Andrew Alberts

Andrew Alberts (born Andrew James Alberts on June 30, 1981) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who plays for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He has additionally played in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. A stay-at-home defenseman, he is known for playing a physical style of game.

After a two-year junior career in the United States Hockey League (USHL), Andrew was selected by the Bruins 179th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Following the draft, he joined the college ranks with the Boston College Eagles of the Hockey East conference.

In four seasons with the Eagles, Andrew was named Hockey East's Best Defensive Defenseman and was a two-time NCAA All-American.

Joining the Bruins in 2005, he played three seasons with the club before being traded to the Flyers.

Andrew played with the Flyers for one year, then with the Hurricanes in 2009. At the trade deadline the following year, he was dealt to the Canucks.

Internationally, he has competed for the American national team at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships.

Professional Playing Career
Following his senior year with the Eagles, Andrew signed an amateur tryout contract with the Boston Bruins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on April 1, 2005.

He appeared in the final eight games of the 2004–05 AHL regular season before helping the club to the Conference Finals of the playoffs.

Andrew scored his first professional goal in Game 5 of the Conference Finals against goaltender Antero Niittymaki in a 6–4 win against the Philadelphia Phantoms.

After signing a one-year NHL contract with Boston in August of 2005, Andrew appeared in his first NHL training camp in September of 2005.

Making the Bruins' roster for the 2005–06 season, he made his NHL debut on October 5, 2005 in a game versus the Montreal Canadiens.

A month later, Andrew notched his first NHL point, an assist, in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on November 19, 2005.

In December 2005, Andrew received a brief 10-day assignment to Providence, notching an assist over 6 games during that span.

Returning to the Boston lineup, he scored his first NHL goal late in the campaign during a game against the Buffalo Sabres on March 12, 2006.

Playing in 73 games, Andrew scored a goal and six assists. During his rookie season, Bruins head coach Mike Sullivan experimented with playing him at the forward position for roughly a month.

After re-signing for another year in July of 2006, Andrew recorded 10 assists over 76 games the following season. He earned his first multi-year contract in the off-season, re-signing with the Bruins.

During the 2007–08 season, Andrew was limited to 35 games due to a head injury suffered on November 26, 2007 during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Going down to his knees to block a puck moving into the defensive zone, opposing forward Scott Hartnell bodychecked him, using his elbow to hit Alberts' head against the boards.

Andrew left the game injured while Hartnell received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct; he was later suspended an additional two games by the league.

He recovered in time to make his NHL playoff debut in April of 2008, as the Bruins were eliminated in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens.

After being a healthy scratch for the Bruins' first two games in the 2008–09 season, Andrew was traded to Philadelphia for Ned Lukacevic and a conditional 2009 draft pick on October 13, 2008.

The emergence of younger defenceman Matt Hunwick was partly responsible for his expandability.

Andrew became an integral part of the Flyers' defensive corps, leading the team in hits (157) and ranking third in blocked shots (133). His 12 assists and 13 points were career-highs.

Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, he signed a two-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 16, 2009. The contract paid him $800,000 the first year and $1.3 million the second.

After appearing in 62 games for Carolina, Andrew was dealt at the 2009–10 trade deadline on March 3, 2010, to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a third round pick in the 2010 draft (Austin Levi).

Between Carolina and Vancouver, he finished the regular season with 3 goals and 12 points over 76 games.

Andrew's defensive play struggled in his initial stint with Vancouver, often being made a healthy scratch. He continued to earn criticism from Vancouver fans and media in the playoffs, particularly for his lack of speed and for taking costly penalties.

Andrew came back to the Canucks with improved play during the 2010 pre-season and beat out Shane O'Brien for the team's final spot on defense (O'Brien was subsequently traded prior to the start of the season).

Nearly a month into the season, he suffered a minor knee injury during a game against the Colorado Avalanche, but he did not miss any games.

Later in the season, he was sucker-punched in the face by enforcer Jody Shelley during a game against the Flyers in December of 2010.

The two were being restrained by referees during a scrum when Shelley struck him. As a result, Andrew received a two-game suspension from the league and forfeited $26,829.27 in salary. Though Andrew left the game, he was not injured on the play.

The following month on January 16, 2011, he suffered a right shoulder injury during a game against the Minnesota Wild.

Shortly after recovering and returning to the lineup, Andrew suffered another injury, breaking his wrist while blocking a shot during a game against the St. Louis Blues on February 14, 2011.

He missed the remainder of the regular season, finishing with a goal and seven assists while leading Canucks defencemen with 113 hits, over 42 games.

Recovering in time for the playoffs, he appeared in nine post-season games (he did not register any points) during the Canucks' run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the Boston Bruins.

During the off-season on June 29, 2011, Andrew was re-signed by the Canucks to a two-year, $2.45 million deal (two days prior to his pending unrestricted free agency).

Awards & Achievements

 * All-Hockey East Second Team (2003–04)
 * Hockey East's Best Defensive Defenseman (co-recipient with Prestin Ryan) (2004)
 * NCAA East First All-American Team (2004)
 * All-Hockey East First Team (2004–05)
 * Hockey East All-Tournament Team (2005)
 * Lamoriello Trophy (Hockey East champions; w\Boston College Eagles) (2005)
 * NCAA East First All-American Team (2005)

International Play
Andrew first played internationally for the American national team at the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga, Latvia.

He scored his first international goal in the preliminary round, a 3–0 shutout against Denmark.

Later in the tournament, the United States were shut out by Sweden in the quarterfinal and finished in seventh place.

Andrew returned for the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Moscow, Russia. He notched one assist as the United States finished in fifth place. They were eliminated in the quarterfinal against Finland, a 5–4 shootout loss.

Personal Life
Andrew's parents are Mary and Dale Alberts. He is the third of four children (two older sisters & one younger brother).

He attended Eden Prairie High School for his first two years of secondary before graduating from Benilde-St. Margaret's in June of 1999.

While enrolled in Boston College, Andrew earned a communications degree. Prior to his senior year, he was awarded the Morrissey Brothers Memorial Hockey Scholarship.