Bobby Butler (ice hockey) explained

Bobby Butler
Birth Date:26 April 1987
Birth Place:Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:189
Position:Right Wing
Shoots:Right
Played For:Ottawa Senators
New Jersey Devils
Nashville Predators
Florida Panthers
Modo Hockey
Medveščak Zagreb
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
Ntl Team:USA
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:2010–2019
2022
Career End:2023

Robert "Bobby" Butler (born April 26, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers and won the 2011 Calder Cup championship while with the Binghamton Senators.

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Butler played in the 2000 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Minuteman Flames minor ice hockey team, and then in the 2001 tournament with the Middlesex Islanders.[1]

Prior to enrolling at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), Butler played three seasons with the Boston Jr. Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League from 2003–2006 and five seasons with Marlborough High School from 2000–2005, making the varsity team as an eighth-grader. During the 2004–05 season, he helped both his high school team and junior team to championship titles. At Marlborough High School (MHS), Butler recorded 284 points in 116 games as well as breaking the school's record in goals scored during his junior year, tallying 58 goals in 25 games. While at MHS, he played for his father, who coached the team for 25 years, retiring in 2011. Butler's MHS hockey point totals are celebrated in a prominent banner at the Navin Rink in Marlborough, which celebrates former MHS players that accumulated more than 100 points during their high school careers.

Butler capped a standout four-year college career by being named the New Hampshire Wildcats' co-captain and finishing second among all NCAA Division I players in goals in 2009 – 10, scoring 29 for UNH, earning him a nomination as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top U.S. college hockey player.[2] The Wildcats went 87–49–17 with him in the lineup and also qualified for the NCAA Tournament all four seasons that he was enrolled at the school. On March 24, 2010, Butler was recognized as the 58th recipient of the Walter Brown Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. He was also selected as Hockey East's Player of the Year, an All-Hockey East First Team honoree, the Hockey East Player of the month for November, the Hockey East scoring champion, a Hockey East Three Stars Award winner and a 2010 Hockey Humanitarian nominee for his efforts in the community.[3] He recorded 61 goals, 60 assists and 88 penalty minutes over his four-year, 153-game collegiate career at New Hampshire.

Professional

On March 29, 2010, he signed a two-year contract with the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. He made his NHL debut with Ottawa on April 1 in a 4–3 shootout win against the Carolina Hurricanes.[4] After attending the 2010 training camp, Butler was assigned to the Binghamton Senators.

Butler scored his first NHL goal against Nikolai Khabibulin of the Edmonton Oilers on February 12, 2011, and recorded his first assist in the same game, on a goal by Milan Michálek.After spending the remainder of the season in Ottawa and recording 10 goals and 11 assists in 36 games, he was returned to Binghamton where he helped lead the club to a Calder Cup victory, notching 13 goals and 7 assists during the 23 game playoff.

On July 14, 2011, he was rewarded for his solid 2010–11 season with a two-year, one-way contract with the Ottawa Senators. However, Butler responded with a much poorer 2011–12 season than expected, registering only 6 goals and 16 points in 56 games. As a result, in July 2012 the Senators placed Butler on waivers with the intent of buying out his contract.[5] On July 27, 2012, the Senators announced that his contract had been bought out, making Butler a free agent.[6]

On August 9, 2012, Butler signed a one-year, two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils organization.[7] With the 2012 NHL lockout in effect, he was directly assigned to AHL affiliate, the Albany Devils. Upon commencement of the shortened 2012–13 season, Butler was recalled to New Jersey and made his Devils debut against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on February 3, 2013. Butler scored his only goal with the Devils against the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 9. After registering 2 points in 14 games with the Devils Butler was placed on waivers by the Devils and claimed by the Nashville Predators on March 4, 2013.[8]

On June 14, 2013 he was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for T.J. Brennan.[9]

On July 15, 2015, Butler signed his first contract abroad in agreeing to a two-year contract with Swedish club, Modo Hockey of the SHL.[10] However, he parted ways with Modo after one year and then headed to Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), where he started the 2016-17 campaign. In December 2016, after having played in 37 games (six goals, ten assists) for Zagreb, he transferred to fellow KHL outfit Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.[11]

As a free agent in the following off-season, Butler returned to North America and opted to sign a one-year AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals on August 10, 2017.[12] In the 2017–18 season, Butler led the Admirals with 24 goals and finished second with 45 points through 62 games.

He continued his career in the AHL following the conclusion of the season, signing a one-year contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack, affiliate of the New York Rangers, on July 2, 2018.[13]

During his coaching tenure, Butler opted to return to the professional circuit, initially playing a one off appearance with the Worcester Railers of the ECHL on January 2, 2022, earning first-star honours with three points in a 5-3 victory over the Reading Royals. On January 21, 2022, Butler opted to sign a contract for the remainder of the season with the Railers, finishing with 16 points through 20 games.[14]

Following two years with the Railers, appearing as captain in his second season, Bulter announced his retirement from professional hockey on August 16, 2023.[15]

Coaching career

While in his final two seasons within the AHL, Butler transitioned to coaching in originally performing as the Director of player development with the Boston Junior Bruins from 2017–2019. He ceased his professional career from 2019–2022, performing as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Worcester Jr. Railers and as a NCAA volunteer assistant coach with the Holy Cross.

International play

Butler represented Team USA in the 2013 World Championship with three goals and one assist for four points to help Team USA win the bronze medal.

On January 1, 2018, it was announced that Butler would represent the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[16] He went scoreless over 5 games as Team USA finished in 7th place.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

  Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2002–03Boston Little Bruins 18U AAA3521274812
2002–03Boston Jr. BruinsEJHL131340
2003–04Boston Little Bruins 18U AAA746104
2003–04Boston Jr. BruinsEJHL5915183328
2004–05Boston Jr. BruinsEJHL4918143236
2005–06Boston Jr. BruinsEJHL442222444242248
2006–07University of New HampshireHE38931212
2007–08University of New HampshireHE3814122620
2008–09University of New HampshireHE389213036
2009–10University of New HampshireHE3929245320
2009–10Ottawa SenatorsNHL20000
2010–11Binghamton SenatorsAHL472211333523134176
2010–11Ottawa SenatorsNHL3610112110
2011–12Ottawa SenatorsNHL56610161230000
2012–13Albany DevilsAHL371611278
2012–13New Jersey DevilsNHL141120
2012–13Nashville PredatorsNHL203694
2013–14San Antonio RampageAHL6922254712
2013–14Florida PanthersNHL20112
2014–15San Antonio RampageAHL6827325937
2015–16Modo HockeySHL491091916
2016–17KHL Medveščak ZagrebKHL376101610
2016–17Torpedo Nizhny NovgorodKHL13145420004
2017–18Milwaukee AdmiralsAHL6724214536
2018–19Hartford Wolf PackAHL698122020
2021–22Worcester RailersECHL20610164
2022–23Worcester RailersECHL6317213850
NHL totals1302029492830000

International

YearTeamEventResult GPGAPtsPIM
2013United StatesWC83142
2018United States OG7th5 0 0 0 0
Senior totals133142

Awards and honors

AwardYear
College
HE All-Tournament Team2008[17]
All-HE First Team2009–10
AHCA East First-Team All-American2009–10[18]
Finalist Hobey Baker Award2010
AHL
MVP All-Star Classic2011[19]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA. 2018. Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2019-02-14. 2019-03-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf. dead.
  2. Web site: Senators sign NCAA standout Butler . Love . Noah . March 29, 2010 . NationalPost.com . National Post Inc. . March 29, 2010 .
  3. Web site: Senators sign forward Bobby Butler . March 29, 2010 . OttawaSenators.com . MarketWire . March 29, 2010.
  4. Senators clinch playoff spot with shootout win . . 2010-04-01 . 2010-06-01.
  5. Web site: Sens place Butler on waivers . https://archive.today/20130115061625/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2012/07/26/20032966.html . usurped . January 15, 2013 . 2012-07-03 . 2012-07-27 . Canoe.ca.
  6. Web site: News Release: Senators buy out the contract of Bobby Butler . NHL.com . February 14, 2019 . July 27, 2012.
  7. Web site: Devils sign former Senators forward Butler to contract . . 2012-08-09 . 2012-08-09.
  8. Web site: Devils' Bobby Butler claimed off waivers by Nashville Predators . 2013-03-04 . 2013-03-05 . Nj.com.
  9. Web site: Predators acquire T.J. Brennan . ESPN.com . February 14, 2019 . June 14, 2013.
  10. Web site: Bobby Butler ready for two seasons in Modo . . 2015-07-15 . 2015-07-15 . Swedish.
  11. Web site: Transfers on the last day of bidding . khl.ru . February 14, 2019 . December 26, 2016. Russian.
  12. Web site: Ad's sign three time All-Star . . 2017-08-10 . 2017-08-10 . 2017-09-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170916140923/http://www.milwaukeeadmirals.com/news/081017butler?platform=hootsuite . dead .
  13. Web site: Pack sign trio of forwards . . 2018-07-02 . 2018-07-02.
  14. Web site: Worcester Railers re-sign Bobby Butler . . January 21, 2022 . January 21, 2022.
  15. Web site: Massachusetts Olympian, Former NHL Player Announces Retirement . . August 16, 2023 . August 16, 2023.
  16. Web site: 2018 U.S. Olympic Team. https://web.archive.org/web/20170707053353/http://www.teamusa.org/pyeongchang-2018-olympic-winter-games/team-usa/athletes. dead. July 7, 2017. teamusa.org. January 2, 2018.
  17. News: 2013-14 Hockey East Media Guide. Hockey East. 2014-05-19.
  18. Web site: Denver puts 3 on All-American Team . collegehockeynews.com . 2010-04-09 . 2011-01-02.
  19. Web site: East earns 11–8 win in AHL All-Star Game . American Hockey League . February 1, 2010 . February 1, 2010 . February 4, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110204083525/http://theahl.com/east-earns-11-8-win-in-ahl-all-star-game-p169120 . dead .