Brenden Dillon

Brenden Dillon (born November 13, 1990) is a Canadian born professional ice hockey player currently playing with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Undrafted, and prior to turning professional, Dillon played four seasons of major junior ice hockey in the Western Hockey League with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

On March 1, 2011, Dillon was signed as a free agent to a three-year entry-level contract by the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.

During the 2012–13 season, on February 1, 2013, Dillon registered his first career Gordie Howe Hat Trick. During that game, he also registered his first career goal in a 4–3, shootout win against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Dillon was selected to play for Canada in the 2013 IIHF World Championship. It was Dillon's first International appearance as he scored one goal in eight games. Team Canada would lose in the Quarterfinal to the eventual tournament champion Sweden 2-1 in a shootout.

On November 21, 2014, Dillon was traded by the Stars to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jason Demers and a 2016 third-round pick.

San José

San José or San Jose is Spanish for Saint Joseph and most often refers to:

San José or San Jose may also refer to:

Places

Argentina

Belize

Bolivia

Chile

Colombia

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their home games at the SAP Center, known locally as the Shark Tank. The Sharks were founded in 1991 and were the first NHL franchise based in the San Francisco Bay Area since the California Golden Seals relocated to Cleveland in 1976. They have won six division titles.

History

Formation

The Oakland Coliseum Arena was home to the California Golden Seals of the NHL from 1967 to 1976. Gordon and George Gund III became minority owners of the Seals in 1974, and were instrumental in their move to Cleveland in 1976 and a 1978 merger with the Minnesota North Stars, which they purchased that year. They had long wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay Area, and asked the NHL for permission to move the North Stars there in the late 1980s, but the League vetoed the proposed move. Meanwhile, a group led by former Hartford Whalers owner Howard Baldwin was pushing the NHL to bring a team to San Jose, where a new arena was being built. Eventually, the League struck a compromise: the Gunds would sell their share of the North Stars to Baldwin's group, with the Gunds receiving an expansion team in the Bay Area to begin play in the 1991–92 season and being allowed to take a certain number of players from the North Stars to their new club. In return, the North Stars would be allowed to participate as an equal partner in an expansion draft with the new Bay Area team.

Austin Watson

Austin Watson (born January 13, 1992) is an American ice hockey centre who is currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 18th overall by the Predators in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

Austin Watson was born January 13, 1992, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he grew up with his father and mother, Mike and Mary Watson. He is the oldest of ten children, nine boys and one girl. He went to school one year at Detroit Catholic Central High School, and one year at Father Gabriel Richard High School before he was drafted into the OHL, where he attended St. Anne's High School, and after being traded to Peterborough, finishing high school there. Watson played for the high school golf team at Father Gabriel Richard, where they went to state finals.

Playing career

Early career

Before the OHL, Watson played all of his early hockey with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors, whose home arena is Compuware Arena. While playing for the Ambassadors, Watson received early exposure to OHL hockey, as Compuware Arena is also home to the Plymouth Whalers.

Lawson Crouse

Lawson Crouse (born June 23, 1997) is a Canadian major junior ice hockey winger playing for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was part of the Canadian gold medal winning team at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Crouse has been given the nickname "The Sheriff" because of the way he looks after his teammates in Kingston.

Early life

Lawson was born and raised in London, Ontario. He is the youngest of three children and has two sisters, Sara and Kyla. His father Mike coached him throughout his minor hockey career, and mother Kristen is a principal and was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Playing career

Junior

Kingston Frontenacs (2013–present)

Crouse was selected by the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection. In the 2013–14 season, Crouse appeared in his first career OHL game on September 19, 2013, scoring his first career goal in that game against Andrew D'Agostini in the Frontenacs 11–4 win over the Peterborough Petes. On October 4, 2013, Crouse recorded his first multi-goal game of his junior career, scoring twice in a 7–4 win over the Ottawa 67's. On March 4, 2014, Crouse had a season high four point game, scoring two goals and adding two assists, as Kingston lost to the Barrie Colts 7–5. Overall, Crouse finished the 2013–14 season with 15 goals and 27 points in 63 games, helping the Frontenacs into the playoffs. In seven post-season games, Crouse was limited to one assist, as the Frontenacs were upset by the Peterborough Petes in the first round.