Keith Ballard

He was also the 74th player in team history to reach 100 points, which also ranked him 11th among defensemen.

Keith Galen Ballard (born November 26, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who previously played in the National Hockey League with the Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild.

He played college hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) for three seasons.

Ballard played two seasons at the junior level in the United States Hockey League (USHL), initially with the United States National Development Team in 1999–00, then the Omaha Lancers the following season.

He has also played in two junior tournaments – the 2000 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2002 World Junior Championships.

He recorded 51 points over 56 games in 2000–01.

With a league-leading 22 goals among defensemen, he earned First Team All-Star honors and a selection to the 2001 USHL All-Star Game.

In the post-season, he helped the Lancers win the Clark Cup as league champions, scoring seven points in ten playoff games.

In 2001–02, Ballard began a three-year tenure of college hockey with the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), a conference within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).

He joined a defensive corps in Minnesota that included future NHL players Jordan Leopold and Paul Martin.

Ballard was a much-anticipated freshman and was named the WCHA's pre-season rookie of the year.

Making his collegiate debut on October 5, 2001, he notched two assists against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

Ballard started his rookie campaign on a six-game point streak that included two goals and four assists.

Recording 10 goals and 23 points over 41 games total as a freshman, he earned WCHA All-Rookie Team honors.

In the first round of the subsequent WCHA playoffs, he scored the series-clinching goal in overtime to eliminate North Dakota.

After his freshman year, he was selected 11th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Before he made his NHL debut, he was traded twice – initially to the Colorado Avalanche, then to the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Golden Gophers advanced to the 2002 NCAA Championships, where they captured their first of back-to-back national titles.

Ballard scored the first goal of the NCAA final against the Maine Black Bears, helping Minnesota to a 4–3 win in overtime.

The following year, Ballard recorded a college career-high 41 points over 45 games, fourth among NCAA defensemen and third in team scoring.

He was named a WCHA All-Academic and University of Minnesota Scholar Athlete for combined performance with the Golden Gophers and in classes.

He helped the Golden Gophers to the Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA playoff champions and earned WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team honors after recording two assists and a +4 rating in the final two games of the post-season.

Ballard was selected in the first round, 11th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

The choice was seen as a surprise by draft observers, as he was projected to be a late first-round to second-round pick.

Ballard himself professed the early selection to be unexpected, saying he was ready to be drafted between the 20th and 40th positions.

Scouting reports listed him as a puck-rushing offensive defenseman with comparisons to Phil Housley.

Before making his NHL debut, he was traded twice.

The Gophers then defeated the New Hampshire Wildcats in the 2003 NCAA Final by a 5–1 score to repeat as national champions.

Ballard received NCAA West Regional All-Star honors for his efforts during the tournament.

Ballard was named an alternate captain in his third year and produced 11 goals and 36 points over 37 games.

His 0.97 points-per-game average ranked second among NCAA defensemen, while his five game winning goals were second among all WCHA players and fifth in the NCAA.

Ballard served as captain in place of Grant Potulny when the latter was sidelined with injury.

Ballard was also sidelined for seven games during the campaign himself with a knee injury.

He was voted by his teammates as Minnesota's most valuable player and received WCHA First All-Star Team, WCHA All-Tournament Team and NCAA West First All-Star Team honors.

Ballard was also one of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the NCAA's top men's ice hockey player (it was awarded to Junior Lessard of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs).

However, the Golden Gophers failed to defend their national championship, losing their regional final to Minnesota-Duluth.

Ballard left the Golden Gophers seventh all-time among team defensemen with 33 goals.

He played his professional rookie season in 2004–05 with the Coyotes' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, then debuted with Phoenix the following season.

Internationally, Ballard has represented the United States in four World Championships, winning bronze in 2004.

After three years, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he spent two seasons before being dealt to Vancouver at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.