David Booth

David Jonathan Booth (born November 24, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey player. He is a forward currently playing for the Melbourne Ice of the Australian Ice Hockey League.

Following his second year with the Michigan State Spartans, he was selected 53rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2004 NHL entry draft. He spent four years playing college hockey before turning professional with the Panthers organization in 2006–07. After recording career-highs in goals, assists and points, as well as being voted the Panthers' most valuable player by the team's fans in 2008–09, he suffered two concussions the following season. Midway through his sixth year in the league, Booth was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in a four-player deal.

Known as an offensive forward and a fast skater, The following season, he joined the United States National Team Development Program and competed for their junior and under-18 teams in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and NAHL, respectively.

During his time with the Development Program, he committed to an athletic scholarship with the Michigan State Spartans of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). His freshman year included two CCHA Rookie of the Week distinctions His efforts as a freshman earned him Spartans Rookie of the Year and CCHA All-Rookie Team honors. He finished his sophomore year with 18 points (eight goals and ten assists) over 30 contests. Despite his decreased offensive production, he remained highly ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) at the end of the season for the upcoming 2004 NHL entry draft. He was listed at 27th among skaters playing in North America by the CSB, while The Hockey News ranked him 33rd overall. During the draft, Booth was selected in the second round, 53rd overall, by the Florida Panthers. He was scouted as a player with size and toughness, while a USA Today article declared that he "would have gone much higher if he opted into the draft [the previous] season."

Following his draft, Booth returned to Michigan State to complete his four-year tenure with the school. During his junior year, he and teammate Bryan Lerg set a Spartans record for the fastest two goals scored in a game (five seconds apart). Their goals came in a 6–5 overtime loss to the Alaska Nanooks in February 2005 and surpassed the previous record by one second. |group = notes Later that month, Booth sustained a cracked rib and was sidelined for several games. He finished the 2004–05 season with 16 points (seven goals and nine assists) over 29 contests. Booth later missed some playing time due to injury before returning to the lineup in late-November 2005. After struggling to score in the first half of the 2005–06 season (he recorded nine points in the first three months), Booth finished with 35 points (13 goals and 22 assists) over 37 games. His strong offensive production in the second half included an 11-game point-scoring streak that was broken on the last regular season game against the Miami RedHawks. In the 2006 CCHA playoffs, Booth helped the Spartans to a Mason Cup as league champions. Facing the Miami RedHawks in the final, Booth scored the game-winning goal six minutes in the second period, securing a 2–1 win for Michigan State. Moving on to the 2006 NCAA Tournament, they were eliminated in the regional final by the Maine Black Bears 5–4. Booth scored a goal and an assist in the losing effort. Over four years with the Spartans, Booth finished his college career with 105 points in 134 games. Joining the organization, he was assigned to the Panthers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans, to start the 2006–07 season. Within two months, he was called up to the Panthers on November 20. After being returned to the AHL six days later, he received another call-up the following month. Sent back down to Rochester and recalled one more time in December, he remained with the team for the remainder of the campaign. In the final month of the season, he registered his first game-winning goal in the NHL on April 6 in a 7–2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Booth completed his rookie season with 10 points (3 goals and 7 assists) over 48 NHL games, while also recording 14 points (seven goals and seven assists) over 25 AHL games. As the Panthers failed to qualify for the 2007 playoffs, ranking 12th in the Eastern Conference, #tag:ref|The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. Booth missed one game due to the injury. Later in the campaign, he missed eight games with a knee injury. Becoming an integral part of the Panthers' lineup, he also led the team with six game-winning goals. As a team, the Panthers remained out of the playoffs in 2008, finishing 11th in the East.

The following season, Booth recorded his first career NHL natural hat trick against the Anaheim Ducks on November 9, 2008. He scored all the Panthers goals against Jean-Sébastien Giguère in a 3–1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. The following month, he sustained a left shoulder injury that sidelined him for eight games. Booth bettered that single-game total during the last contest of the regular season, scoring two goals and three assists for a personal best five-point effort in a 7–4 win against the Washington Capitals on April 11, 2009. Booth finished the season with career-highs of 31 goals, 29 assists and 60 points over 72 games. While leading the Panthers in goals, powerplay goals (11), game-winning goals (5); tied with Nathan Horton, and shots (246), he finished one point behind team-leader Stephen Weiss (who played six more games than Booth). Booth's efforts helped the Panthers compete for a playoff spot late in the season for the first time in his tenure with the club. They finished the season tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East with the Montreal Canadiens at 41 wins and 93 points each. The Canadiens earned the spot over the Panthers by virtue of having won the season series between the two teams.

During his breakout season, Booth became a favorite among team followers; home fans at BankAtlantic Center were known to cheer "Booooth" when he touched the puck during games. At the end of the campaign, he was chosen by the fans as the team's most valuable player in an official online vote. Upon announcing the contract, Panthers General Manager Randy Sexton heralded Booth as "undoubtedly an important part of [the] club's future...[and] a role model for other players," while embodying "every attribute of what a true Panthers player stands for." he was released from hospital the next day. While Richards received a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for intent to injure, he was not suspended for the play. The decision not to further penalize Richards proved to be a highly contentious issue. Panthers General Manager Randy Sexton and defenceman Keith Ballard voiced their opinion that Richards' hit was directed at the head while knowing Booth was in a vulnerable position, warranting a suspension. The Flyers captain expressed concern for Booth's health both in the media and to Panthers Head Coach Peter DeBoer personally, but asserted that he was not intending to hurt him. Another concern was the timing of Richards' hit, as Booth had already released the puck. In response, NHL Vice President Bill Daly explained that the hit was not late enough to justify a suspension. Booth scored a goal and three assists (completing a Gordie Howe hat trick) to help the Panthers to a 7–4 win.

Although the NHL had not suspended Richards for his actions against Booth, the incident was instrumental in the League's newfound efforts to eliminate hits to the head, particularly against players who cannot see the oncoming checker approaching (as was the case with Booth). Several months after Booth's October 2009 concussion, Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard was hit by Matt Cooke in a similar fashion on March 7. Later that month, on March 25, the NHL Board of Governors and NHL Players' Association's executive board voted in favour of a rule penalizing "blindside hits" (bodychecking a player after having skated laterally towards him undetected, an idea similar to one's "blind spot" while driving). That same night, Booth suffered his second concussion in five months during a game against the Montreal Canadiens. While reaching back to retrieve a loose puck, Booth was hit in the head by opposing defenceman Jaroslav Špaček's shoulder. No penalty was called on the play, while Booth was helped off the ice and taken to hospital. The hit did not receive suspension and did not spark controversy as Booth's previous concussion had. Following the game, Panthers forward Nathan Horton asserted that "It wasn't a dirty hit"; Špaček expressed concern for Booth, but explained that "when he turned I was standing right there and basically he just ran at me." Sidelined for the remaining nine games of the season,

While Booth's hockey-playing future was initially in doubt following his second concussion, he returned for the 2010–11 season and played all 82 games. Averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game (second among forward behind Weiss), he led the Panthers with 23 goals while ranking third with 40 points (behind Weiss and Mike Santorelli). With 280 shots, including a 14-shot effort against the Bruins on November 18, 2010, he led all Panthers' players and ranked 12th in the NHL overall. As a team, the Panthers continued to struggle and General Manager Dale Tallon began trading away many of their veteran players towards the end of the season; they finished with the worst record in the East.

Vancouver Canucks (2011–2014) Booth with the Canucks in November 2013. The 2013–14 season was his third and final season with the Canucks Less than a month into the 2011–12 season, Booth was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on October 22, 2011. The Panthers sent him, along with forward Steven Reinprecht and a third-round pick in the 2013 draft, to Vancouver in exchange for forwards Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm. Tallon described the deal as a performance-based trade; Booth had registered one assist over the first six games of the season and had a team-worst –6 plus-minus rating while being demoted to the third line. Booth was saddened and admittedly surprised at the trade. Playing on the second line with countrymen Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins, Booth formed a component of a scoring unit was nicknamed the "American Express" line. The following month, Booth suffered a right medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury after a knee-on-knee hit from Colorado Avalanche forward Kevin Porter during a game on December 6, 2011. Porter received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the play, while a subsequent hearing with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan resulted in a four-game suspension. Booth was sidelined for 18 games over six weeks with the injury, returning in mid-January 2012.

In subsequent seasons with the Canucks, Booth continued to struggle. His production dropped steeply, and he suffered several injuries during the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, scoring a total of three points. Scoring a total of nine goals and 19 points in the following season, he had gone 32 games without a goal, but managed to score three in the final ten games of the season.

On June 17, 2014, the Canucks placed Booth on unconditional waivers, and the following day after he cleared waivers the Canucks used their final compliance buyout on him and Booth became an unrestricted free agent.

Later NHL years and KHL On July 22, 2014, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Booth to a one-year contract worth $1.1 million. He scored the only shootout goal in the first preseason game on September 22, 2014, which led the Toronto Maple Leafs to victory. Booth would break his foot shortly afterwards and miss the opening few months of the season.

On November 21, 2014, Booth was sent down to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL for a conditioning stint. He would finish with one goal in his two-game tour with the Marlies. On November 29, Booth played his first game as a Maple Leaf in a 6–2 win over the Washington Capitals. Booth recorded no points but enjoyed his first game in Toronto. However, Booth would record his first point as a Leaf three games later, an assist on a goal scored by line-mate Richard Pánik in a 5–2 victory over his former team, the Canucks. His first goal as a Maple Leaf would come on December 16, where he scored the game winner in a 6–2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Booth would finish the season with 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists) in 59 games.

As a free agent over the following summer, Booth agreed to a return to the Florida Panthers in accepting an invitation to training camp on a professional try-out contract on September 9, 2015. At the conclusion of camp and approaching pre-season, Booth was released by the Panthers. On November 26, 2015, Booth belatedly signed his first contract abroad, agreeing to a one-year deal with Russian club Admiral Vladivostok of the Kontinental Hockey League for the remainder of the 2015–16 season. In 23 games with Admiral, Booth contributed with 6 goals and 16 points.

Booth returned home during the off-season and signed a professional try-out contract to attend the training camp of the Anaheim Ducks on September 20, 2016. After his release from the Ducks pre-season roster, Booth later opted to return to the KHL, continuing with Avangard Omsk on November 17, 2016.

After two years in the KHL, Booth signed a PTO with the Detroit Red Wings on August 30, 2017, marking his third attempt to return to the NHL. On October 2, 2017, Booth made the team and signed a one-year, two way contract with the Red Wings. Booth played sparingly with the Red Wings, recording four goals and one assist while playing in just 28 games.

After his short tenure with the Red Wings, Booth indirectly announced his retirement from hockey, stating that he was "done with hockey" via his Twitter account.

As a free agent at the mid-point of the 2018–19 season, Booth returned to continue his professional career abroad, agreeing to a contract for the remainder of the year with Belarusian outfit, HC Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, on December 5, 2018.

Europe and Australia

From 2019 until 2025, Booth played irregularly for clubs in Norway, Germany and Hungary. His clubs included Manglerud Star, Vålerenga Ishockey, Storhamar Hockey, Eisbären Regensburg and Ferencvárosi TC.

On May 27, 2025, Booth joined Australian club Melbourne Ice. He made his AIHL debut three days later on May 30.

On November 19, 2025, Booth signed with the Fife Flyers of the EIHL. . During his stint with the team, Booth would suffer a season-ending lower-body injury during the team's Pride Night in early February 2026. It is believed that this injury is in part due to the fact that he didn't warm up in the pride jerseys due to his beliefs. .

After recovering from his injury suffered in Scotland, he would re-sign with the Melbourne Ice on June 25, 2026. .

International play

During his tenure with the United States National Team Development Program, Booth competed at the 2002 IIHF World U18 Championship, held in Trnava and Piešťany, Slovakia. Playing Russia in the last game of the final round, Booth scored the United States' first two goals of the game. A win against Russia placed the United States in a tie for the gold medal with four wins and one tie each. In order to beat Russia on the goal-differential tiebreaker, they needed to win the contest by two goals. Leading 2–1 with a minute remaining, the United States pulled their goalie and Zach Parise scored with 30 seconds left to capture the gold medal. Booth was named MVP of the gold medal game. Booth finished the tournament with two goals and two assists over eight games.

Two years later (now a member of the Michigan State Spartans), Booth moved on to the under-20 level, competing at the 2004 IIHF World Junior Championships, held in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, Finland. He recorded his lone assist of the tournament on Dan Fritsche's game-winning goal in the semifinal against Finland. Booth and the United States went on to win the gold medal with a 4–3 win over Canada in the final. With a goal and an assist over six games, Booth tied for 12th in team point-scoring. In a 2011 interview for Canucks.com, Booth recalled his IIHF U18 and U20 gold medals as his first- and second-best hockey memories, respectively. In the quarterfinals, the United States lost 3–2 to Finland and finished the tournament in sixth place.

The following year, he was invited to the national team's summer orientation camp in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics. During the first month of NHL play, however, Booth suffered a concussion and was sidelined long-term. When the final Olympic roster was announced on January 1, 2010, Booth was still recovering from the injury and he was not selected.

Playing style At 6 feet (1.83 metres) and 212 pounds (96 kilograms), Booth's size enables him to play in the style of a power forward. Along with his physical stature, he is a fast skater, both of which allow him to retain the puck and contribute to his offensive skills. His father's name is Mike. Growing up, he was a fan of the Detroit Red Wings and attended home games as his family owned season tickets. The two went on to become teammates with the US National Team Development Program from 2001 to 2002, the U.S. national junior team in 2004 and the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL from 2011 to 2014, respectively. In addition to hockey, he also played baseball and golf growing up. Their relationship was featured on the second season of the Canadian reality series Hockey Wives.

Controversy An avid hunter, Booth posted a YouTube video in May 2012 of him baiting and killing an American black bear. Though the practice is legal in Alberta, it is banned in 18 American states, as well as British Columbia, the Vancouver Canucks' province. Booth's actions were widely criticized by the public, causing him to remove the video within days.

On January 31, 2026, Booth's team, the Fife Flyers, made changes to their Pride Night jersey plans, explaining that they were "respecting the diversity of backgrounds and personal beliefs within our playing group." As such, Pride jerseys were worn only during warm ups, with Booth the only player who did not participate during the warm ups, leading to speculation that his refusal led to the jersey change. In the first five minutes, Booth had a non-contact injury and needed help to leave the ice. The coach later indicated that the injury could be long-term. The changes made to the presentation of pride have widely criticized as they were made mere hours before face-off. The club had until this point a long history of wearing their pride jerseys for game night.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2000–01 Detroit Compuware NAHL 42 17 13 30 44 2 1 0 1 2 2001–02 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 12 4 3 7 6 — — — — — 2001–02 U.S. NTDP U18 NAHL 6 1 3 4 18 — — — — — 2001–02 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 40 12 6 18 17 — — — — — 2002–03 Michigan State University CCHA 39 17 19 36 53 — — — — — 2003–04 Michigan State University CCHA 30 8 10 18 30 — — — — — 2004–05 Michigan State University CCHA 29 7 9 16 30 — — — — — 2005–06 Michigan State University CCHA 36 13 22 35 50 — — — — — 2006–07 Rochester Americans AHL 25 7 7 14 26 6 0 2 2 4 2006–07 Florida Panthers NHL 48 3 7 10 12 — — — — — 2007–08 Florida Panthers NHL 73 22 18 40 26 — — — — — 2008–09 Florida Panthers NHL 72 31 29 60 38 — — — — — 2009–10 Florida Panthers NHL 28 8 8 16 23 — — — — — 2010–11 Florida Panthers NHL 82 23 17 40 26 — — — — — 2011–12 Florida Panthers NHL 6 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks NHL 56 16 13 29 32 5 0 1 1 0 2012–13 Vancouver Canucks NHL 12 1 2 3 4 — — — — — 2013–14 Vancouver Canucks NHL 66 9 10 19 18 — — — — — 2013–14 Utica Comets AHL 3 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2014–15 Toronto Marlies AHL 2 1 0 1 2 — — — — — 2014–15 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 7 6 13 25 — — — — — 2015–16 Admiral Vladivostok KHL 23 6 10 16 30 5 0 0 0 12 2016–17 Avangard Omsk KHL 19 4 5 9 16 12 2 0 2 10 2017–18 Detroit Red Wings NHL 28 4 1 5 10 — — — — — 2018–19 Dinamo Minsk KHL 18 2 1 3 20 — — — — — 2019–20 Manglerud Star NOR 22 20 6 26 51 — — — — — 2021–22 Vålerenga NOR 15 15 14 29 2 5 4 4 8 2 2022–23 Jackson Hole Moose BDHL 1 1 4 5 0 — — — — — 2022–23 Storhamar NOR 16 11 12 23 8 17 8 10 18 122023–24Eisbären RegensburgDEL216951410151141511 2024–25 Ferencvárosi Erste 8 10 7 17 10 1 0 0 0 02025–26Melbourne IceAIHL143430641222350 NHL totals 530 124 112 236 216 5 0 1 1 0

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2002 United States WJC18 8 2 2 4 10 2004 United States WJC 6 0 1 1 2 2008 United States WC 6th 7 1 0 1 2 Junior totals 14 2 3 5 12 Senior totals 7 1 0 1 2

Awards and honors Award YearNAHL All-Rookie Team 2000–01