Lee Stempniak

Lee Edward Stempniak (born February 4, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes. He is now in charge of player development for the Utah Mammoth.

Stempniak graduated from St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, New York, in 2001, and played his college hockey at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. A well-traveled and versatile forward, Stempniak has played for ten different teams in his NHL career, which is tied for the second-most in NHL history. On October 1, 2019, after 14 seasons in the NHL he announced his retirement.

Early life Stempniak lived near an ice hockey rink where he knew the owner. The owner would let him practice whenever he could. After high school, he wanted to continue to play hockey, but his parents wanted him to go to college. Stempniak went to the only college that showed interest in him, Dartmouth. At Dartmouth, he majored in economics. He became a top player for the Big Green ice hockey team and was named a two-time All American, as well as his team's captain.

Playing career

St. Louis Blues Stempniak was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round, 148th overall, at the 2003 NHL entry draft. He led the team in goals in his first full season (2006–07), with 27, despite being just 23 years of age. He and David Backes joined Jay McClement to form one of the NHL's youngest lines.

Toronto Maple Leafs On November 24, 2008, Stempniak was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. Stempniak wore number 12 in Toronto.

Phoenix Coyotes On March 3, 2010, Stempniak was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for Matt Jones and a fourth- and seventh-round draft pick 2010. Twelve days later, Stempniak was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week, scoring five goals in three games, all in victories for the Coyotes. On April 1, 2010, Stempniak earned the NHL's Player of the Month honor for March after scoring 13 goals since the trade to Phoenix.

On August 30, 2010, Stempniak signed a two-year contract extension with the Coyotes. thumb Lee Stempniak prior to making his debut with the Flames in 2011.

Calgary Flames On August 29, 2011, the Coyotes traded Stempniak to the Calgary Flames for Daymond Langkow. He went on to record 14 goals with 14 assists during 61 games in 2011–12. On June 29, 2012, Stempniak re-signed with the Flames on a two-year, $5 million deal.

Pittsburgh Penguins During the 2013–14 season, on March 5, 2014, Stempniak was dealt at the NHL trade deadline to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round draft pick. In 21 games with the club, Stempniak recorded 11 points. He also had three points in 13 playoff games as the Penguins would lose in Round 2 against the New York Rangers.

New York Rangers On July 19, 2014, Stempniak agreed to join his sixth NHL team, signing a one-year contract as a free agent with the New York Rangers. In the 2014–15 season, Stempniak was primarily used by the Rangers in a bottom six role, compiling nine goals and 18 points in 53 games.

Winnipeg Jets On March 1, 2015, Stempniak was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Carl Klingberg.

Stempniak scored the first playoff goal in Winnipeg since 1996 when he beat Anaheim's Frederik Andersen in the first period of Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarter Finals for a 1-0 Jets lead.

New Jersey Devils On September 16, 2015, Stempniak agreed to join the New Jersey Devils on a professional tryout. He was signed by the Devils to a one-year contract worth $850,000 on October 3, 2015. In the 2015–16 season, Stempniak made a seamless transition to provide instant value to the Devils. In a scoring role, Stempniak was leading the Devils with 41 points in 63 games, having his best offensive season since 2010.

Boston Bruins Stempniak was traded for a third consecutive season at the trade deadline to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a second-round and fourth-round pick on February 29, 2016. Stempniak finished out the season scoring 10 points in 19 games.

Carolina Hurricanes Unable to help the Bruins into the post-season, Stempniak familiarly approached the off-season as a free agent. Following a successful individual year, on July 1, 2016, Stempniak was promptly signed to a two-year contract to join his tenth NHL club, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Return to Boston Stempniak joined the Boston Bruins during the start of training camp, signing a Professional Tryout (PTO) contract on September 10, 2018. Stempniak began the 2018–19 without a contract, however continued to train with the Bruins at times throughout the first months of the season. While continuing informally with the team, Stempniak belatedly signed a professional try-out contract in the AHL to join affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on February 15, 2019. After 4 games with Providence, and ahead of the NHL trade deadline, Stempniak signed a one-year, one-way contract with Boston on February 24, 2019.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1998–99 Saint Francis High School HSNY 16 16 16 32 — — — — — — 1999–2000 Saint Francis High School HSNY — — — — — — — — — — 1999–2000 Rochester Jr. Americans AAA Midget — — — — — — — — — — 2000–01 Buffalo Lightning OPJHL 48 34 41 85 36 — — — — — 2001–02 Dartmouth College ECAC 32 12 9 21 8 — — — — — 2002–03 Dartmouth College ECAC 34 21 28 49 32 — — — — — 2003–04 Dartmouth College ECAC 34 16 22 38 42 — — — — — 2004–05 Dartmouth College ECAC 35 14 29 43 34 — — — — — 2005–06 Peoria Rivermen AHL 20 8 5 13 25 3 0 3 3 2 2005–06 St. Louis Blues NHL 57 14 13 27 22 — — — — — 2006–07 St. Louis Blues NHL 82 27 25 52 33 — — — — — 2007–08 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 13 25 38 40 — — — — — 2008–09 St. Louis Blues NHL 14 3 10 13 2 — — — — — 2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 61 11 20 31 31 — — — — — 2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 62 14 16 30 18 — — — — — 2009–10 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 18 14 4 18 8 7 0 2 2 0 2010–11 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 19 19 38 19 4 0 0 0 0 2011–12 Calgary Flames NHL 61 14 14 28 16 — — — — — 2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 47 9 23 32 12 — — — — — 2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 52 8 15 23 28 — — — — — 2013–14 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 21 4 7 11 4 13 2 1 3 6 2014–15 New York Rangers NHL 53 9 9 18 18 — — — — — 2014–15 Winnipeg Jets NHL 18 6 4 10 2 4 1 0 1 0 2015–16 New Jersey Devils NHL 63 16 25 41 34 — — — — — 2015–16 Boston Bruins NHL 19 3 7 10 4 — — — — — 2016–17 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 82 16 24 40 32 — — — — — 2017–18 Charlotte Checkers AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2017–18 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 37 3 6 9 4 — — — — — 2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 20 7 11 18 8 4 0 1 1 10 2018–19 Boston Bruins NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — NHL totals 911 203 266 469 327 28 3 3 6 6

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 2007 United States WC 7 6 4 10 27 2008 United States WC 7 0 3 3 6 2009 United States WC 9 2 0 2 6 Senior totals 23 8 7 15 39

Awards and honors Award YearCollege All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team 2001–02 All-ECAC Hockey First Team 2003–04, 2004–05 AHCA East First-Team All-American 2003–04 AHCA East Second-Team All-American 2004–05