Sam Gagner

Sam William Gagner (born August 10, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 6th overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and played there for the first seven years of his NHL career. He also played one season each for the Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Vancouver Canucks before returning to Edmonton in 2019.\n', ' Gagner played midget hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) in 2004–05. He scored 173 points and was awarded the Buck Houle Award, a Marlboros team award given for outstanding on ice performance and leadership. The same season, he made his junior debut, playing 13 games for the Milton Icehawks of the OPJHL, scoring 15 points.His dad was the coach of his minor hockey career. In 2005–06, he joined the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and scored 46 points in 56 games, second in team scoring. Along the way, Gagner played with future NHLer John Tavares on the Marlboros and later the Icehawks. As early as 2002, the pair also honed their skills and became friends on a backyard rink built by Sam\'s dad Dave in Oakville.\n', ' Gagner originally committed to play hockey at the collegiate level for the University of Wisconsin–Madison,[citation needed] but later decided to stay closer to home by playing for a Canadian major junior hockey team. Considered a first round talent, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)\'s London Knights selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 OHL Entry Draft on a flyer, as his commitment to play college hockey deterred many OHL teams from drafting him. Joined by future NHL stars Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn on the Knights\' top line in 2006–07, Gagner scored 118 points in 53 games, fifth in OHL scoring. He also captained Team Burns/Bergeron (Red) in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game to a 5–3 victory over Team Bowman/Demers (White).\n', '