Benoît Gratton

Benoît Jacques Joseph Gratton (born December 28, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently the head coach for Jonquière Marquis of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH).

Playing career

Gratton was born in Montreal, Quebec. As a youth, he played in the 1989 and 1990 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Montreal.

Selected 105th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1995 NHL entry draft, Gratton spent several seasons in the Capitals' system before he was traded to the Calgary Flames in 1999. After spending several seasons in the Flames' organization, he was claimed on waivers in 2001 by the Montreal Canadiens.

From 2004 to 2014, Gratton played hockey in Europe, most notably playing six seasons with the Vienna Capitals.

After sitting out the 2014–15 season, Gratton made a semi-professional return in the Quebec-based Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH) with Jonquière Marquis, playing two seasons until announcing his retirement following the 2016–17 season.

Coaching career Prior to the 2017–18 season, Gratton continued his association with Jonquière Marquis as he was appointed head coach of the club on August 18, 2017.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1992–93 Laval Régents QMAAA 40 19 38 57 74 13 1 9 10 27 1993–94 Laval Titan QMJHL 51 9 14 23 70 20 2 1 3 19 1994–95 Laval Titan Collège Français QMJHL 71 30 58 88 199 20 8 21 29 42 1995–96 Laval Titan Collège Français QMJHL 38 21 39 60 130 — — — — — 1995–96 Granby Prédateurs QMJHL 27 12 46 58 97 21 13 26 39 68 1996–97 Portland Pirates AHL 76 6 40 46 140 5 2 1 3 14 1997–98 Washington Capitals NHL 6 0 1 1 6 — — — — — 1997–98 Portland Pirates AHL 58 19 31 50 137 8 4 2 6 24 1998–99 Washington Capitals NHL 16 4 3 7 16 — — — — — 1998–99 Portland Pirates AHL 64 18 42 60 135 — — — — — 1999–2000 Saint John Flames AHL 65 17 49 66 137 3 0 1 1 4 1999–2000 Calgary Flames NHL 10 0 2 2 10 — — — — — 2000–01 Saint John Flames AHL 53 10 36 46 153 — — — — — 2000–01 Calgary Flames NHL 14 1 3 4 14 — — — — — 2001–02 Montreal Canadiens NHL 8 1 0 1 8 — — — — — 2001–02 Quebec Citadelles AHL 35 10 19 29 70 3 2 3 5 10 2002–03 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 43 21 39 60 78 22 2 15 17 73 2003–04 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 50 18 33 51 119 10 1 2 3 67 2003–04 Montreal Canadiens NHL 4 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 2004–05 HC Lugano NLA 31 6 12 18 81 — — — — — 2005–06 Hamburg Freezers DEL 47 13 35 48 214 6 3 2 5 18 2006–07 Hamburg Freezers DEL 39 8 24 32 139 4 4 2 6 14 2007–08 Hamburg Freezers DEL 54 10 22 32 97 8 3 2 5 14 2008–09 Vienna Capitals AUT 40 20 38 58 162 9 4 7 11 24 2009–10 Vienna Capitals AUT 49 18 41 59 140 12 4 14 18 68 2010–11 Vienna Capitals AUT 45 27 46 73 247 11 7 12 19 28 2011–12 Vienna Capitals AUT 42 20 33 53 127 7 1 7 8 22 2012–13 Vienna Capitals AUT 42 14 29 43 65 2 0 1 1 14 2013–14 Vienna Capitals AUT 49 12 41 53 128 5 2 4 6 282015–16 Jonquière Marquis LNAH 34 18 36 54 119 9 2 9 11 352016–17 Jonquière Marquis LNAH 29 10 30 40 104 11 1 8 9 30 AHL totals 444 119 289 408 969 51 11 24 35 192 NHL totals 58 6 10 16 58 — — — — — AUT totals 267 111 228 339 869 46 18 45 63 184

Awards and honours Award Year CHL Memorial Cup (Granby Prédateurs) 1996 AHL All-Star Game 2001, 2004 EBEL Ron Kennedy Trophy (MVP) 2011