Drew Stafford
Drew Stafford ( born October 30, 1985 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ) is an American professional ice hockey player who is since 2006 in the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League contract.
- 3.1 International
Career
Stafford played as a junior first for the St. Albert Bantam AA Flyers from St. Albert, Alberta. The 1999/2000 season, he finished as the third- best scorer of the league with 26 goals and 21 assists in 30 league games. At the end of the season he was selected to participate in a training camp talents of Hockey Alberta.
Another milestone in his junior time were the Shattuck St. Mary's, the ice hockey team in high school in Faribault, Minnesota. After high school he moved to the University of North Dakota, where he played three years for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux in a NCAA league. After the first year of college, he was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 2004 in the first round in 13th place of the Sabres. Stafford stayed two years at the university and got in the summer of 2006 due to his achievements in college hockey and international level ( he represented his country at the World Cup 2006) offered a contract from the Sabres, which he signed.
His professional career began logically when the Sabres farm team, the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League. In the first eleven games of the season he scored nine points, so that those responsible for the Sabres were aware of him and called him in early November in the NHL squad. On November 5, 2006, he debuted then in the NHL against the New York Rangers and gave the presentation to the game-winning goal by Daniel Briere. On November 11, 2006, he scored his first goal in the NHL against the Philadelphia Flyers goalie Antero Niittymaki.
In the following years he established himself within the team and increased his points total from season to season. In September 2009, he received a new contract which ties him until 2011 to the franchise.
Awards and achievements
- 2007 AHL All- Star Classic
- 2007 NHL Rookie of the Month March
Internationally
- 2004 Gold medal at the U20 World Junior Championships
Career Stats
Internationally
Represented the U.S. at:
- U18 World Cup 2003
- U20 World Cup 2004
- U20 World Cup 2005
- World Cup 2006
- World Championship 2008
- World Cup 2009
( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )