Sam Carrick

Sam Carrick (born February 4, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round, 144th overall, in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He also previously played with the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, and New York Rangers.

Playing career

Junior

As a youth, Carrick played in the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Markham Waxers minor ice hockey team. After playing his Minor Midget season for the Toronto Red Wings of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, Carrick was drafted and played major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Brampton Battalion. He was a first round choice in the 2008 OHL Priority Selection draft. In his first season, Carrick was a part of the Brampton team that was defeated in the OHL final four games to one by the Windsor Spitfires. In his second season, Carrick set new highs in goals and points, which led him to chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the fifth round, 144th overall, of the 2010 NHL entry draft. Carrick served as an alternate captain for his third season with Brampton during the 2010–11 OHL season, registering 16 goals and 39 points in 59 games. He was named captain of the Battalion for the 2011–12 season.

Professional

On April 1, 2012, Carrick signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto assigned Carrick to the ECHL for at the beginning of the 2012–13 season, where he made his professional debut with the Idaho Steelheads. In 50 games with the Steelheads, Carrick scored 16 goals and 37 points. He was reassigned to the Maple Leafs American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies on March 1, 2013. He finished his rookie season with the Marlies scoring two goals in 19 games. In his first full season in the AHL he registered 14 goals in 62 games.

In the final year of his entry-level contract, Carrick was still assigned to the Marlies, despite having impressed during the pre-season training camp. Carrick received his first NHL recall by the Maple Leafs early into the 2014–15 season to replace an injured Joffrey Lupul. He made his NHL debut in a 3–2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on November 1, 2014. He scored his first NHL goal on March 26, 2015 against the Florida Panthers, and was named third star of the game. He played in 16 games with the Maple Leafs registering the one goal and two points. Carrick also added 9 goals and 26 points in 59 games with the Marlies. At the end of the season, he re-signed with the Maple Leafs on a one-year contract. In the 2015–16 season, Carrick put up 16 goals and 34 points in 52 games with the Marlies and played in three games with the Maple Leafs.

Carrick was not tendered a qualifying offer from the Maple Leafs following the season and became an unrestricted free agent. Carrick and Abbott were the top scorers for the IceHogs at the time.

Upon joining Anaheim, the Ducks assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, where he collected 11 points in 15 games. He added 7 points in 10 playoff games for the Gulls. On June 6, 2017, Carrick signed a two-year, two-way contract with Anaheim. During the 2018–19 season, Carrick played in six games for Anaheim earning his first point with the team on March 30, 2019, versus the Edmonton Oilers. He added 32 goals and 69 points with the Gulls that season, and 7 goals and 14 points in 16 playoff games. On June 29, 2019, the Ducks re-signed Carrick to a one-year contract. On October 18, 2019, Carrick was named captain of the Gulls. During the 2019–20 season, Carrick played in nine games with the Ducks scoring his first goal (a shorthanded goal) versus the New York Islanders on December 21, 2019 and registering 23 goals and 43 points in 46 games with the Gulls. He was re-signed to another one-year contract by the Ducks on May 10, 2020.

During the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, Carrick played in 13 games with the Ducks, registering 2 goals and 6 points. In October Carrick was recalled from the Gulls early in the 2021–22 season. and after playing a career-high 64 games with Anaheim scoring 11 goals and 19 points, he was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

Carrick began the 2023–24 season with the Ducks, playing in 61 games, scoring eight goals and 11 points. On March 6, 2024, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers along with Adam Henrique. He made his Oilers debut on March 7 in a 3–2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He registered his first goal and point as an Oiler in a 3–2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 16. In 16 regular season games with the Oilers, he scored two goals and five points. The Oilers made the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs and Carrick made his NHL playoff debut on April 22 in Game 1 of the first round series versus the Los Angeles Kings. He skated on a line with Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark. He played in ten playoff games, registering just one assist, as the Oilers advanced to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. In the end, the Oilers were defeated by the Florida Panthers in seven games.

At the conclusion of his contract with the Oilers, on July 1, 2024, Carrick signed as a free agent to a three-year, $3 million contract with the New York Rangers.

On March 6, 2026, Carrick was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third-round pick and a sixth-round selection in the 2026 NHL entry draft.

Personal life Carrick is the son to John F. and Jane Carrick. John played junior C hockey with the Stouffville 70s. Trevor Carrick (born 1994) and Josh Carrick (born 1995), have all played major junior ice hockey in the OHL. Trevor was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2012 NHL entry draft and is currently playing with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Carrick is also a cousin to minor league journeyman Bobby Hughes. He and his brothers own and run a maple syrup company based on their grandfather's hobby of tapping trees.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2008–09 Brampton Battalion OHL 61 10 11 21 47 21 1 0 1 16 2009–10 Brampton Battalion OHL 66 21 21 42 96 8 2 2 4 8 2010–11 Brampton Battalion OHL 59 16 23 39 74 4 0 1 1 4 2011–12 Brampton Battalion OHL 68 37 30 67 104 8 4 4 8 16 2012–13 Idaho Steelheads ECHL 50 16 21 37 70 — — — — — 2012–13 Toronto Marlies AHL 19 2 2 4 18 5 0 0 0 0 2013–14 Toronto Marlies AHL 62 14 21 35 115 14 5 4 9 10 2014–15 Toronto Marlies AHL 59 9 18 27 112 5 1 2 3 4 2014–15 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 16 1 1 2 9 — — — — — 2015–16 Toronto Marlies AHL 52 16 18 34 90 12 0 5 5 19 2015–16 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 3 0 0 0 4 — — — — — 2016–17 Rockford IceHogs AHL 57 11 17 28 85 — — — — — 2016–17 San Diego Gulls AHL 15 3 8 11 20 10 4 3 7 14 2017–18 San Diego Gulls AHL 67 13 28 41 83 — — — — — 2018–19 San Diego Gulls AHL 61 32 29 61 90 16 7 7 14 21 2018–19 Anaheim Ducks NHL 6 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2019–20 San Diego Gulls AHL 46 23 20 43 40 — — — — — 2019–20 Anaheim Ducks NHL 9 1 1 2 0 — — — — — 2020–21 San Diego Gulls AHL 27 14 10 24 19 3 2 1 3 0 2020–21 Anaheim Ducks NHL 13 2 4 6 28 — — — — — 2021–22 San Diego Gulls AHL 2 1 0 1 14 — — — — — 2021–22 Anaheim Ducks NHL 64 11 8 19 85 — — — — — 2022–23 San Diego Gulls AHL 4 0 0 0 4 — — — — — 2022–23 Anaheim Ducks NHL 52 3 4 7 86 — — — — — 2023–24 Anaheim Ducks NHL 61 8 3 11 90 — — — — — 2023–24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 16 2 3 5 12 10 0 1 1 12 2024–25 New York Rangers NHL 80 6 14 20 58 — — — — — 2025–26 New York Rangers NHL 60 4 6 10 53 — — — — — 2025–26 Buffalo Sabres NHL 13 5 1 6 12 1 0 0 0 2 NHL totals 393 43 46 89 439 11 0 1 1 14

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2009 Canada Ontario WHC17 6 1 3 4 14 Junior totals 6 1 3 4 14