James Patrick O'Brien (born January 29, 1989)
is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional
ice hockey forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
who is currently an
unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the then
Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers in the
Deutsche Eishockey Liga
The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called "PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga") (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a German professional ice hockey league and the highest division in German ice hockey. Founded in ...
(DEL).
Playing career
O'Brien played junior hockey for the United States National Under-18 Team in the NAHL from 2004 until 2006. He then entered the University of Minnesota and played a season of hockey for the Golden Gophers as a 17-year-old. He had to receive an exception to play in university hockey; he was the youngest player in
US college ice hockey.
O'Brien was drafted 29th overall by the
Ottawa Senators in the
2007 NHL Entry Draft
The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007. The draft ...
. O'Brien played defense before switching in high-school to "play as a power-forward center-ice man"
His final Central Scouting rank was 38th.
He was picked by Ottawa
general manager Bryan Murray because "size matters".
O'Brien is a strong skater, he blocks shots and he is a penalty killer.
It was the third year in a row that the Senators picked a US-born player.
They picked
Nick Foligno 28th overall during the 2006 NHL Draft, and
Brian Lee ninth overall in 2005.
O'Brien played the following 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons with the major-junior
Seattle Thunderbirds of the
Western Hockey League. On March 30, 2009, he turned professional, joining the
Binghamton Senators
The Binghamton Senators were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2002 to 2017. Nicknamed the B-Sens, they played in Binghamton, New York, at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The B-Sens w ...
, Ottawa's AHL affiliate.
O'Brien made his
National Hockey League debut on December 31, 2010, dressing for the Senators in an away game against the
Columbus Blue Jackets. He played a total of six NHL games with Ottawa during the
2010–11 NHL season
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation (93rd season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals four games to three, being the sixth Cup win in Bruin ...
, registering 11 shots on goal, no points, and two penalty minutes. O'Brien was returned to Binghamton and was a member of the 2011
Calder Cup championship team.
O'Brien returned to Binghamton for the 2011–12 season after attending Ottawa's training camp. He was called up to Ottawa in February 2012 and scored his first NHL goal on February 15, 2012, against the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
.
On July 18, 2012, the Ottawa Senators announced that they resigned O'Brien to a two-year contract.
At the conclusion of his second contract with the Senators, O'Brien was not offered a new contract and signed his first contract abroad with in the Russian
Kontinental Hockey League with
Metallurg Novokuznetsk. In the
2014–15 season, O'Brien scored a respectable 12 points in 22 games before he opted for a return to North America and secured a release from Metallurg Novokuznetsk on December 14, 2014. On December 26, 2014, O'Brien signalled a return to the AHL in signing with the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was then immediately claimed off waivers by the
Hershey Bears.
On July 1, 2015, O'Brien earned an NHL contract in signing as a free agent to a one-year, two-way deal with the
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
. In the
2015–16 season, O'Brien compiled his most productive season in the AHL since 2011, in recording 19 goals and 38 points with the
Albany Devils. He was recalled by New Jersey to appear in 4 scoreless games with the Devils.
At the conclusion of the season, O'Brien left the Devils organization as a free agent. On July 1, 2016, he signed a one-year, two-way contract to join the
Colorado Avalanche. O'Brien was assigned to bolster AHL affiliate, the
San Antonio Rampage for the
2016–17 season. Hampered by injury throughout the campaign, O'Brien was unable to continue his scoring pace with the Rampage, collecting 9 goals and 24 points in 53 games. He was briefly recalled by the Avalanche, but was returned to the AHL without appearing for the club.
As an un-signed free agent over the summer, O'Brien opted to return to familiar settings in accepting a professional try-out contract to start the
2017–18 season with inaugural AHL club the Belleville Senators, affiliate to the Ottawa Senators. After playing in the opening four games of the season, O'Brien's try-out was successful as he secured a one-year AHL deal with Belleville on October 19, 2017. On February 25, 2018, the Ottawa Senators signed O'Brien to a two-year, two-way contract and was then assigned to the Belleville Senators for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. O'Brien was called up to Ottawa on February 26, 2018, after
Nick Shore was traded. O'Brien appeared in 10 games, registering 1 assist in his return to the NHL.
In the following season within the Senators organization, O'Brien's
2018–19 campaign was limited to just 11 games with the Belleville Senators due to injury.
As an impending free agent from the Senators, O'Brien opted to return abroad in securing a one-year contract with German club, the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the DEL, on June 18, 2019.
Personal life
O'Brien was among a small group of Senators' players who had planned on attending the
2013 Boston Marathon
The 2013 Boston Marathon was the 117th running of the annual marathon race in Boston, United States, which took place on April 15, 2013. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), it hosted the second of the World Marathon Majors to ...
. O'Brien and the other players had originally intended to be at the marathon's finish line during the time at which
bombs exploded, killing and injuring several spectators and runners. Scratches for that night's game against the
Boston Bruins, the players changed their plans at the last minute and elected to return to their hotel for a nap instead. "Sure enough I wake up from a nap and have a bunch of text messages. I turn on the TV ... it was just a twist of fate. It's definitely something that's hard to think about it. Thank goodness we didn't go", said O'Brien.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Jim
1989 births
Living people
Albany Devils players
American men's ice hockey centers
Belleville Senators players
Binghamton Senators players
Hershey Bears players
Ice hockey players from Minnesota
Metallurg Novokuznetsk players
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
New Jersey Devils players
Ottawa Senators draft picks
Ottawa Senators players
People from Maplewood, Minnesota
Sportspeople from Ramsey County, Minnesota
San Antonio Rampage players
Seattle Thunderbirds players
Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers players
USA Hockey National Team Development Program players