Thomas Kelly Gilbert (born January 10, 1983) is an American 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 ...

defenseman 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 is currently an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

who most recently played under contract with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Gilbert played 655

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...

games 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). He has played in the NHL for five teams over parts of 12 seasons for 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 ...

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 ...

, Florida Panthers,

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

and

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

Playing career

Amateur

Gilbert played his high school hockey for

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

powerhouse

Bloomington Jefferson High School Thomas Jefferson High School is one of the two high schools in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States Independent School District No. 271. It is located at 102nd Street and France Avenue on the suburb's southwest side. About 1,600 students attend ...

and was the captain his senior year, 2001. That same year, he switched to forward from defense, which he played as a sophomore and junior.

Professional

Known by most scouts for his two-way ability in both ends of the ice, Gilbert was drafted in the fifth round, 129th overall, at the

2002 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was the 40th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 and 23, 2002 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Two hundred and ninety-one players were drafted in total: 35 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL); ...

by the

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 ...

. He was later traded to the

on March 9, 2004, in exchange for struggling goaltender

Tommy Salo Tommy Mikael Salo (born February 1, 1971) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender and the current general manager of Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the ...

and a sixth-round draft pick in 2005. Gilbert played junior hockey with the

Chicago Steel The Chicago Steel are members of the United States Hockey League, joining the league in 2000. The Steel have played their home games at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Illinois, since 2015; previously, the team played at Edge Ice Arena in Bense ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...

(USHL). He made his debut at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

with the

Badgers Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by the ...

in 2002. In the 2005–06 season, he ranked third on the team in points, and also scored the winning goal in the 2006

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

game against Boston College. Gilbert made his professional debut in the 2006–07 season with the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barr ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL). Through 33 games, he was tied for the team lead in points among defensemen. Due to injuries, Gilbert was called-up to the NHL in January 2007 and made his NHL debut on his 24th birthday against the

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 ...

. He scored his first NHL goal on February 20, 2007, against 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 ...

Martin Gerber Martin Gerber (born 3 September 1974) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the eighth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft (232nd overall) by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He played in the National Hockey League (N ...

in the final seconds of the game to send it to overtime. On March 4, 2008, Gilbert surpassed

Paul Coffey Paul Douglas Coffey (born June 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for nine teams over 21 seasons in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among ...

and

Marc-André Bergeron Joseph Marc-André Bergeron (born October 13, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in 10 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) before spending the later years of his career with the ZSC Lions of the Nati ...

for the Oilers' franchise record for most goals scored by a rookie defenseman in a season with his tenth, which came on the power play against

Dan Ellis Daniel Ellis (born June 19, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a goaltending scout for the Chicago Blackhawks. He played in the National Hockey League for the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Tampa B ...

of the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

. On April 11, 2008, Gilbert signed a six-year, $24 million contract extension with the Oilers. 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 ...

of the 2011–12 season, on February 27, 2012, Gilbert was traded to the

in exchange for defenseman Nick Schultz. Gilbert finished the season contributing five assists in 20 games. After the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, with the Wild experiencing cap constraints, Gilbert was used as

compliance buyout Compliance buyouts (sometimes referred to as amnesty buyouts) allow National Hockey League (NHL) teams to buy-out a player's contract by paying him two-thirds of the remaining value of a contract over twice the remaining length of the contract. If ...

of the remaining two-year of his contract, to be released as a free agent on July 3, 2013. In September 2013, Gilbert attended the Florida Panthers' pre-season training camp as a free agent, later signing a one-year deal with the club on September 28. He established a regular position within the blueline for the Panthers in 2013–14, and by season's end had produced his best season since 2009, with 28 points in 73 games. On July 1, 2014, having rediscovered his form with the Panthers, Gilbert signed a two-year contract as an unrestricted free agent with the

. Upon expiry of his contract in Montreal, Gilbert signed a 1 year, $1.4 million contract to join his fifth NHL club, the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2016. On February 15, 2017, he was traded two weeks before the trade deadline to the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

in exchange for a conditional 5th round draft pick (condition not met, pick not transferred). He played out the season with the Capitals AHL affiliate, the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...

. As a free agent, Gilbert left North America after 10 seasons in agreeing to a one-year deal with

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

outfit, the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the DEL, on July 21, 2017. He signed an extension with the team on July 3, 2018.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

*
Tom Gilbert's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Tom 1983 births Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Chicago Steel players Colorado Avalanche draft picks Edmonton Oilers players Florida Panthers players Hershey Bears players Los Angeles Kings players Ice hockey players from Minnesota Sportspeople from Bloomington, Minnesota Minnesota Wild players Montreal Canadiens players Nürnberg Ice Tigers players Ontario Reign (AHL) players Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans