Adam James Berkhoel (born May 16, 1981) is an American 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 ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

who 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 Atlanta Thrashers. He was drafted 240th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

Playing career

Prior to his professional career, Berkhoel attended Stillwater High School before he backstopped the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

to the 2004 NCAA title, with a memorable 1–0 shutout of the University of Maine in the Championship game, including stopping a six-on-three skaters advantage for Maine in the final 90 seconds of the contest. The opposing goaltender in that game was Jimmy Howard. Howard and Berkhoel would later become teammates in Grand Rapids in 2007–08. Berkhoel was originally drafted by the

in 2000 but was eventually traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for future considerations. He played his first set of NHL games once the Thrashers ran into goaltending troubles in the 2005–06 season where he went 2–4–1 in seven full games while posting a .882 SV% and a 3.80 GAA along with one shutout. The Thrashers opted not to re-sign him, and Berkhoel signed with the Buffalo Sabres during the offseason preceding the 2006–07 season. On July 16, 2007, Berkhoel was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Red Wings to play for their affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. On August 15, 2008, Berkhoel signed a two-year contract with the

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 ...

' AHL affiliate, 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 ...

. After the conclusion of his deal with the Penguins, Berkhoel announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkhoel, Adam 1981 births Living people American men's ice hockey goaltenders Atlanta Thrashers players Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Chicago Wolves players Dayton Bombers players Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey players Grand Rapids Griffins players Gwinnett Gladiators players Ice hockey players from Minnesota NCAA men's ice hockey national champions People from Woodbury, Minnesota Rochester Americans players Twin City Vulcans players Wheeling Nailers players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players