Brandon Saad
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Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) 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 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 hock ...
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 ...
currently playing for the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...
of 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). Saad was raised in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
and attended
Pine-Richland High School Pine-Richland High School is a large public high school located at 700 Warrendale Road, in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the only high school in the Pine-Richland School District and is located in Pine Township. In the 2018–2 ...
. He was drafted in the second round, 43rd overall, 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 ...
in the
2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...
. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015. The Blackhawks traded Saad to the
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
before the
2015–16 NHL season The 2015–16 NHL season was the 99th season of operation (98th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). Thirty teams competed in 82-game regular season schedules from October 7, 2015 to April 10, 2016. The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs ...
. He played in Columbus for two seasons before the Blackhawks reacquired him in another trade before the
2017–18 NHL season The 2017–18 NHL season was the 101st season of operation (100th season of play) of the National Hockey League. With the addition of a new expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, 31 teams competed in an 82-game regular season. The regular sea ...
. Saad was traded to the Colorado Avalanche ahead of the
2020–21 NHL season The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
.


Playing career

As a youth, Saad played in the 2005
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...
with the Pittsburgh Hornets
minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...
team.


Amateur

In the 2008–09 season Brandon played for the
Mahoning Valley Phantoms The Youngstown Phantoms are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the 5,200-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The team was co-owned by ...
to start his amateur ice hockey career. In the 2009–10 season, Saad played within the
USA Hockey National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program: under-17 and under- ...
in 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 strictly ...
(USHL), finishing the season with the most goals (12) and points (26) on the team. He would then transfer to the
Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey L ...
(CHL) for the 2010–11 season to play at the major junior level with the
Saginaw Spirit The Saginaw Spirit are a major junior ice hockey team based in Saginaw, Michigan. They are members of the West Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the Major Junior leagues of the Canadian Hockey League ( ...
of the
Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...
(OHL). At the end of the season, Saad was selected 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 ...
in the second round, 43rd overall, of the
2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...
.


Professional


Chicago Blackhawks

On October 4, 2011, 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 ...
signed Saad to a three-year, entry-level contract. It was announced that he would start the season with the Blackhawks, making him the lowest-selected Chicago draft pick, at 43rd overall, to start with the Blackhawks in their draft year since defenceman
Lasse Kukkonen Lasse Juhani Kukkonen (born 18 September 1981) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He last played for Oulun Kärpät of the Finnish Liiga. Earlier in his career, he had a four-year stint in the National Hockey League (NHL) w ...
(drafted 151st overall) in the 2003–04 season. Saad later made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks on October 7, 2011, against the
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...
, though he was quickly reassigned to Saginaw five days later, on October 12. After his return to the Spirit, Saad was named CHL Player of the Week for October 17 to October 23. Following the trade of Saginaw team captain
Ryan O'Connor Ryan O'Connor (born 27 June 1974) is a former Australian rules football player. He is best known for playing for the Essendon Bombers and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League. He then continued his career in the SANFL with the Port ...
to the
Barrie Colts The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League, based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Pre-OHL history There were two previous Barrie Colts teams which played Junior A & B hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association, one from 1 ...
, Saad was named his replacement as captain for the remainder of the 2011–12 season, finishing the year with an OHL-best 1.73 points-per-game average. Following the conclusion of the OHL season, Saad was recalled to the Blackhawks on April 16, 2012, making his
Stanley Cup playoff The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the pre-season, regular season, and the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the pre-season, which is generally held during the last two weeks of September, each team plays several not-fo ...
debut on April 19, 2012. He scored his first NHL point two nights later on April 21 with an assist on a goal by defenceman
Nick Leddy Nicholas Michael Leddy (born March 20, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL E ...
against the
Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
, an eventual 2–1 win for Chicago. On September 15, 2012, Chicago assigned Saad to the
Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...
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 Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL) in anticipation of the
2012–13 NHL lockout The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barga ...
. He was named CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period of January 7–13, 2013, after scoring six points in just three games, including two game-winning goals. On January 17, 2013, after the lockout was resolved, the Blackhawks included Saad on the team's starting roster for the shortened, 48-game 2012–13 season. Saad scored his first career NHL goal on February 5 against Antti Niemi of 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 ...
. On February 22, Saad then scored a game-winning, short-handed goal against the Sharks to secure an NHL-record 17th straight game with at least one point to start a season for the 2012–13 Blackhawks, breaking the previous record of 16-straight games held by the 2006–07
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...
. On May 6, Saad was named as a finalist for the 2013
Calder Memorial Trophy The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
as the NHL's top rookie of the year, an award which ultimately went to 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 ...
'
Jonathan Huberdeau Jonathan Huberdeau (born June 4, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger and an alternate captain for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Huberdeau was selected third overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2011 NH ...
. On June 24, during the 2013 playoffs, Saad and the Blackhawks won the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
after defeating the Eastern Conference-winning
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
in six games in the
Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. Saad would tally six points throughout the Blackhawks' playoff run-a goal and five assists. During the 2014–15 season, Saad tallied a career-high 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points. He added eight more goals in the 2015 playoffs, including two game-winners and one short-handed goal, while also recording three assists. On June 15, 2015, Saad won his second Stanley Cup championship with Chicago as the Blackhawks defeated the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
in six games in the
Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. During the 2015 playoffs, Saad scored eight goals and had three assists. He scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 of the Final, assisted by
Patrick Kane Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks selected him with the first overall pick ...
.


Columbus Blue Jackets

On June 30, 2015, Chicago traded Saad's negotiation rights as a pending restricted free agent, along with prospects
Alex Broadhurst Alex Broadhurst (born March 7, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for Amur Khabarovsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has formerly played with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...
and
Michael Paliotta Michael Paliotta (born April 6, 1993) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. Paliotta was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 3rd round (70th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the National Hockey League ( ...
, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for
Jeremy Morin Jeremy Morin (born April 16, 1991) is an American former professional ice hockey left winger. Morin played major junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the team he was drafted from in the second round, 45th ...
,
Marko Daňo Marko Daňo (born 30 November 1994) is an Austrian-born Slovak professional ice hockey right winger for HC Oceláři Třinec of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round, 27th overall, ...
,
Artem Anisimov Artem Alekseevich Anisimov (russian: Артём Алексеевич Анисимов; born 24 May 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL). Anisimo ...
,
Corey Tropp Corey Tropp (born July 25, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He last played for the Vienna Capitals of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He has previously played in the National Hockey L ...
and a fourth-round draft pick in
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. On July 3, Saad signed a six-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets worth $36 million. During the 2015–16 season, Saad was selected to his first
All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...
. On April 2, 2016, Saad scored his first NHL hat trick in a 5–1 win against the
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, ...
.


Return to Chicago

On June 23, 2017, Saad returned to the Chicago Blackhawks along with
Anton Forsberg Anton Forsberg (born 27 November 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the seventh round (188th overall) of the 2011 NHL ...
and a fifth-round draft pick in 2018 via a trade from the Blue Jackets in exchange for
Artemi Panarin Artemi Sergeyevich Panarin (russian: Арте́мий Серге́евич Пана́рин; born 30 October 1991), nicknamed the "Breadman", or simply "Bread", is a Russian professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the New York ...
,
Tyler Motte Tyler Motte (born March 10, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Motte was drafted 121st overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and spent 33 g ...
and a sixth-round draft pick in 2017. Saad began the 2017–18 season in style in his return to the Blackhawks by recording a hat-trick against 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 ...
en route to a 10–1 opening night victory.


Colorado Avalanche

On October 10, 2020, the Blackhawks traded Saad away for a second time in his career, along with Dennis Gilbert, to 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 ...
in exchange for
Nikita Zadorov Nikita Sergeyevich Zadorov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Задоров; born 16 April 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the ...
and
Anton Lindholm Anton Lindholm (born 29 November 1994) is a Swedish ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Lindholm was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the 5th round, 144th overall, at the 2014 N ...
. As a part of the transaction the Blackhawks retained $1 million of his $6 million salary for the remaining year of his contract.


St. Louis Blues

As a free agent, Saad was signed to a five-year, $22.5 million contract by the Avalanche's divisional rival, the St. Louis Blues, on July 29, 2021.


Family

Saad is the son of an Assyrian father, George Sr., and an American mother, Sandy. His father immigrated to America at the age of 18 and also aims to bring his relatives still living in Syria over to America, to avoid the threats of the Syrian civil war.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


Awards and honors


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saad, Brandon 1992 births Living people American men's ice hockey left wingers American people of Syrian descent Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Chicago Blackhawks players Colorado Avalanche players Ice hockey players from Pittsburgh Middle Eastern Christians National Hockey League All-Stars Pine-Richland High School alumni Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Saginaw Spirit players St. Louis Blues players Stanley Cup champions USA Hockey National Team Development Program players