Luke Schenn

Luke Schenn (born on November 2, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Luke played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his final WHL season, he was named to the league's Second All-Star Team.

Luke was a highly touted prospect heading into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected in the first round (fifth overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He started his professional career in the NHL during the 2008–09 season and played with the Leafs until being traded to Philadelphia following the 2011–12 season.

After his rookie season, Luke's play was recognized when he was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team. He has represented Canada internationally, winning a gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and a silver medal at the 2009 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Luke is a stay-at-home defenceman whose main focus is preventing goals rather than scoring. With a physical style of play, he is usually among the league leaders in hits.

Luke's charity "Luke's Troops" helps military families attend Maple Leafs home games.

Luke's younger brother Brayden Schenn was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but was traded and also currently plays for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Minor Hockey Career
Luke's first minor hockey team was the Saskatoon Red Wings, where he was coached by his father, Jeff.

In 2004–05, he played AAA midget hockey for the Saskatoon Contacts who won the Telus Cup as Canada's national midget hockey champions.

While playing with the Contacts, Luke was selected in the first round (20th overall) of the 2004 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft by the Kelowna Rockets.

Junior Hockey Career
The Kelowna Rockets arranged for Luke to join the team during their Memorial Cup run at the end of the 2004–05 season. He roomed with Shea Weber as the team wanted him to learn about his future role.

He debuted with the Rockets during the 2005–06 WHL season and was the team's Rookie of the Year. Luke served as an alternate captain for the team during the 2007–08 season.

Later in that same season, Luke was named to the WHL's roster for the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge and participated in the annual Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game where he served as a team captain and scored a goal.

While playing in Kelowna, Luke was often paired with Buffalo Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers. He was named to the WHL's Second All-Star Team after the 2007–08 season.

Leading up to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Luke was a highly regarded prospect and ranked fifth among draft eligible North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Some scouts saw him as a mix between Calder Trophy and Norris Trophy nominee Dion Phaneuf and two-time Stanley Cup champion Adam Foote.

E.J. McGuire, director of the Central Scouting Bureau, compared him to former first overall selection Ed Jovanovski. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded with the New York Islanders for a higher draft slot which they used to select Luke.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Early reports from the Maple Leafs training camp in September of 2008 indicated Luke was likely to be returned to his junior club for the 2008–09 season.

On October 7, 2008, Luke signed a contract with the Maple Leafs with a base salary of $850,000 per season and performance bonuses that could raise the value as high as $1.25 million per season.

After training camp, Luke was chosen for the team roster at the start of the 2008–09 season, making his NHL debut on October 9, 2008 against the Detroit Red Wings.

On October 29, 2008, Luke recorded an assist for his first NHL point against the New Jersey Devils. Later in the season he scored his first goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price.

In January of 2009, Luke missed 12 games with a lower-body injury, the only games he missed during his rookie season. He played for the Rookie YoungStars team in the 2008–09 NHL YoungStars Game.

On March 14, 2009, Luke recorded his first multi-point (2 assists) game in an 8–6 win against the Calgary Flames. The NHL named him to the 2008–09 All-Rookie Team on June 18, 2009, along with fellow 2008 draftee Drew Doughty.

The award acknowledged Luke's defensive prowess and physical play, as he led all NHL rookies in blocked shots and all rookie defencemen in hits. He finished his first season in the NHL with 2 goals and 12 assists in 70 games played.

Expectations for Luke were high heading into the 2009–10 NHL season. Early in training camp, Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson named him as one of the team's top four defencemen.

As the season progressed, Luke's play was disappointing and Wilson kept him out of the lineup for a game in October & again for a three-game stretch in December.

Towards the end of the season, Luke and some of his younger teammates improved their play. In a game against the Ottawa Senators, he posted his first career two-goal game, helping him finish the season with new career highs in goals with 5 and points with 17 in 79 games played.

Luke had a strong start to the 2010 season, playing with veteran Tomas Kaberle. Prior to a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Wilson assessed Luke's play as "great."

When Kaberle was traded to the Boston Bruins in February of 2011, Luke was briefly named an alternate captain in his place until Colby Armstrong returned to the lineup after an injury.

Wilson felt that Luke had made significant strides in his third NHL season: "He's learned a lot...He's not on the ice for as many goals against any more."

At the end of the season, Luke had tied his career high for goals with 5 and set new personal records for assists with 17 and total points with 22, while playing in all 82 games for the Maple Leafs.

Philadelphia Flyers
On June 23, 2012, Luke was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for James van Riemsdyk.

With the Flyers, he will have the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother, Brayden, saying "It’s going to be exciting to play with my brother, that’s for sure. I can’t describe how cool this is."

On June 28, 2012 it was announced that Luke is going to wear number 22 for the Flyers, as his usual number 2 was retired from the team in honor of defenceman Mark Howe.

International Play
Luke's first experience with Hockey Canada was as a member of Team West at the 2006 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Regina, Saskatchewan, where his team finished seventh.

He played for Canada twice at the Under-18 level: the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where his team won gold, and the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships, where Canada finished fourth. Luke scored three goals during this tournament.

In 2007, Hockey Canada assembled a junior team to represent Canada in an eight-game series (the 2007 Super Series) against a Russian junior team to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series. Canada went undefeated in these eight games, with seven wins and one tie, while Luke recorded 24 penalty minutes and no points.

During the 2007–08 season, Luke was named to Team Canada's selection camp roster for the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The final roster was named December 13, 2007 and Schenn was selected for the team, being paired with Thomas Hickey as the top defensive tandem.

Canada won the gold medal and Luke finished the tournament with a plus-minus rating of +5, to lead the team. Hockey analyst Pierre McGuire dubbed him "the human eraser" for his play internationally.

After his rookie season in the NHL, Luke was named to Canada's roster for the 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. He played all nine games for Canada, but did not play very often, averaging just under seven minutes per game.

Luke recorded one assist. Canada took home the silver medal after a 2–1 loss to Russia in the gold medal game.

Luke (along with teammates Dion Phaneuf and James Reimer) played for Canada at the 2011 IIHF World Championship. Canada placed fifth in the tournament, with their only loss coming in the quarter-finals against Russia. In seven games, Luke recorded a single assist.

After the 2013 NHL season, Luke was again selected by Hockey Canada to participate in the 2013 IIHF World Championships alongside Flyers teamates Matt Read, Wayne Simmonds and Flyers captain Claude Giroux. Team Canada was eliminated by Team Sweden in the quarter-finals leaving them without a medal.

Personal Life
Luke's parents are Jeff and Rita Schenn. His younger brother Brayden was picked fifth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, but he was later traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. He has two younger sisters named Madison and Macy.

Luke graduated from St. Joseph High School in Saskatoon. His younger brother also attended St. Joseph (along with fellow NHLers Colby Armstrong, Riley Armstrong and Jarret Stoll).

Luke was a key contributor to the Maple Leafs' efforts to honour Canada's military. During his rookie season, he donated $10,000 to start Luke's Troops, a charity which allows Canadian servicemen and women to attend the team's home games as Luke's guest.

Fans at the games often recognized the soldiers with applause. "They have served overseas so it's good that the fans show their appreciation," Schenn said.

In February of 2011, Luke's contributions to the military were acknowledged when he was recognized during the team's annual Armed Forces night.

Playing Style
Luke is a defensive defenceman who plays a physical game while attempting to prevent opponents from scoring.

Since his rookie season, Luke has been among the league leaders in hits. He believes he is at his best when he is playing a tough game, while staying responsible: "You just want to be physical and play with a bit of an edge, but you don't want to put your team down short handed."

Growing up, Luke patterned his play after fellow defencemen Chris Pronger and Rob Blake. Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has said that he is a key part of the team's long-term future.

Consequently, Luke was signed to a five-year multimillion dollar deal during the summer of 2011. He was recognized for his leadership when he was briefly named an alternate captain during the 2010–11 season.

Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said that Luke contributes to the team and organization in many ways. "He plays hard every night and does a lot not only in our [dressing] room but in the community."