Tom Gilbert

For other people with the same name, see Thomas Gilbert (disambiguation).
Tom Gilbert

Gilbert with the Montreal Canadiens in January 2015
Born (1983-01-10) January 10, 1983
Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 206 lb (93 kg; 14 st 10 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Los Angeles Kings
Edmonton Oilers
Minnesota Wild
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
National team  United States
NHL Draft 129th overall, 2002
Colorado Avalanche
Playing career 2006–present

Thomas Kelly Gilbert (born January 10, 1983) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers.

Playing career

Amateur

Gilbert playing for the Edmonton Oilers.

Gilbert played his high school hockey for Minnesota powerhouse Bloomington Jefferson High School and was the captain his senior year, 2001. That same year, he switched to forward from defense, which he played as a sophomore and junior. He responded by scoring four goals in his first game at forward against a strong Hill-Murray team.

Professional

Known by most scouts for his two-way ability in both ends of the ice, Gilbert was drafted in the fifth round, 129th overall, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He was later traded to the Edmonton Oilers on March 9, 2004, in exchange for struggling goaltender Tommy Salo and a sixth-round draft pick in 2005.[1]

Gilbert played junior hockey with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL). He made his debut at the University of Wisconsin–Madison with the Badgers in 2002. In the 2005–06 season, he ranked third on the team in points, and also scored the winning goal in the 2006 NCAA Championship game against Boston College.

Gilbert made his professional debut in the 2006–07 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). Through 33 games, he was tied for the team lead in points among defensemen.

Due to injuries, Gilbert was called-up to the NHL in January 2007 and made his NHL debut on his 24th birthday against the San Jose Sharks. He scored his first NHL goal on February 20, 2007, against the Ottawa Senators' Martin Gerber in the final seconds of the game to send it to overtime.

On March 4, 2008, Gilbert surpassed Paul Coffey and Marc-André Bergeron for the Oilers' franchise record for most goals scored by a rookie defenseman in a seasion with his tenth, which came on the power play against Dan Ellis of the Nashville Predators. On April 11, 2008, Gilbert signed a six-year, $24 million contract extension with the Oilers.[2]

At the NHL trade deadline of the 2011–12 season, on February 27, 2012, Gilbert was traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Nick Schultz. Gilbert finished the season contributing five assists in 20 games.

After the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, with the Wild experiencing cap constraints, Gilbert was used as compliance buyout of the remaining two-year of his contract, to be released as a free agent on July 3, 2013.[3]

In September 2013, Gilbert attended the Florida Panthers' pre-season training camp as a free agent, later signing a one-year deal with the club on September 28.[4] He established a regular position within the blueline for the Panthers in 2013–14, and by season's end had produced his best season since 2009, with 28 points in 73 games.

On July 1, 2014, having rediscovered his form with the Panthers, Gilbert signed a two-year contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Montreal Canadiens.[5]

Upon expiry of his contract in Montreal, Gilbert signed a 1 year, $1.4 million contract to join his fifth NHL club, the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2016.[6]

Career statistics

Gilbert at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 Chicago Steel USHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2001–02 Chicago Steel USHL 57 13 15 28 62 4 0 0 0 4
2002–03 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 39 7 13 20 36 — — — — —
2003–04 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 39 6 15 21 36 — — — — —
2004–05 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 41 8 9 17 48 — — — — —
2005–06 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 41 11 19 30 28 — — — — —
2006–07 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 48 4 26 30 32 10 1 7 8 10
2006–07 Edmonton Oilers NHL 12 1 5 6 0 — — — — —
2007–08 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 13 20 33 20 — — — — —
2008–09 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 5 40 45 26 — — — — —
2009–10 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 5 26 31 16 — — — — —
2010–11 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 6 20 26 32 — — — — —
2011–12 Edmonton Oilers NHL 47 3 14 17 12 — — — — —
2011–12 Minnesota Wild NHL 20 0 5 5 8 — — — — —
2012–13 Minnesota Wild NHL 43 3 10 13 18 5 0 0 0 2
2013–14 Florida Panthers NHL 73 3 25 28 18 — — — — —
2014–15 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 4 8 12 30 12 2 3 5 14
2015–16 Montreal Canadiens NHL 45 1 1 2 12 — — — — —
NHL totals 637 44 174 218 192 17 2 3 5 16

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2008 United States WC 6th 7 1 3 4 0
Senior totals 7 1 3 4 0

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-WCHA Third Team 2004–05
All-WCHA First Team 2005–06
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 2005–06
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 2006 [7]

References

  1. ↑ "Avs add depth and grit". ESPN. 2004-03-09. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  2. ↑ "Oilers sign Gilbert to six-year deal". Canada.com. 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  3. ↑ "Wild will use compliance buyout on Tom Gilbert". Fox Sports. 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
  4. ↑ "Panthers invite Gilbert to training camp". Florida Panthers. 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
  5. ↑ "Montreal Canadiens sign Gilbert, re-sign Weaver". National Hockey League. 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  6. ↑ "Kings sign free agent defenseman Tom Gilbert". Los Angeles Kings. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  7. ↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
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