A native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, McCleary played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with his home-town Swift Current Broncos beginning in 1988. He played a total of four seasons with the Broncos, winning the WHL championship and Memorial Cup with the team in 1988–89 though he played only three games with the team. He was a defensive forward in the WHL, but scored 50 points in his final year in helping the Broncos win a second championship. He added a goal in four games at the 1993 Memorial Cup.\n', '

The Ottawa Senators signed McCleary as an undrafted free agent upon his graduation, and he spent the majority of the 1993–94 season with the Thunder Bay Senators of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL). He moved up to the Prince Edward Island Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1994–95 but missed three months of the season after suffering retinal damage to his right eye when he was hit in the face by a stick. Upon his recovery, McCleary returned wearing a visor that he would retain throughout his career.\n', '

He made his NHL debut in Ottawa in 1995–96, scoring 14 points in 75 games. The Senators traded McCleary, along with a draft pick to the Boston Bruins for Shawn McEachern following the season. He appeared in 59 games with the Bruins but was unable to come to an agreement on a new contract for the 1997–98 season. As a result, he signed to play in the International Hockey League (IHL), splitting the season between the Las Vegas Thunder and Detroit Vipers.\n', '

Return to Trent McCleary Autograph Profile