009–10 season Justin played 50 games for the Red Wings scoring 3 goals, while adding 3 assists. He was then re-signed by the Red Wings on a two-year extension worth $1.575 million.
The 2010–11 season was Abdelkader's first full NHL season as a Red Wing. He played in 74 games, scoring 7 goals, and adding 12 assists.
During the 2011–12 season, he missed only one game to finish with 8 goals and 22 points in 81 games.
On September 14, 2012, Abdelkader signed a four year, $7.2 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.[7] Abdelkader's 2013 season was off to a good start but he has since been sidelined after an illegal hit from Deryk Engelland.[8]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for United States
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2007 Leksand | |
Abdelkader was selected to play for the United States national junior team at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Sweden.[9]
Personal life
Justin Abdelkader is the son of Joseph and Sheryl Abdelkader. The surname Abdelkader is Arabic. His paternal grandfather, Yusuf Abdul Qadir (Anglicised Joseph Abdelkader), emigrated from Jordan at the age of 19 to Muskegon, Michigan, where he later met a Polish girl named Susie.[10][11][12]
Abdelkader was born and raised in Norton Shores and graduated from Mona Shores High School in 2005. He was named to the all-state hockey team and awarded the Mr. Hockey award, given to the top high school ice hockey player in Michigan. During his senior year, he played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL, and helped the team win the 2004–05 Clark Cup Championship.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 60 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 86 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | Michigan State Spartans | CCHA | 44 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Michigan State Spartans | CCHA | 38 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Michigan State Spartans | CCHA | 42 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 107 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 76 | 24 | 28 | 52 | 102 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 23 | ||
| 2008–09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 33 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 50 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | ||
| 2010–11 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 74 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 61 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | ||
| 2011–12 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 62 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 33 | ||
| NHL totals | 257 | 28 | 32 | 60 | 194 | 49 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 93 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | United States | WJC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2012 | United States | WC | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Junior int'l totals | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
References
- ↑ "Kopecky done for rest of season; Abdelkader signed for three years".
- ↑ "Rafalski, Draper, Kopecky won't play Sunday".
- ↑ Ted Kulfan, "Rafalski, Draper, Kopecky won't play Sunday," The Detroit News, May 8, 2009.
- ↑ http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?id=42908
- ↑ http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=290530005
- ↑ "Griffins foursome keys Red Wings' run for Cup". mlive.com. 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ↑ Abdelkader signs four-year deal
- ↑ "Justin Abdelkader Injured After Illegal Hit from Deryk Engelland".
- ↑ "Player Bio:Justin Abdelkader". MSU Athletics. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2006-12-29.
- ↑ http://www.nhl.com Archived 16 January 2010 at WebCite
- ↑ http://www.theahl.com/pagebank/index.html?id=8786
- ↑ http://www.wzzm13.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=110061&catid=82
External links
- Justin Abdelkader's player profile at NHL.com
- Justin Abdelkader's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robbie Earl |
NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player 2007 |
Succeeded by Nathan Gerbe |
| Preceded by Nathan Davis |
CCHA Best Defensive Forward 2007–08 |
Succeeded by Tim Miller |
| Preceded by Tim Cook |
Ilitch Humanitarian Award 2007–08 |
Succeeded by Jeff Lerg Jerad Kaufmann |