Canadian ice hockey player (born 1983)
Ice hockey player
Stephen Weiss
(born April 3, 1983) is a
Canadian
former professional
ice hockey
centre
who most recently played for the
Detroit Red Wings
, as well as the
Florida Panthers
, who drafted him fourth overall in the
2001 NHL Entry Draft
. Weiss holds Panthers franchise records for games played and led the franchise in assists when he retired. Weiss was born in
Toronto
,
Ontario
, but grew up in nearby
Markham
, Ontario.
Playing career
[
edit
]
Plymouth Whalers
[
edit
]
Weiss played his
major junior
career with the
Plymouth Whalers
of the
Ontario Hockey League
(OHL), recording statistics that impressed scouts and made him one of the highest-ranked skaters in the North American Central Scouting Report. In his rookie season, Weiss recorded 66 points, impressive enough for placement on the OHL First All-Rookie Team.
[1]
Weiss continued to post eye-popping numbers in his sophomore season by recording 87 points and earning a top-five position among North American skaters.
[2]
As a result of his junior accolades, Weiss was drafted fourth overall by the
Florida Panthers
in the
2001 NHL Entry Draft
.
[3]
He returned to the Whalers in
2001?02
, and although his point totals decreased from the previous year, he posted a respectable 70 points.
[4]
Florida Panthers
[
edit
]
Weiss went on to make his NHL debut during the final weeks of the
2001?02 season
, recording a goal and an assist during his seven-game stint.
[5]
On April 16, 2002, Weiss signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers.
[6]
In his first full NHL season, Weiss recorded six goals and 15 assists in 77 games, missing five of them with a broken toe.
[7]
Weiss also played in the
NHL YoungStars Game
in front of his home crowd at the
Office Depot Center
in
Sunrise, Florida
, in what was a highpoint of his season, as he recorded a goal and an assist in the game as the
Eastern Conference
went on to win the game 8?3.
[
citation needed
]
Weiss's second full season, however did not go as well, as he struggled to adjust to head coach
Mike Keenan
's coaching style and was at one point assigned to the Panthers'
American Hockey League
(AHL) affiliate, the
San Antonio Rampage
, for a ten-game stint. Weiss returned to the Panthers lineup in November, where he remained for the remainder of the season. He missed a significant portion of the
2003?04 season
due to a sprained knee, followed by a broken leg, which caused him to miss the remainder of the season. Weiss recorded 10 goals and 19 assists in 50 games that season.
As the
2004?05 NHL season
was wiped out due to a
labour dispute
, the Panthers assigned Weiss to their AHL affiliate in San Antonio, where he recorded 15 goals and 23 assists with the Rampage before he was loaned to the
Chicago Wolves
for the remainder of the season.
[8]
Weiss experienced his first post-season at the professional level, as he recorded two goals and seven assists as the Wolves made their way to the
2005 Calder Cup Finals
, where they eventually lost to the
Philadelphia Phantoms
in seven games.
[9]
When the NHL returned for the
2005?06 season
, Weiss re-signed with the Panthers as a restricted free agent. He then endured one of his most frustrating campaigns, missing the majority of the season due to a serious wrist injury.
[10]
Weiss recorded 29 points in 41 games with the team. The following season, Weiss returned to the Panthers lineup, but again missed significant time due to knee and shoulder injuries. He then signed a six-year contract extension with the Panthers during the off-season. Weiss, looking to improve on his showing, followed up his efforts by recording 13 goals and 29 assists in 74 games, despite missing time due to the flu and shoulder injuries.
The
2008?09 season
was seen as a break-out year for Weiss, as he flourished under Head Coach
Peter DeBoer
, his former coach in the OHL. In that year, he played a career-high 78 games and recorded a career-high 47 assists. Weiss was also able to stay healthy, despite missing four games with a groin injury. The following season, Weiss continued his pace by recording a career-high 28 goals along with 32 assists in a career-high 80 games. In
2010?11
, Weiss saw his production dip to 49 points, however, and he became a target of recurring trade rumours throughout the year.
On February 23, 2012, Weiss set a franchise record by playing in his 614th game in a Panthers jersey. He was honoured in a ceremony on February 26, 2012, before a home game against the
Montreal Canadiens
; he scored two goals that night, including the game winner.
After 637 career games without a
Stanley Cup playoff
appearance, Weiss made his playoff debut in
2012
with Florida. He recorded three goals and two assists in the Panthers' seven-game series loss to the
New Jersey Devils
in the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals.
Detroit Red Wings
[
edit
]
On July 5, 2013, Weiss signed a five-year, $24.5 million contract as an unrestricted free agent with the
Detroit Red Wings
.
[11]
With jersey number 9 retired by Detroit in honour of Detroit legend
Gordie Howe
, Weiss, who had worn the number during his years in Florida, switched to number 90.
[12]
During Weiss' first season with the Red Wings, he was limited to just 26 games during the
2013?14 season
, and did not play after December 10, following hernia surgery.
[13]
On June 30, 2015, the Red Wings bought out the final three years of Weiss's contract, releasing him to free agency.
[14]
International play
[
edit
]
Weiss represented
Team Canada
at the
2002 IIHF World U20 Championships
. He recorded a goal and three assists and earned a silver medal as Canada lost to
Russia
in the
gold medal
game.
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Regular season and playoffs
[
edit
]
International
[
edit
]
Year
|
Team
|
Event
|
Result
|
|
GP
|
G
|
A
|
Pts
|
PIM
|
2000
|
Canada Ontario
|
U17
|
|
5
|
7
|
2
|
9
|
2
|
2002
|
Canada
|
WJC
|
|
6
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
6
|
Junior totals
|
11
|
10
|
3
|
13
|
8
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Red Line Report spotlight: Stephen Weiss"
.
USA Today
. November 30, 2000
. Retrieved
November 3,
2010
.
- ^
"Panthers 2001 draft evaluation"
.
Hockeysfuture.com
. June 8, 2006
. Retrieved
November 3,
2010
.
- ^
"2001 NHL Draft Results ? Round 1"
.
mynhldraft.com
. June 28, 2001
. Retrieved
November 6,
2010
.
- ^
"Q&A with Panthers C Stephen Weiss"
.
Sports Illustrated
. September 10, 2002
. Retrieved
November 6,
2010
.
- ^
"Stephen Weiss"
.
mahalo.com
. September 10, 2010
. Retrieved
November 6,
2010
.
- ^
"Panthers sign 2001 first round pick Stephen Weiss"
(PDF)
.
freewebs.com
. April 18, 2002
. Retrieved
November 6,
2010
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Stephen Weiss Profile"
.
sbnation.com
. November 6, 2010. Archived from
the original
on September 7, 2010
. Retrieved
November 6,
2010
.
- ^
"Wolves strengthen lineup"
.
The Sun?Naperville (IL)
. March 9, 2005. Archived from
the original
on November 5, 2012
. Retrieved
November 7,
2010
.
- ^
"Alumni Spotlight: Stephen Weiss"
.
chicagowolves.com
. July 6, 2010
. Retrieved
November 7,
2010
.
- ^
"Spotlight on Mark Messier"
.
usa today
. January 12, 2006
. Retrieved
November 7,
2010
.
- ^
Alfie, Weiss excited for opportunity
- ^
Confirmed : Weiss to wear number 90
Archived
2013-08-15 at
archive.today
- ^
Red Wings recall forward Weiss from AHL
- ^
"Wings buyout forward Stephen Weiss"
.
Detroit Free Press
. 2015-06-30
. Retrieved
2015-06-30
.
External links
[
edit
]