Aaron Gagnon
| Aaron Gagnon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
April 24, 1986 Quesnel, BC, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 189 lb (86 kg; 13 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| Liiga team Former teams |
Lukko Dallas Stars Winnipeg Jets HV71 | ||
| NHL Draft |
240th overall, 2004 Phoenix Coyotes | ||
| Playing career | 2007–present | ||
Aaron Gagnon (born April 24, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, who plays for Lukko in the Finnish Liiga.
Early life
Gagnon was born on April 24, 1986 in Quesnel, British Columbia to parents Kelly and Barry Gagnon.[1] Despite being born in Quesnel, Gagnon was raised in Armstrong, British Columbia.[1] Gagnon has a sister, Jillian, and a brother, Bryn.[1] His brother Bryn is also an ice hockey player, having played for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League and currently a member of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Trojans of the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference.[2]
Playing career
Junior
Gagnon was drafted in the 5th round, 83rd overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2001 WHL Bantam Draft.[3] In the season immediately following the draft, Gagnon played in 2 games with the Thunderbirds, while spending most of the season with his North Okanagan Midget AA team of the BCAHA where he scored 59 goals and 118 points in only 41 games to lead the team in scoring.[4] One year later, Gagnon began his rookie season with Seattle. In 60 games, Gagnon scored 18 points while adding another 5 points in 15 playoff games. Gagnon's sophomore season was a large improvement over his rookie campaign. With 36 points in 63 games, Gagnon doubled his previous seasons' point total. Gagnon's defensive game also improved, as he led the Thunderbirds in plus/minus with a plus-18.[4]
Gagnon's third season in the WHL proved to be one of his most successful. After setting new career highs in goals (31), assists (34), and points (65) in 72 games, Gagnon was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team and was named the Western Conference nomination for the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player of the year,[5] an award he ultimately lost to Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers.[6]
On September 22, 2005, just prior to the start of his fourth full WHL season, Gagnon was named captain of the Thunderbirds.[7]
Gagnon's final season with the Thunderbirds was arguably the best of his WHL career. Serving once again as the Thunderbirds' captain, Gagnon finished the season with career highs in goals (42), assists (38), and points (80) in only 59 games. During the season, Gagnon was twice named the Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week and was also named the Husky WHL Player of the Month for December.[8] At the completion of the regular season, Gagnon was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team[9] and was the Western Conference nomination for both the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL's MVP, and the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player of the year.[10] For the second time in his WHL career, Gagnon lost out on an award to Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers, losing the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy; however, Gagnon did manage to win his first Brad Hornung Trophy.[11]
Professional
Gagnon was drafted in the eighth round, 240th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. On February 2, 2007, Gagnon signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars.[12]
On July 1, 2011, Gagnon signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Winnipeg Jets.[13]
In early August 2013, after spending his first five professional seasons in North America, Gagnon signed for two-years with the Swedish Hockey League team HV71, joing Riley Holzapfel whom he played with in St. John's IceCaps.[14] In the 2013–14 season, Gagnon appeared in only 9 games with HV71 before opting to transfer to the Finnish Liiga with Lukko Rauma.
International play
On April 1, 2004, Gagnon was named to the Canadian roster for the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships in Minsk, Belarus.[15]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001–02 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 60 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 63 | 21 | 15 | 36 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 72 | 31 | 34 | 65 | 29 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 16 | ||
| 2005–06 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 62 | 24 | 21 | 45 | 40 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 59 | 42 | 38 | 80 | 58 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | Idaho Steelheads | ECHL | 22 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | Iowa Stars | AHL | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 61 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 28 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Texas Stars | AHL | 78 | 27 | 31 | 58 | 42 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 18 | ||
| 2009–10 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Texas Stars | AHL | 58 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 63 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 14 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 43 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | HV71 | SHL | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 38 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Canada | WJC18 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | |
| Junior Int'l totals | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | |||
Awards
- 2005 – WHL West First All-Star Team
- 2006 – WHL Boston Pizza Player of the Week (November 27 – December 3)
- 2006 – WHL Husky Player of the Month (December)
- 2007 – WHL Boston Pizza Player of the Week (February 19–25)
- 2007 – WHL Brad Hornung Trophy
- 2007 – WHL West First All-Star Team
References
- 1 2 3 Drinnan, Gregg (2005-02-26). "It felt like a home game for two Thunderbirds". Kamloops Daily News.
- ↑ "Bryn Gagnon". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ↑ "Bantam Draft". Seattle Thunderbirds. Archived from the original on 2007-03-04. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- 1 2 "Aaron Gagnon". Seattle Thunderbirds. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ "WHL Announces 2004–05 Award Finalists and Conference All-Star Teams" (Press release). Western Hockey League. March 23, 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ "Western Hockey League Announces 2004–05 Annual Award Winners" (Press release). Western Hockey League. May 4, 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ "Gagnon named T-Birds 2005–06 captain". OurSports Central. 2005-09-22. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ "Aaron Gagnon, Seattle Thunderbirds: Feb 19 – Feb 25" (Press release). Western Hockey League. February 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ "WHL Announces 2006–07 Conference All Star Teams" (Press release). Western Hockey League. March 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ "Gagnon and Russell Named WHL Player of the Year Finalists" (Press release). Western Hockey League. April 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ Riley, Jim (2007-02-08). "Gagnon, Beach take home WHL awards". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ "Stars Sign Center Aaron Gagnon to Three-Year Deal" (Press release). Dallas Stars. February 2, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
- ↑ Tait, Ed. "Jets proceed cautiously in free-agent market". National Post. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- ↑ Wengel, Daniel (2013-08-07). "Gagnon blir sista pusselbiten". HV71.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ↑ "Canada’s 2004 World Under-18 Championship Roster Named" (Press release). Hockey Canada. April 1, 2004. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
External links
- Aaron Gagnon's player profile at NHL.com
- Aaron Gagnon's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kris Russell |
Winner of the WHL Brad Hornung Trophy 2007 |
Succeeded by Tyler Ennis |