Kyle Brodziak

Kyle Brodziak (born May 25, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He previously played for the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL entry draft, 214th overall, by the Oilers after being passed over in the 2002 draft.

Playing career

Junior career Brodziak was drafted 14th overall in the 1999 WHL Bantam Draft by the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he spent his entire junior career. He debuted as a 15-year-old in the final two games of the 1999–2000 season, and won a full-time spot with the team the following season. For the next two seasons, Brodziak played a minor role, scoring 10 times in 129 games. On the advice of his agent, he opted into the 2002 NHL entry draft, but went unselected.

However, in the 2002–03 season, Brodziak exploded offensively, scoring 32 times and more than tripling his previous year's points total. He was also named Moose Jaw's hardest working player and unsung hero, and attended the selection camp for Canada's 2003 World Junior team, where he was the final forward cut. Subsequently, Brodziak was drafted 214th overall by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2003 NHL entry draft and attended their first ever Top Prospects Camp. Brodziak also attended the Oilers' main training camp at the beginning of the 2003–04 season, but was returned to Moose Jaw, where he got off to a good start, being named Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Player of the Week for October 27–November 2. His high level of play continued, as he represented the WHL against the Russian Selects and finished the year third in the WHL in scoring. He was also named to the CHL Second All-Star Team and the WHL East First All-Star Team.

On June 14, 2004, Brodziak signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers.

Professional career Brodziak made his professional debut with the Edmonton Oilers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Edmonton Road Runners, in the 2004–05 season. Despite a slow start, Brodziak finished the year strongly and became a consistent performer for his team. After the Road Runners ceased operation, the Oilers arranged for a number of players, including Brodziak, to play for the Dallas Stars' AHL affiliate, the Iowa Stars. Consequently, Brodziak was forced to play out of position and received less ice time than he would have with a team run by the Oilers, and his offensive game suffered. On July 23, 2009, Brodziak signed a three-year contract with the Wild as a restricted free agent. On February 19, 2012, Brodziak signed a three-year contract extension with Minnesota.

On July 2, 2015, having left the Wild organization as a free agent, Brodziak signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues. In the 2017–18 season, his third with the Blues, Brodziak rediscovered his scoring touch, playing in a utility role by scoring 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 81 games, his most since 2012.

On July 1, 2018, having completed his contract with the Blues, Brodziak signed as a free agent to a two-year, $2.3 million contract in a return to the Edmonton Oilers. In his second stint with the Oilers, Brodziak assumed fourth-line center duties for the 2018–19 season, contributing with 6 goals and 9 points through 70 regular season games.

Approaching the 2019–20 season, Brodziak's 15-year playing career was effectively ended after succumbing to chronic back injuries. With one year remaining on his contract with the Oilers, Brodziak was placed on the long-term injury reserve. On February 24, 2020, Brodziak's contract was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, along with a conditional 2020 fourth-round draft pick, in exchange for Mike Green.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1999–00 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2000–01 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 57 2 8 10 49 3 0 0 0 0 2001–02 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 72 8 12 20 56 12 0 3 3 11 2002–03 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 72 32 30 62 84 13 5 3 8 16 2003–04 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 70 39 54 93 58 10 5 4 9 10 2004–05 Edmonton Road Runners AHL 56 6 26 32 49 — — — — — 2005–06 Iowa Stars AHL 28 6 9 15 24 — — — — — 2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 10 0 0 0 4 — — — — — 2006–07 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 62 24 32 56 44 11 1 5 6 14 2006–07 Edmonton Oilers NHL 6 1 0 1 2 — — — — — 2007–08 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 14 17 31 33 — — — — — 2008–09 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 11 16 27 21 — — — — — 2009–10 Minnesota Wild NHL 82 9 23 32 22 — — — — — 2010–11 Minnesota Wild NHL 80 16 21 37 56 — — — — — 2011–12 Minnesota Wild NHL 82 22 22 44 66 — — — — — 2012–13 Minnesota Wild NHL 48 8 4 12 20 5 0 2 2 4 2013–14 Minnesota Wild NHL 81 8 16 24 61 12 3 3 6 2 2014–15 Minnesota Wild NHL 73 9 11 20 47 10 0 0 0 2 2015–16 St. Louis Blues NHL 76 7 4 11 37 20 2 0 2 6 2016–17 St. Louis Blues NHL 69 8 7 15 27 10 0 2 2 2 2017–18 St. Louis Blues NHL 81 10 23 33 33 — — — — — 2018–19 Edmonton Oilers NHL 70 6 3 9 33 — — — — — NHL totals 917 129 167 296 462 57 5 7 12 16

Awards and honours Awards YearWHL East First All-Star Team 2004