Teodors Bļugers

Teodors Bļugers (anglicized as Theodor "Teddy" Blueger; born 15 August 1994) is a Latvian professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 52nd overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, making him the fourth-highest selected Latvian player in the NHL entry draft, behind Zemgus Girgensons, Alberts Šmits and Sandis Ozoliņš.

Bļugers played for Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Minnesota from 2009 to 2012 before committing to play collegiate ice hockey for Minnesota State. While attending Shattuck, he helped them clinch a USA Hockey national U18 title and 2011 Bauer/NIT tournament title. After graduating from Shattuck, Bļugers spent four seasons at Minnesota State where he earned All-Tournament Team honors. From there, Bļugers played in five seasons with Pittsburgh before he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2023 trade deadline. Although he only played for part of the playoffs, Bļugers would win the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights that season, and sign with the Canucks the following off-season.

Early life Bļugers was born on 15 August 1994, in Riga, Latvia, to parents Valentīns Bļugers and Jana Bļugere. As his mother was a close friend to Elvis Merzļikins' parents, Bļugers and Merzļikins grew up playing together in Latvia. As a youth, Bļugers played both ice hockey and soccer until he was 12 or 13. As such, he grew up a fan of FC Barcelona and Ronaldinho. Due to his father's career as an attorney and a member of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation, Bļugers attended the International School of Latvia before leaving for Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota. His younger brother Roberts also played for Shattuck-Saint Mary's from 2012 to 2016. Bļugers chose to attend Shattuck after seeing a segment focusing on Shattuck alumnus Sidney Crosby.

Playing career Amateur Bļugers played for Shattuck-Saint Mary's School from 2009 until 2012 and he helped lead them to a USA Hockey national U18 title and 2011 Bauer/NIT tournament title. In 2015–16, Bļugers was named to the All-WCHA First Team.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On 22 March 2016, Bļugers signed an entry-level agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished the 2015–16 season with Penguins' AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins playing in 10 games. In his first full season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Bļugers set a new franchise record for plus-minus rating by a rookie with a +24.

Bļugers made his NHL debut on 30 January 2019, in Pittsburgh's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. On 1 February 2019, Bļugers scored his first NHL goal, against the Ottawa Senators in a 5–3 Penguins win.

On 16 July 2019, Bļugers re-signed with the Penguins on a two-year, one-way contract with an average annual value of $750,000.

Vegas Golden Knights Bļugers was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on 1 March 2023, in exchange for a third-round pick in 2024 and prospect Peter DiLiberatore. He made an immediate impact to the Golden Knights fourth line, scoring four points through his first eight games. However, he would only add two more points over his next 10 games to end the regular season with six points. When the Golden Knights faced off against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Bļugers scored his first goal of the postseason in Game 1. He finished the postseason with two points over six games as the Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Although his name was not immediately eligible to be placed on the Stanley Cup, the Golden Knights petitioned for his name to be added.

Vancouver Canucks On 1 July 2023, Bļugers left the Golden Knights as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, $1.9 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks for the 2023–24 season. On 26 June 2024, Bļugers agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Canucks worth $1.8 million in average annual value.

Toronto Maple Leafs On 1 July 2026, Bļugers signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

International play

Bļugers has represented Latvia at the international junior level, appearing in the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships and four World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He made his senior debut when he was selected to play for Latvia at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. The following year, he was again named to the Latvia national team to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

Personal life Bļugers married his wife, Monique LaFontaine, whom he met at Minnesota State, in 2021. Bļugers originally grew up areligious in Latvia and began discovering Christianity when he immigrated to the United States to pursue hockey. He originally began attending Church services upon dating LaFontaine and now regularly attends Church services and Bible studies.

Stanley Cup champion 2023