Sam Gagner
Gagner in 2011
Born	(1989-08-10) August 10, 1989 (age 22) London, ON, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Edmonton Oilers
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	6th overall, 2007 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	2007–present

Sam William Gagner (born August 10, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Oilers in the first round (6th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career[link]

Gagner played midget hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League in 2004–05.^[1] He scored 173 points and was awarded the Buck Houle Award – a Marlboros team award given for outstanding on ice performance and leadership.^[2] The same season, he made his junior debut, playing 13 games for the Milton Icehawks of the OPJHL, scoring 15 points.^[3] In 2005–06, he joined the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League and scored 46 points in 56 games, second in team scoring.^[4]

Gagner originally committed to play hockey at the collegiate level for the University of Wisconsin–Madison,^{[citation needed]} but later decided to play closer to home and play major junior hockey in Canada. Considered a first round talent, the London Knights took him in the fourth round of the 2006 OHL entry draft on a flyer, as his commitment to play college hockey deterred many OHL teams from drafting him. Joined by future NHL stars Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn on the Knights' top line in 2006–07, Gagner scored 118 points in 53 games, fifth in league scoring. He also captained Team Burns/Bergeron (Red) in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game to a 5–3 victory over Team Bowman/Demers (White).

That summer, he was drafted in the first round, sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. On October 1, 2007, Gagner was signed to a 3-year, entry level contract with the Oilers. He played his first NHL game on October 4 in a 3–2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks and earned his first NHL point, assisting on a goal scored by Tom Gilbert.^[5] On October 20, Gagner scored his first career NHL goal against Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames.^[6]

As the league's youngest player in 2007–08,^[7] he tallied 49 points in 79 games playing with fellow emerging talents Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson on a combination dubbed the "Kid Line". During the season, Gagner participated in the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game in Atlanta as part of All-Star weekend and was also named the NHL Rookie of the Month for February.^[8] As part of a month-long scoring stretch in which he scored 13 points in 12 games, he also established an Oilers team record for the longest assists streak by a rookie with nine assists in eight straight games.^[9]

The next season, he recorded his first career NHL hat trick and added an assist for a four-point game on March 19, 2009, in an 8–1 win against the Colorado Avalanche,^[10] while recording 41 points in 76 games.

On March 9, 2011, Gagner severed a tendon in his left hand while facing the Washington Capitals when teammate Ryan Jones caught him with a skate blade while jumping over the boards. Gagner had surgery and was out for the season.

On February 2, 2012, Gagner scored four goals and four assists against the Chicago Blackhawks, tying a team record of eight points with Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey,^[11] and making him the thirteenth NHL player of all time to score 8 or more points in a single game, and the first since Mario Lemieux did it on the last day of 1988.^[12] Two days later, Gagner scored two goals and added an assist in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings, setting a new Oilers record with 11 consecutive points, previously held by Gretzky who scored 10 consecutive points twice.^[13]

International play[link]

Medal record
Gagner with Team Canada at the 2007 Super Series
Competitor for  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championship
Silver	2008 Canada
World Junior Championship
Gold	2007 Sweden

Gagner competed for Team Canada at the 2007 World Junior Championships in Sweden. He played in all six games as the youngest player on the team,^[14] helping Canada to their third of five straight gold medals.

Later that year, upon being drafted in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Gagner competed in the 2007 Super Series, an eight-game series between Canada's and Russia's national junior teams commemorating the 1972 Summit Series. He scored 15 points and was named series MVP, as Canada defeated Russia 7-0-1 in the series.

After Gagner's 2007–08 rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers, he made his senior international debut with Team Canada in the 2008 World Championships in Canada as a reserve. Gagner played in one preliminary game as Canada was defeated in the gold medal game by Russia.

Off the ice[link]

In his rookie year, Gagner lived in a house provided by Oilers captain Ethan Moreau, along with teammates Andrew Cogliano and Tom Gilbert. In the summer of 2009, Gilbert bought his own house while Gagner and Cogliano got apartments in Edmonton in the same complex.^[15] During the off-season, Gagner goes back to his hometown of London, Ontario.

Gagner is the son of former NHL player Dave Gagner, who spent 15 seasons with New York, Minnesota, Dallas, Calgary, Toronto, Florida, and Vancouver. Due to his dad's career, he grew up in Minneapolis, Dallas, Toronto, Calgary, Miami, and Oakville, Ontario.^[16]

Awards and achievements[link]

• Buck Houle Award (Toronto Marlboros team award; outstanding on ice performance) - 2004
• World Junior Gold Medal - 2007
• World Championships Silver Medal - 2008
• Super Series MVP - 2007
• NHL YoungStars Game appearance - 2008
• NHL Rookie of the Month - February 2008
• Edmonton Oilers Rookie of the Year - 2008 (shared with Andrew Cogliano and Tom Gilbert)
• Edmonton Oilers Most Points in a Single Game - 8 (shared with Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey)
• Edmonton Oilers Most Points in a Single Period - 5 (shared with Jari Kurri)
• Edmonton Oilers Most Consecutive Points - 11

Career statistics[link]

International statistics[link]

All stats amalgamated from hockeydb.com, hockeysfuture.com, and NHL.com

See also[link]

• List of Edmonton Oilers players

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sam Gagner's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• CBC.ca Indepth feature on Gagner
• Edmonton Oilers bio
• Toronto Star article

Taylor Hall
Born	(1991-11-14) November 14, 1991 (age 20) Calgary, AB, CAN[1]
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Edmonton Oilers
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	1st overall, 2010 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	2010–present

Taylor Strba Hall^[2] (born November 14, 1991) is a Canadian ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Hall has had a highly successful junior career, helping the Windsor Spitfires to two consecutive Memorial Cup championships in 2009 and 2010. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Memorial Cup tournament both years. Hall's agent is former NHL defenceman Bobby Orr. On July 5, 2010, Hall signed his first professional contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

Early life[link]

Hall was born in Calgary, Alberta, he is the son of Steve Hall and Kim Strba. His father was a former Canadian Football League player for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Rough Riders in the mid-1980s, after which he was a member of the Canadian national bobsleigh team.^[3] His mother introduced him to organized hockey at the age of five while his father maintained a backyard rink every winter which Hall and his friends practiced on relentlessly.^[4] His family moved to Kingston, Ontario, in 2005,^[4] where he attended high school at Frontenac Secondary School.^{[citation needed]}

Playing career[link]

Minor[link]

Hall started playing minor hockey in Calgary, Alberta.^[5] When he was 13, his family moved to Kingston, Ontario, where he continued to play.^[6] Hall captured a Bantam AAA Calgary city championship with the North East Canucks during the 2004–05 season.^[5] In 2005–06 and 2006–07 Hall played Bantam and Minor Midget hockey for the Greater Kingston Predators of the ODMHA league. Hall was named to the ODMHA Midget AAA All-Star team.^[5] After the season, Hall was the second overall choice in the 2007 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection by the Windsor Spitfires.^[5][7] Ryan O'Reilly was selected first overall ahead of Hall by the Erie Otters.^[7]

Junior[link]

Hall with the Spitfires

Hall made his OHL debut in 2007–08, scoring a team-high 45 goals and adding 39 assists for 84 points,^[8] which was third in team scoring.^[5] In March, he was named OHL player of the week twice (March 3 and March 10).^[5] He was named OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year after the season.^[5]

During the 2008–09 OHL season, Hall was selected to represent the OHL in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.^[5] He scored 38 goals and added 52 assists to finish with 90 points.^[8] Windsor had a successful season on the ice, capturing the OHL Championship as well as the Memorial Cup. During the OHL playoffs, Hall scored 16 goals and added 20 assists^[8] while being awarded the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as Playoff MVP.^[5][9] He scored the game winning overtime goal in the fifth and deciding game of the OHL Finals against the Brampton Battalion to clinch the title.^[10] At the 2009 Memorial Cup, Hall recorded 8 points in 6 games, as the Spitfires defeated the Kelowna Rockets4–1 in the final.^[11] After the tournament, Hall was awarded the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as Tournament MVP and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team along with his teammate Ryan Ellis.^[5][11]

Though the odds of him playing in Russia were remote, Hall was drafted 89th overall by the Kontinental Hockey League's Ak Bars Kazan on June 1, 2009. He was one of three Canadian junior players (all from the OHL) taken in the 2009 KHL Draft, which begins selecting players a year younger than the NHL does.^[12] Hall was an early favourite to be the top pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft since entering the junior ranks. He was praised early in his junior career on Hockey Night in Canada by commentator Don Cherry during his "Coach's Corner" segment.^[13] He was also featured in a July 2008 issue of Sports Illustrated, profiling young athletes poised to star in their sports.^[14]

Hall finished the 2009–10 OHL season tied for first place in the OHL with Tyler Seguin with 106 points (40 goals and 66 assists) to win the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy alongside Seguin.^[15][16] Hall was instrumental in the Spitfires' 2010 J. Ross Robertson Cup championship, recording a playoff-leading 35 points in 19 post-season games. His teammate, Adam Henrique, won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award, scoring 20 goals.

In May 2010, Hall helped lead the Windsor Spitfires to their second straight Memorial Cup. With the victory, Hall was awarded his second straight Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP, the first player in its history to repeat as a winner, the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as Memorial Cup scoring leader, and a spot on the tournament All-Star team for the second straight year.

Hall was ranked as the top North American prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) in its 2009–10 midterm rankings.^[17] In the CSB's final rankings, he was overtaken by Tyler Seguin as the top ranked North American prospect.^[18] He has cited New York Islanders forward and 2009 NHL Entry Draft first overall pick, John Tavares, as a role model, both on and off the ice.^[19]

Professional[link]

Shortly after being selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Hall signed his first professional contract. The contract pays Hall the entry level maximum of $900,000 with the possibility of an additional $2.85 million in performance bonuses.^[20] This is the highest rookie contract in Oilers history.

Taylor Hall has been given permission to wear the jersey number 4 which had belonged to former Oilers' player, Kevin Lowe, now serving as the president of hockey operations, who, before Hall, had been the only Oiler to ever wear the number 4 in its NHL history.^[21]

Hall made his NHL debut on October 7, 2010, as the Oilers defeated arch-rivals, the Calgary Flames at Rexall Place. Hall's first NHL point, an assist, came in his second game, against the Florida Panthers on October 10, 2010, Shawn Horcoff redirected Hall's shot in front of the net. His first NHL goal came on October 28, 2010, against Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets and his former coach with the Windsor Spitfires, Bob Boughner.

Hall came in second place to Michael Grabner in the fastest skater, in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game SuperSkills Competition.

Hall got his first NHL hat-trick and natural hat-trick against the Atlanta Thrashers on February 19, 2011. With the Oilers down two goals, Hall scored 3 consecutive power play goals in a span of 12:53 to win the game by a score of 5-3. ^[22]

On March 3, 2011, Hall recorded his first career Gordie Howe hat trick on a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hall scored a goal against Steve Mason, assisted on a goal by Jordan Eberle, and fought with Derek Dorsett, in a 4-2 win. The fight with Dorsett, however, ended his rookie season early as Hall suffered a high ankle sprain at the end of the fight. Hall finished his rookie season scoring 22 goals and 20 assists in 65 games.

Hall recorded his second career NHL hat-trick in a 9-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks after going 9 games without a goal.

On January 17, 2012, Hall was sliced by teammate Corey Potter's skate before a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets during warmup, resulting in a deep cut to his face that required 30 stitches to close.^[23]

It was announced that Hall would need major shoulder surgery and would need 5 to 6 months to recover, ending his successful sophomore year. ^[24] Despite missing 21 games, Hall was still tied for fifth for power play goals.

International play[link]

Medal record
Taylor Hall
Competitor for Canada
Ice hockey
IIHF World U20 Championship
Silver	2010 Canada
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold	2008 Slovakia
IIHF World U18 Championships
Gold	2008 Russia
Competitor for  Ontario
World U-17 Hockey Challenge
Gold	2008 Canada

Hall represented Canada at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships in Kazan, Russia as one of five 16-year-olds. He was fifth in tournament scoring, with nine points in seven games, helping Canada to a gold medal. He returned to Canada's under-18 team to earn a second gold medal at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Slovakia as an alternate captain to Matt Duchene.^[25]

Hall made Canada's national junior team for the 2010 World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan. He was the lone draft-eligible player selected to the final roster.^[26] Hall scored a hat-trick against Slovakia, in a game Canada ended up winning 8–2. After the championships, Hall finished tied for third overall in scoring with his Canadian teammate and Alex Pietrangelo along with American, Jerry D'Amigo. He ended up with 6 goals and 6 assists (12 points) in 6 games.

Hall was invited to Hockey Canada's summer evaluation camp for the 2011 World Junior Tournament, but declined to participate, choosing instead to focus on making the Oilers' roster for the upcoming season. According to Hockey Canada policy, Hall would have been ineligible to participate in the tournament even if he was available.^[27]

Career statistics[link]

International

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Team result
2008	Canada	WJC-U18	7	4	5	9	4
2010	Canada	WJC	6	6	6	12	0
Junior totals			13	10	11	21	4

Awards and honours[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taylor Hall

• Taylor Hall's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• OHL Player Profile

Tyler Myers
Born	(1990-02-01) February 1, 1990 (age 22) Houston, TX, USA
Height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight	227 lb (103 kg; 16 st 3 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Buffalo Sabres
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	12th overall, 2008 Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	2009–present

Tyler Myers (born February 1, 1990) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Sabres in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. At the end of the 2009–10 NHL season, Myers won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie.^[1] Standing at 6-feet-8-inches, he is nicknamed "The Big Easy".^[2]

Born in Texas, Myers grew up in Calgary, Alberta. He has opted to play internationally for Canada. Representing Canada twice as a junior and once on the men's team, he has won gold medals at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2009 World Junior Championships.

Playing career[link]

Junior[link]

In the 2005 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft, Myers was the Kelowna Rockets first round selection, 19th overall.^[3] Prior to playing in the WHL, Myers continued minor hockey at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame with the Hounds, a AAA midget team.^[4][5]

Myers began his major junior career with the Rockets in 2005–06. Following his NHL draft year in 2007–08, Myers was ranked fourth among North American draft-eligible skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Services.^[6] He was selected 12th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, after they traded the LA Kings a third-round pick to move up from the 13th spot. The following season, Myers helped the Rockets to a 2009 Ed Chynoweth Cup championship following a junior career-high 42-point regular season. Scoring 20 points during the Rockets playoff run, Myers was instrumental the franchise's third WHL title and was selected as the WHL Playoff MVP.

Following Myers' WHL championship win with the Rockets, he was signed to a three -year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres on May 11, 2009.^[7]

Professional[link]

Myers warming up prior to a game on Veterans Day 2011

Myers started the 2009–10 NHL season with the Buffalo Sabres. He recorded his first NHL point on October 8, 2009, an assist, against the Phoenix Coyotes. Eight days later, Myers scored his first NHL goal against Dwayne Roloson of the New York Islanders. It was also his first multi-point game, as he recorded an assist as well. On October 24, Myers was used in the sixth round of a shootout against the Tampa Bay Lightning and scored the game winner. After a strong first nine games with the Sabres, the club decided to keep him in Buffalo rather than return him to the Rockets, initiating the first year of his contract.^[8] Myers quickly established himself as the top defenceman on the Sabres roster, leading the club in average ice time per game in his rookie season.^[9] On December 16, 2009, he registered 28:32 of ice time in a regulation loss to the Ottawa Senators despite being one of a much-publicized group of Sabres players struck with food poisoning the night before.^[10] The following month, Myers recorded his first multi-goal game on January 8, 2010. He scored twice on the powerplay, including the game-winner, as the Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2. He also assisted Tim Kennedy on the Sabres' first goal.Scoring 10 points and leading all rookies in average ice time (24 minutes and 42 seconds per game) for contests in January 2010, Myers was named the NHL Rookie of the Month.^[11] He completed his first NHL season leading league rookie defencemen, as well as Sabres defencemen, playing every game that season with 11 goals and 37 assists adding up to a career high of 48 points and getting 1 point in the playoffs from 1 goal. In the off-season, Myers was awarded with the Calder Memorial Trophy on June 23, 2010 at the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas, beating out forward Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche and goaltender Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 season Myers had a rough start but got right back on it. On November 15, 2010 Myers scored his 5th goal of the season in a 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks. Myers got another overtime goal in a 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers on February 10, 2011. Myers finished the season missing only 2 games with 10 goals and 27 assists adding up to 37 points and getting 6 points in the playoffs from 1 goal and 5 assists. On September 15, 2011 the Sabres signed Myers to a 7 year, $38.5 million dollar contract.

On March 13, 2012, Myers was suspended for 3 games for boarding Montreal Canadiens forward Scott Gomez on March 12, 2012.

International play[link]

Medal record
Competitor for Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold	2009 Ottawa
IIHF U18 Championships
Gold	2008 Kazan

Despite being born in Katy, Texas, Myers plays internationally for Team Canada, as he grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and holds dual citizenship.^[2] Making the decision in his youth, he has credited moving to Canada as a large influence in his development as a hockey player, stating he would "be playing a different sport had I stayed in Texas."^[2]

Myers was a part of the national team that earned gold at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships in Kazan, Russia. He was later named to the Canadian under-20 team for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, along with Kelowna Rockets teammate Jamie Benn, and helped Canada to a record-tying fifth straight gold medal.

On April 29, 2010, Myers was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2010 IIHF World Championship.^[12] He was part of a young squad that finished without a medal.

Awards[link]

• World Junior gold medal with Team Canada in 2009.
• Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Kelowna Rockets in 2009.
• WHL Playoff MVP in 2009.
• NHL Rookie of the Month for January 2010.
• Calder Memorial Trophy in 2010.

Career statistics[link]

References[link]