Andrew Cameron Sutton (born March 10, 1975) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
. He has previously played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) with the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
,
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
,
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
,
Atlanta Thrashers,
New York Islanders,
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
and
Anaheim Ducks in a 14-year career.
Playing career
Minor/Collegiate
Sutton was born in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
, and played most of his youth hockey with the Greater London Hockey Association and the rep London Sabres AAA program.
At the age of 14, Sutton moved with his family to
Kingston, Ontario.
He played Junior "B" hockey in
Gananoque
Gananoque ( )
is a town in the Leeds and Grenville area of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Tho ...
, Ontario, at age 16, later playing in the
Metro Toronto Junior Hockey League for St. Mike's B's.
His play with St. Mike's earned him a
scholarship
A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need.
Scholars ...
to play collegiate hockey for
Michigan Technological University in the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...
(WCHA). Sutton played four seasons with Michigan Tech, where he switched from left wing to defence.
Professional
Six weeks before he was to finish his
degree in
environmental engineering
Environmental engineering is a professional engineering discipline that encompasses broad scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology, and mathematics to create solutions that will protect and ...
, Sutton was signed as a free agent by the NHL's
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
on March 20, 1998.
He made his NHL debut with the Sharks in the
1998–99 season and played in 71 games in his two seasons with San Jose before being selected by the Minnesota Wild in the
2000 NHL Expansion Draft
The 2000 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 23, 2000, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's two expansion teams for the 2000–01 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild.
Rules ...
.
Sutton played parts of two seasons with the Wild before being traded to the
Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for forward
Hnat Domenichelli
Hnat A. Domenichelli (born February 16, 1976) is a Canadian- Swiss former professional ice hockey player of Ukrainian descent. He was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the fourth round, 83rd overall, of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played 267 Na ...
on January 22, 2002. Sutton spent over four-and-a-half years with the Thrashers, appearing in 273 games and establishing himself as one of the NHL's most physically-imposing defenders. In
2005–06, Sutton registered a career-high eight goals and 25 points.
![Brendan Witt and Andy Sutton in 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Brendan_Witt_and_Andy_Sutton_in_2008.jpg)
Sutton became an unrestricted free agent after the
2006–07 season and signed a three-year contract with the
New York Islanders on August 10, 2007. In the
2008–09 season, his second with the Islanders, Sutton played in only 23 games before a broken foot sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Sutton returned for the
2009–10 season, scoring four goals in 54 games with the Islanders before being traded to the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
at the
NHL trade deadline
In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...
in exchange for a second-round pick in the
2010 NHL Entry Draft
The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the 48th NHL Entry Draft, held on June 25–26, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time Los Angeles hosted the NHL Entry Draft. An unofficial re ...
. TV commentator
Don Cherry
Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...
called it the "biggest" trade of the year in reference to Sutton's size and the potential impact his physical play could make for the Senators in the
post-season. Indeed, in Ottawa's first round playoff series Sutton delivered a devastating and much publicized
hip-check to
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
' defenceman
Jordan Leopold, described as one of the most devastating hits in recent memory.
On August 2, 2010, Sutton signed as a free agent to a two-year, $4.25 million contract with the
Anaheim Ducks. After only one season in Anaheim, Sutton was traded to the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
in exchange for
Kurtis Foster
Kurtis Foster (born November 24, 1981) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and a former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 408 career games in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career Junior hockey Peterborough Petes (1997–2002)
F ...
on July 1, 2011 .
While with the Oilers, Sutton delivered an illegal check to the head on
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
forward
Gabriel Landeskog
Gabriel Landeskog (; born 23 November 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was selected second overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by Colorado. On ...
on October 28, 2011. Though Landeskog was uninjured, the illegality of the hit resulted in a five-game suspension for Sutton. Just a few weeks later, on December 8, 2011, Sutton was suspended indefinitely pending a hearing as a result of a hit delivered to
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
' forward
Alexei Ponikarovsky. He ended up receiving an eight-game suspension. Sutton finished the season with three goals and ten points in 52 games.
On May 22, 2013, Sutton officially announced his retirement from professional hockey.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Awards and honours
Transactions
* March 20, 1998 - Signed as a free agent by
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
.
* June 12, 2000 - Traded to Minnesota by San Jose with San Jose's seventh-round choice (
Peter Bartos) in
2000 NHL Entry Draft
The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was the 38th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24 and 25, 2000 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft on June 23 for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. T ...
and San Jose's third-round choice in
2001 NHL Entry Draft for Minnesota's eighth-round choice in the 2001 Draft and future considerations.
* January 22, 2002 - Traded to
Atlanta Thrashers by Minnesota for
Hnat Domenichelli
Hnat A. Domenichelli (born February 16, 1976) is a Canadian- Swiss former professional ice hockey player of Ukrainian descent. He was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the fourth round, 83rd overall, of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played 267 Na ...
.
* September 24, 2004 - Signed as a free agent by GCK Zurich (Swiss-2).
* February 22, 2005 - Loaned to ZSC Zurich (Swiss) by GCK Zurich (Swiss-2).
* August 10, 2007 - Signed as a free agent by
New York Islanders.
* March 2, 2010 - Traded to
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
by Islanders for a second-round choice in
2010 NHL Entry Draft
The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the 48th NHL Entry Draft, held on June 25–26, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time Los Angeles hosted the NHL Entry Draft. An unofficial re ...
.
* August 2, 2010 - Signed as a free agent by
Anaheim Ducks.
* July 1, 2011 - Traded to
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
by
Anaheim Ducks for
Kurtis Foster
Kurtis Foster (born November 24, 1981) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and a former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 408 career games in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career Junior hockey Peterborough Petes (1997–2002)
F ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Andy
1975 births
Living people
Anaheim Ducks players
Atlanta Thrashers players
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Canadian people of English descent
Edmonton Oilers players
GCK Lions players
Kentucky Thoroughblades players
Sportspeople from London, Ontario
Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey players
Minnesota Wild players
New York Islanders players
Ottawa Senators players
San Jose Sharks players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Undrafted National Hockey League players
ZSC Lions players