Brandon Saad

Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).

As such, he became the second member of the Spirit, and to first American-born player since 1993, to win the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player.

It was announced that he would start the season with the Blackhawks, making him the lowest-selected Chicago draft pick to start with the Blackhawks in their draft year since defenceman Lasse Kukkonen (drafted 151st overall) in the 2003–04 season.

He was expected to immediately start the season on the Blackhawks' top line as the left wing to center Jonathan Toews and right wing Patrick Sharp.

As a youth, Saad played in the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Pittsburgh Hornets minor ice hockey team.

In the 2008–09 season Brandon played for the Mahoning Valley Phantoms to start his amateur ice hockey career.

In the 2009–10 season, Saad played within the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in the United States Hockey League (USHL), finishing the season with the most goals (12) and points (26) on the team.

He would then transfer to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) for the 2010–11 season to play at the major junior level with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Saad was drafted in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

At the end of the season, Saad was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, 43rd overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

After impressing the coaching staff during the Blackhawks' training camp, Saad signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team on October 4, 2011.

Saad made his NHL debut on October 7, 2011, against the Dallas Stars and played one more game against the team before being reassigned to Saginaw on October 12.

Upon returning to the Spirit, Saad made an immediate impact on the lineup by leading the league with six goals and four assists for 10 points over three games.

He was recognized for his efforts with the CHL Player of the Week honor on October 24.

By the end of October, Saad had accumulated 18 points over eight games.

At the same time, he was also appointed team captain for the remainder of the 2011–12 season after Ryan O'Connor was traded to the Barrie Colts.

He finished the regular season leading the league with 1.73 points per game as he helped th Spirit climb from ninth place to fourth in the conference standings.

Saad improved on his previous seasons total with 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points through 44 games while recording just 38 penalty minutes.

He was also named to the OHL's 2011–12 First All-Star Team.

Although he would miss all of November due to a hand injury, Saad recovered in time to join Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in December.

Upon returning from the Championships, Saad maintained a 16-game point streak between January 15 and February 24.

As the Spirit qualified for the 2012 OHL Playoffs, Saad continued to produce offensively and led the team in scoring.

During their Western Conference first-round series against the Sarnia Sting, Saad tallied six goals and 12 points over five games.

He finished the playoffs with the league's third-highest point total after he accumulated eight goals and nine assists for 17 points through 12 games.

Following the conclusion of his OHL season, Saad was recalled to the Blackhawks on April 16 to help them with their 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs berth.

He made his playoff debut a few games later on April 19, 2012, as the Blackhawks fell to the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 4.

He returned to the Blackhawks lineup for Game 5 where he skated on the left wing of Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp.

He scored his first career NHL point with an assist on a goal by defenceman Nick Leddy to lead the Blackhawks to an eventual 2–1 win.

Despite his efforts, the Blackhawks were eliminated from playoff contention in the first round.

Saad returned to the Blackhawks training camp ahead of the 2012–13 season but was reassigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, in anticipation of the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

Saad struggled initially with the IceHogs as he suffered a leg injury while going pointless through his first few games.

After missing seven games to recover from his injury, Saad tallied his first professional goal in a 5–3 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins on November 9.

He added his first professional assist the following game against the Milwaukee Admirals.

By January 14, Saad had tallied eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points through 31 games for the IceHogs.

He was named CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period of January 7–13 after scoring six points in just three games, including two game-winning goals.

Once the lockout was resolved, the Blackhawks included Saad on the team's starting roster for the shortened, 48-game 2012–13 season.

Saad scored his first career NHL goal in his ninth regular season game on February 5 against the San Jose Sharks.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.

The Blackhawks traded Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2015–16 NHL season.

He played in Columbus for two seasons before the Blackhawks reacquired him in another trade before the 2017–18 NHL season.