David Roche (born June 13, 1975) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames and

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

between 1995 and 2001. Roche was drafted by the Penguins in the third round, 62nd overall in the

1993 NHL Entry Draft The 1993 NHL Entry Draft was the 31st NHL Entry Draft. It took place on June 26, 1993, at the Colisée de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec. First overall pick Alexandre Daigle is widely regarded today as one of the all-time greatest draft busts ...

Minor hockey

Roche grew up in the small community of Oakwood, Ontario just west of Peterborough with his younger brother Scott, who was also an OHL player and an NHL draft choice of the St. Louis Blues. Dave grew up playing AAA hockey for the Peterborough Minor Petes system and was part of one of the top Bantam-aged teams in 1990-91. After Bantam hockey, Roche played the 1990-91 season with the Peterborough Roadrunners Jr.B. club in the Metro Junior B. hockey league. Roche was drafted in the 1st round (15th overall) in the 1991 OHL Priority Selection by his hometown Peterborough Petes.

Playing career

Roche played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League prior to turning pro where he was a member of the OHL champion Peterborough Petes in

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

. In 1994–95 he was named an OHL First Team All-Star while a member of the Windsor Spitfires. Roche turned pro in 1995–96, playing 71 games with the Penguins, and 61 more the following year. Unable to duplicate his junior scoring prowess, Roche soon found himself in the minor leagues until a trade to Calgary brought him back to the NHL for 36 games in 1998–99. In

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, Roche helped lead the Saint John Flames to the Calder Cup. Roche played one game with the Islanders in 2001–02, and retired following the 2003–04 campaign. In 2008, Roche was inducted into the Lindsay and District Sports Hall of Fame. Roche currently lives in Ennismore, Ontario and works as a financial advisor in the Peterborough area, and coaches the Peterborough Minor Petes Midget AAA team with his brother Scott.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Dave 1975 births Living people Albany River Rats players Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Cincinnati Mighty Ducks players Cleveland Lumberjacks players Ice hockey people from Ontario New York Islanders players Peterborough Petes (ice hockey) players Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Pittsburgh Penguins players Saint John Flames players Sportspeople from Kawartha Lakes Syracuse Crunch players Toronto Roadrunners players Windsor Spitfires players