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Brayden McNabb

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Brayden McNabb
McNabb with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018
Born (1991-01-21) January 21, 1991 (age 33)
Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Vegas Golden Knights
Buffalo Sabres
Los Angeles Kings
NHL draft 66th overall, 2009
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2011–present

Brayden Luke McNabb (born January 21, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally selected 66th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He previously played for the Sabres and the Los Angeles Kings. McNabb won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.

Playing career

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Junior

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McNabb was selected in the second round, 37th overall, of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft. He debuted with the Kootenay Ice during their last three games of the 2006–07 season.

In the 2007–08 season, he appeared in 65 games, recording 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points. Additionally, he had one assist in 10 playoff games for the Ice.

In the 2008–09 season, McNabb played in the style of a defensive-focused defenceman, and his numbers reflected it. In 67 games played, he had 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points, and also accumulated 140 penalty minutes. He also contributed in the playoffs yet again with five assists in four games. In that season, he played in the CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Orr, adding three assists for the squad and going +3 while doing so. He was also a member of Team Canada for the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships.,[1] and the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, in which he and his team received a gold medal.[2]

On June 26, 2009, McNabb was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres. He attended Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a prep school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, where he played alongside former Buffalo Sabre Tyler Myers, also a defenceman.[2]

McNabb was the Kootenay Ice captain from 2010–11. He helped lead them to the 2011 Memorial Cup against Owen Sound, where he was suspended one game for elbowing Joey Hishon.[3]

Professional

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Buffalo Sabres

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McNabb following the 2013 All-Star Skills Competition.

On May 18, 2011, McNabb concluded his junior career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres.[4] Following the signing, he was invited to the Sabres training camp prior to the 2011–12 season.[5] After attending their training camp, McNabb was re-assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans, for the start of the season.[6] He remained with the Americans until November 26, 2011, when he earned his first NHL recall due to injuries in the Sabres' lineup.[7] During this recall period, he scored his first NHL goal on December 26, 2011, against Tomáš Vokoun of the Washington Capitals.[8] McNabb remained at the NHL level before suffering a concussion in a January game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. As such, he missed eight games to recover and was re-assigned to the AHL in February.[9] McNabb re-joined the Sabres in March following the suspension of Tyler Myers.[10] By the conclusion of the season, McNabb was one of six different players to score their first career NHL goals during the season. This marked the first time six different players scored their first goal for the Sabres since 1992–93.[11] As the Sabres failed to qualify for the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, McNabb was returned to the Americans to help push them towards a deep 2012 Calder Cup playoffs berth.[12]

McNabb returned to the Sabres' training camp for the 2012–13 season but was re-assigned to the AHL prior to the start of his sophomore campaign.[13] By the end of October, McNabb had maintained a five-game assist streak which included four assists on the power-play.[14] He continued to improve offensively throughout the season and accumulated three goals and 18 assists through 39 games. As such, McNabb was selected to represent the Americans at the 2013 AHL All-Star Classic and competed in the hardest shot event.[15] His sophomore season hit a bump due to a leg injury in March. At the time, he had accumulated with five goals and 25 assists through 45 games.[16] Despite this, he set career-highs in all offensive categories, including goals, assists, points, and penalty minutes, while appearing in 62 games.[17]

In the final year of his entry-level contract, McNabb entered the Sabres' Development Camp with the intent of making the teams' opening night roster.[16] He was returned to the AHL to begin the 2013–14 season but was recalled shortly after competing in 15 games.[17] McNabb made his season debut on November 21, playing alongside Jamie McBain in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.[18] After serving as a healthy scratch for two games, McNabb was re-assigned to the AHL in December for their game against the Utica Comets.[19] During the game against the Comets, he scored a goal and two assists to be named the game’s first star. As such, the Sabres recalled him for their following game.[20]

Los Angeles Kings

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McNabb during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs against the San Jose Sharks.

On March 5, 2014, McNabb (along with teammate Jonathan Parker and two draft picks) were traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for right winger Hudson Fasching and left winger Nicolas Deslauriers.[21] He finished the 2013–14 season with the Kings' AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, before becoming a restricted free agent and re-signing with the Kings to a two-year contract.[22]

The 2014–15 season was McNabb's first full season at the NHL level alongside fellow rookie Andy Andreoff. Throughout the season, he was regarded as a two-way defenceman but said he was "intent on getting his defensive legs under him before he presses the play in the offensive end of the rink."[23] During a game against the Colorado Avalanche in March 2015, McNabb posted a new career-high for points in a single game with one goal and two assists.[24] This offensive output continued throughout the month and he maintained a four-game assist streak.[25] McNabb finished his first full season at the NHL level with a career-high 24 points through 71 games.[26]

McNabb returned to the Kings for the 2015–16 season and was named to their opening night roster. On June 4, 2016, McNabb signed a new two-year contract with the Kings.[27]

McNabb began the season with the Kings before suffering a broken collarbone on October 31, 2016, during a game against the St. Louis Blues.[28] He missed nearly two months of gameplay before re-joining the team in late December.[29] Upon returning to the lineup, McNabb played in his 200th career NHL game in an overtime win over the Sharks on January 4, 2017.[30] The following game, he had a game-high six shots on goal, three hits and three blocked shots.[31]

Vegas Golden Knights

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On June 21, 2017, having been left exposed by the Kings at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, McNabb was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights.[32] Upon joining the team, he chose to wear jersey number 3.[33] By late November, McNabb had tallied two assists and 19 penalty minutes through 20 games. He supplemented his lack of scoring with his physical play; he was one of six players in the league who had recorded over 50 hits and blocked shots. As such, the Golden Knights signed McNabb to a four-year, $10 million contract extension worth $2.5 million annually on November 27.[34] McNabb missed three consecutive games while recovering from an undisclosed injury but returned to the ice on February 2. During the game, he played 18:57 minutes of ice time and recorded two hits and one blocked shot.[35] During the month of March, McNabb continued his physical style of play and joined Brooks Orpik as the only two players in the 2017–18 season to record at least 145 hits and blocked shots. On March 4, McNabb tallied a career-high 11 hits against the New Jersey Devils which tied him for second most hits in an NHL game through the 2017–18 season.[36] He finished his first regular season with the Knights as a first-pair defenceman with a career-high five goals in 76 games.[37]

McNabb during a game against the Washington Capitals.

The Golden Knights qualified for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they faced McNabb's old team, the Los Angeles Kings, in round one.[38] In Game 4, McNabb scored the only goal of the game at 4:04 in the second period to help lead the Golden Knights to a series sweep. He also helped them become the first NHL team to sweep a Stanley Cup Playoff series in its inaugural season.[39] Throughout the series, McNabb started 29 of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone alongside his defensive partner Nate Schmidt. As such, he was expected to face off against the San Jose Sharks top defensive pairing in the second round.[40] Following their second-series win against the Sharks, McNabb and the Golden Knights faced the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Final.[41] During Game 1 of their series, McNabb cut the Jets' lead to 3–1 at 8:10 of the second period but the Knights eventually lost 4–2.[42] Despite this loss, the Golden Knights beat the Jets in five games to qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals against the Washington Capitals.[43]

Following their loss to the Capitals, McNabb returned to the Golden Knights for their 2018 training camp and exhibition games prior to the 2018–19 NHL season.[44] As a result of the suspension to his usual partner Nate Schmidt, McNabb played with Colin Miller for the start of the season.[45] Upon Schmidt's return, they played as the Knights top defensive pair and averaged 21 minutes per game.[46] As the regular season approached an end, McNabb was named a healthy scratch for the first time during the season and was replaced by Nick Holden for a game against the Sharks.[47] The Knights met with the Sharks in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs but were eliminated by them in seven games.[48] Following their elimination, McNabb's former defensive partner Miller was traded to the Buffalo Sabres.[49] On January 30, 2022, the Golden Knights signed McNabb to a three-year, $8.55 million contract extension.[50]

By the 2022–23 season, McNabb was one of six remaining original members of the Golden Knights, alongside Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore and William Carrier. The team reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time, winning the Cup over the Florida Panthers in five games. McNabb and four of the other original Golden Knights started the decisive Game 5.[51]

On November 15, 2024, during the 2024–25 season, and as a pending free agent, McNabb signed a three-year extension with the Golden Knights, keeping him in Vegas through the 2027–28 season.[52]

International play

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McNabb first played at the junior international stage with Canada West at the World U17 Hockey Challenge in 2008. He won a gold medal with Team Canada at 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, and later earned a roster spot for the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships.

McNabb was invited to take part in Canada's 2011 National Junior Team selection camp, however he failed to make the final roster.[53]

Personal life

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McNabb's younger brother Dean also plays hockey. He played for the Victoria Royals, Regina Pats and Winnipeg Ice of the Western Hockey League between 2017 and 2021.[54]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Kootenay Ice WHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2007–08 Kootenay Ice WHL 65 2 9 11 63 10 0 1 1 10
2008–09 Kootenay Ice WHL 67 10 26 36 140 4 0 5 5 2
2009–10 Kootenay Ice WHL 64 17 40 57 121 6 0 4 4 18
2010–11 Kootenay Ice WHL 59 22 50 72 95 19 3 24 27 37
2011–12 Rochester Americans AHL 45 5 25 30 31 3 0 1 1 0
2011–12 Buffalo Sabres NHL 25 1 7 8 15 — — — — —
2012–13 Rochester Americans AHL 62 5 31 36 50 — — — — —
2013–14 Rochester Americans AHL 38 7 22 29 45 — — — — —
2013–14 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 0 0 0 6 — — — — —
2013–14 Manchester Monarchs AHL 14 3 4 7 18 4 0 1 1 2
2014–15 Los Angeles Kings NHL 71 2 22 24 52 — — — — —
2015–16 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 2 12 14 92 5 0 0 0 2
2016–17 Los Angeles Kings NHL 49 2 2 4 54 — — — — —
2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 76 5 10 15 52 20 2 3 5 20
2018–19 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 81 4 12 16 52 7 0 1 1 8
2019–20 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 71 2 7 9 40 20 0 3 3 14
2020–21 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 41 2 6 8 16 13 1 3 4 0
2021–22 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 69 3 15 18 42 — — — — —
2022–23 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 82 1 16 17 51 21 0 4 4 10
2023–24 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 82 4 22 26 37 7 2 3 5 0
NHL totals 740 28 131 159 509 93 5 17 22 54

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2008 Canada Western U17 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 0 0 0 4
2008 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 0 0 0 2
2009 Canada U18 4th 6 0 0 0 2
Junior totals 16 0 0 0 8

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
WHL
CHL Top Prospects Game 2009 [55]
East First All-Star Team 2010, 2011 [56]
AHL
All-Star Game 2013, 2014
NHL
Stanley Cup champion 2023 [57]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Prospect Brayden McNabb Player Profile". hockeysfuture.com. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "The McNabb, Myers Connection". sabres.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  3. ^ Crean, Rob (May 26, 2011). "A "WHIRLWIND" MONTH FOR MCNABB". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  4. ^ "SABRES SIGN 2009 DRAFT PICK BRAYDEN McNABB". National Hockey League. May 18, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "150 WHL PLAYERS INVITED TO NHL TRAINING CAMPS". Kelowna Rockets. September 7, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "SABRES ASSIGN 14 PLAYERS TO ROCHESTER". National Hockey League. September 26, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  7. ^ Ryndak, Chris (November 26, 2011). "ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DEBUT". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "Sabres explode for 4 goals in first to chase Capitals out of Buffalo". ESPN. December 26, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "Sabres demote Brayden McNabb to AHL". ESPN. February 2, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Snow, Kevin (March 14, 2012). "McNABB REPLACES SUSPENDED MYERS". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  11. ^ Snow, Kevin (March 27, 2012). "KALETA RETURNS FOR BIG GAME IN DC". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Snow, Kevin (April 17, 2012). "NEXT STOP: TORONTO". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  13. ^ "SABRES LOAN ELIGIBLE PLAYERS TO ROCHESTER, AMATEUR CLUBS". National Hockey League. September 14, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  14. ^ "DOWN ON THE FARM". National Hockey League. October 30, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Oklobzija, Kevin (May 18, 2013). "McNabb's blast of 101.8 wins AHL hardest shot event". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Ryndak, Chris (September 5, 2013). "#BLUEPRINT SERIES: BRAYDEN McNABB". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Ryndak, Chris (November 20, 2013). "ADAM, McNABB RECALLED, EXCITED TO BE BACK". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  18. ^ Ryndak, Chris (November 21, 2013). "ADAM, McNABB, GRIGORENKO IN FOR SABRES". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  19. ^ Ryndak, Chris (December 4, 2013). "McNABB TO ROCHESTER, FOLIGNO'S PLAY TRENDING UPWARD". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  20. ^ Ryndak, Chris (December 10, 2013). "McNABB READY TO STEP BACK IN". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  21. ^ "Trade Tracker: Kings acquire McNabb, picks". Sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. March 5, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  22. ^ Kalinowski, Mike (July 14, 2014). "Kings Agree To Terms On New Contracts For Brayden McNabb And Andy Andreoff". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  23. ^ Ward, Doug (February 23, 2015). "New And Improving". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  24. ^ Kinkopf, Alex (March 11, 2015). "Offensive depth pushes Kings past Colorado 5-2". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  25. ^ Kinkopf, Alex (March 17, 2015). "Andreoff's first, Quick's shutout lead Kings past Coyotes". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  26. ^ "Brayden McNabb". Elite Prospects. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  27. ^ "Kings Sign Defenseman Brayden McNabb To A Two-Year Contract". National Hockey League. June 4, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  28. ^ Teaford, Elliott (November 29, 2016). "Kings' Brayden McNabb takes first steps toward return". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  29. ^ Zupke, Curtis (December 30, 2016). "Brayden McNabb is back and ready to help Kings make playoff push". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  30. ^ Gilmore, Eric (January 4, 2017). "Tanner Pearson scores in OT, Kings defeat Sharks". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  31. ^ Mastracco, Abbey (January 6, 2017). "Jared Coreau, Red Wings blank Kings". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  32. ^ Rosen, Dan (June 21, 2017). "Golden Knights roster unveiled at Expansion Draft". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  33. ^ Marrazza, Dan (September 6, 2017). "Brayden McNabb: 3 Fun Facts". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  34. ^ "Brayden McNabb Signs Four-Year Contract Extension Worth $10 Million". National Hockey League. November 29, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  35. ^ Pierce, Jessi (February 3, 2018). "Golden Knights lose to Wild night after setting record". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  36. ^ Lawless, Gary; Sammons, Sage (March 8, 2018). "Midday Fix: March 8". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  37. ^ Satriano, David (May 8, 2018). "Golden Knights roster filled with players having career years". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  38. ^ Lawless, Gary (April 10, 2018). "Speed, Balance And Discipline Keys To Golden Knights Round 1 Matchup". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  39. ^ Greenspan, Dan (April 18, 2018). "Golden Knights sweep Kings with Game 4 win". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  40. ^ Vollman, Rob (April 22, 2018). "Five key matchups for Golden Knights vs. Sharks in second round". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  41. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. Cotsonika (May 7, 2018). "Golden Knights continue unlikely magic, reach Western Conference Final". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  42. ^ Roarke, Shawn P. (May 13, 2018). "Golden Knights derailed by slow start in Game 1 loss to Jets". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  43. ^ Roarke, Shawn P. (May 20, 2018). "Fleury leads Golden Knights into Stanley Cup Final". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  44. ^ Weigers, George (October 2, 2018). "Training Camp Timeline". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  45. ^ Webster, Danny (November 17, 2018). "Schmidt set to make season debut with Golden Knights after suspension". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  46. ^ Myers, Tracey (November 28, 2018). "Golden Knights finding rhythm after slow start". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  47. ^ Gilmore, Eric (March 31, 2019). "Sharks secure home ice, end slide with OT win against Golden Knights". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  48. ^ Satriano, David (April 24, 2019). "Sharks rally for OT victory against Golden Knights in Game 7". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  49. ^ "Miller traded to Sabres by Golden Knights". National Hockey League. June 29, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  50. ^ "Vegas Golden Knights Announce Three Contract Extensions". Vegas Golden Knights. January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  51. ^ Delos Santos, Paul (June 14, 2023). "Original 'Misfits' get Golden Knights started to Cup-clinching Game 5 win". NHL.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  52. ^ "McNabb signs 3-year, $10.95 million contract with Golden Knights". NHL.com. November 15, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  53. ^ "Hockey Canada Selection Camp: Team Profile". Hockey Canada. February 3, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  54. ^ "Pats acquire McNabb from Royals". Regina-Leader Post. September 25, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  55. ^ "McNabb, Brayden - NHL Entry Draft Prospect Profiles". National Hockey League. March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  56. ^ "Eastern Conference All-Star Teams". Western Hockey League. April 5, 2011. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  57. ^ Brewer, Contessa (June 14, 2023). "Golden Knights' Stanley Cup win cements Las Vegas as a big-time sports city". CNBC. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
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