| Brandon Saad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 27, 1992 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 211 lb (96 kg; 15 st 1 lb) |
| Position | Left Wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets |
| NHL Draft | 43rd overall, 2011 Chicago Blackhawks |
| Playing career | 2010–present |
Brandon Saad (born on October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was drafted in the 2nd round (43rd overall) by the Blackhawks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
The Blackhawks traded Brandon to the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2015–16 NHL season where he played in Columbus for two seasons before the Blackhawks re-acquired him in another trade before the 2017-18 NHL season.
Playing Career
On October 4, 2011, the Chicago Blackhawks signed Brandon to a 3-year entry-level contract.
It was announced that he would start the season with the Blackhawk which made him at 43rd overall the lowest draft pick to start with the Blackhawks in their draft year since the 2003-04 NHL season.
On October 7, 2011, Brandon made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks versus the Dallas Stars. On October 12, 2011, the Blackhawks reassigned him to his junior club.
During the week of October 17th to October 23rd, Brandon was named Canadian Hockey League player of the week. He was named the team captain of the Saginaw Spirit for the remainder of the 2011–12 OHL season following the trade of Ryan O'Connor to the Barrie Colts. He finished the 2011–12 OHL season with a league-best 1.73 points-per-game average.
On April 16, 2012, Brandon was recalled to the Blackhawks following the conclusion of his season in the OHL and made his NHL playoff debut on April 19, 2012. On April 21, 2012, he notched his first NHL point on April 21, 2012, with an assist on a goal in a playoff game against the Phoenix Coyotes.
On September 15, 2012, the Blackhawks assigned Brandon to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League in anticipation of the 2012–13 NHL lockout. He was named CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period of January 7–13, 2013, for earning 6 points in 3 games, including two game-winning goals.
On January 17, 2013, the Blackhawks named Brandon to the starting roster for the lockout-shortened 2012–13 NHL season.
On February 5, 2013, Brandon scored his first NHL career goal against Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.
On February 22, 2013, he scored a game-winning shorthanded 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.
On May 6, 2013, Brandon was named as a finalist for the 2013 Calder Memorial Trophy. On June 24, 2013, he won his first Stanley Cup as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in six games in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals.
During the 2014-15 NHL season, Brandon tallied a career-high 23 goals and 29 assists. He added eight more goals in the postseason, including two game-winners and one shorthanded, while also recording three assists.
On June 15, 2015, he won his second Stanley Cup as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
On June 30, 2015, the Blackhawks traded Brandon's negotiation rights and two prospects to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Jeremy Morin, Marko Dano, Artem Anisimov, Corey Tropp and a fourth-round draft pick in 2016.
On April 2, 2016, Brandon scored his first NHL hat trick in a 5-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
On June 23, 2017, he returned to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Anton Forsberg and a fifth-round draft pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft via a trade from the Blue Jackets in exchange for Artemi Panarin, Tyler Motte and a sixth-round draft pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Personal Life
Brandon was raised in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania and attended Pine-Richland High School. He is the son of a Christian Syrian father, George Sr., and an American mother, Sandy. His father migrated 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.
Brandon's older brother, George (born on November 14, 1990) played college hockey at Penn State and was drafted by Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL Entry Draft.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Mahoning Valley Phantoms | NAHL | 47 | 29 | 18 | 47 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | U.S. National Development Team (U18) | USHL | 24 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 59 | 27 | 28 | 55 | 47 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 10 | ||
| 2011–12 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 44 | 34 | 42 | 76 | 38 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 31 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 46 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 19 | 28 | 47 | 20 | 19 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 12 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 78 | 31 | 22 | 53 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 82 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 368 | 107 | 125 | 232 | 66 | 72 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 16 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | United States | WJC18 | Template:Goca | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2012 | United States | WJC | 7th | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | ||||
International Play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for the  United States
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| IIHF U18 Championships | ||
| Gold | 2010 Belarus | |
Awards & Honors
- NAHL: First All-Star Team (2008–09)
- NAHL: Rookie of the Year (2008–09)
- World U-17 Hockey Challenge – Tournament All-Star Team (2009)
- USDP: Most Goals/Most Points (2009–10)
- IIHF World U18 Championships – Gold Medal with Team USA (2010)
- OHL: First All-Star Team (2011–12)
- William Hanley Trophy – Most Sportsmanlike Player in the OHL (2011–12)
- AHL: CCM/AHL Player of the Week (Jan. 7–13, 2013)
- NHL: All-Rookie Team (2012–13)
- NHL: Calder Memorial Trophy finalist (3rd place, 2012–13)
- NHL: 2× Stanley Cup champion (2013, 2015) with the Chicago Blackhawks