Brayden Schenn Explained

Brayden Schenn
Birth Date:22 August 1991
Birth Place:Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lb:190
Position:Centre
Shoots:Left
League:NHL
Team:St. Louis Blues
Former Teams:Los Angeles Kings
Philadelphia Flyers
Ntl Team:CAN
Draft:5th overall
Draft Year:2009
Draft Team:Los Angeles Kings
Career Start:2009

Brayden Michael Schenn (born August 22, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings fifth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2011 to 2017, before being traded to St. Louis in 2017.[1]

Schenn has represented Canada internationally at several tournaments, and won two silver medals at the 2010 and 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. At the 2011 tournament, Schenn tied Canada's record for points in a single tournament, and was selected to the Tournament's All-Star Team as well as being named Top Forward, and Most Valuable Player. Schenn won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Blues in 2019.

Playing career

Minor

Schenn played minor hockey in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He played AAA midget hockey for the Saskatoon Contacts. During the 2006–07 season, his teammates included Jared Cowen and Carter Ashton.[2] In the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft, Schenn was selected in the first round, ninth overall, by the Brandon Wheat Kings.[3] His teammates Cowen and Ashton were selected first and eighth overall, respectively.[4] In his last season of midget hockey, he scored 70 points in 41 games.[5]

Junior

Schenn started his major junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2007–08. He was Brandon's first pick in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft. Schenn made his WHL debut on September 21, 2007, against the Saskatoon Blades, earning his first WHL point, an assist.[6] Later in the season, on October 17, he notched his first WHL goal against the Red Deer Rebels. Schenn finished his first season as the Wheat Kings' leading scorer[7] and as the top rookie scorer in the WHL tallying 28 goals and 43 assists for 71 points,[8] earning him the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL Rookie of the Year, and a spot on the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) All-Rookie Team.[9] He was also the inaugural winner of the 2007–08 Boston Pizza WHL 'Fan's Choice' Award. He also picked up the Wheat Kings team awards for Rookie of the Year and Most Popular Player.

Schenn spent the 2008–09 season playing with the Wheat Kings and served as their co-captain alongside Matt Calvert. In January 2009, he was named the WHL[10] and CHL[11] Player of the Week, after scoring 7 points in two games. Also in January, Schenn was selected as the winner of the H. L. (Krug) Crawford Memorial Medal which is emblematic of athletic achievement in western Manitoba. He finished the season with 85 points in 69 games to lead the Wheat Kings in scoring a second consecutive season.[12] He finished seventh overall in scoring for the WHL, and was named to the WHL's Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team. During the season, Schenn played in the CHL Top Prospects Game and represented the WHL in the ADT Canada–Russia Challenge.

Leading up to the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Schenn had been listed as the third highest prospect among WHL players in the NHL Central Scouting Service (CSS)'s preliminary rankings,[13] while International Scouting (ISS) ranked him at fifth overall and first in the WHL.[14] Schenn's ranking remained the same at fifth overall with the NHL CSS's midway ranking.[15] E. J. McGuire, the director of NHL's Central Scouting Bureau compared facets of Schenn's game to Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton.[16] At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he managed to be drafted in exactly the same amateur selection position his brother Luke had two years earlier, as he was drafted fifth overall by the Los Angeles Kings.

At the start of the 2009–10 hockey season, Schenn attended training camp with the Kings, but was considered a long shot to make the team.[17] Schenn was returned to Brandon after being one of the last cuts at camp.[18] He served as Brandon's captain for the 2009–10 WHL season. During the season, Schenn again represented the WHL in the Canada-Russia Challenge series. He finished the regular season with 99 points (34 goals, 65 assists) in 59 games,[19] which tied him for fourth overall in WHL scoring with teammate Matt Calvert.[20] Schenn was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.[21]

On December 3, 2010, the Kings returned Schenn to the Brandon Wheat Kings.[22] He played two games with the Wheat Kings during the 2010-11 season before joining Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Championships. After the tournament was complete, Schenn was dealt to his hometown Saskatoon Blades for a package of draft picks and prospects.[23] He played in 27 games with the Blades, scoring 21 goals and adding 32 assists. Despite playing less than half a season in the WHL, Schenn was named to the league's Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team at the end of the regular season.[24]

Professional

Los Angeles Kings

Schenn played his first NHL game on November 26, 2009, against the Vancouver Canucks after being called up on an emergency basis and signed to an amateur, one-game try-out contract.[25] At the time of his debut, Schenn was the third youngest player of all-time to skate for the team. On March 3, 2010, he was signed to a three-year contract with the Kings.[26] After training camp for the 2010–11 season, Schenn made the Kings roster but saw limited playing time. He appeared in nine games with the Kings, and spent time with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (AHL) for conditioning purposes.[27] On December 3, 2010, the Kings returned Schenn to the Brandon Wheat Kings.[22] Following the Saskatoon Blades' exit from the 2011 WHL Playoffs, he was assigned by the Kings back to the Monarchs on April 17, 2011.[28]

Philadelphia Flyers

Schenn was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, along with Wayne Simmonds and a 2012 second round pick, for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson on June 23, 2011.[29] After sustaining an apparent shoulder injury in the Flyers' 2011–12 training camp, Schenn was sent down to the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL for conditioning and salary cap purposes. He recorded two assists in his Phantoms debut, a 6–3 win over the Connecticut Whale. In his second game with Adirondack, he registered three goals and an assist in a 6–3 win against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

On October 20, 2011, Schenn made his Flyers debut in a 5–2 loss to the Washington Capitals, a game in which he struggled and registered a plus-minus rating of –3. He played three more games with the Flyers, but on October 26, he broke a bone in his foot blocking a slapshot in a 5–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.[30] He missed just under a month of playing time. Upon returning from injury, he was reassigned to Adirondack for conditioning purposes. On January 2, 2012, Schenn scored his first NHL goal on a rebound during the second period against the New York Rangers, scoring against Henrik Lundqvist during the 2012 NHL Winter Classic.[31] Schenn scored his first career hat trick on February 29, 2016, in a 5–3 win over the Calgary Flames.[32] In response to Schenn's potent offensive style and scoring ability, the Philadelphia Flyers signed him to a four-year, $20.5 million contract in July 2016, for an average annual salary of $5,125,000 until the end of the 2019–20 season.[33]

St. Louis Blues

On June 23, 2017, at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Schenn was traded by the Flyers to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jori Lehterä, a 2017 first-round pick (27th overall) and a conditional 2018 first-round pick.[34] In his first season with the Blues, Schenn broke out and put up career highs in points, assists, and goals. He recorded his third career hat trick on December 5, 2017, in a 4–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens[35] and lead the Three Stars of the Week.[36] The following month, Schenn was named to the 2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game after recording 42 points in 32 games.[37] He finished the season with a career-high 70 points in 82 games.

On June 12, 2019, the Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Boston Bruins in seven games.[38] Schenn recorded five goals and 12 points in 26 postseason games.

On October 4, 2019, the Blues signed Schenn to an eight-year, $52 million contract extension.[39]

On September 19, 2023, Schenn was named the 24th captain in the Blues history.[40]

International play

Schenn started his Hockey Canada career by representing Saskatchewan at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon, where his team finished seventh. During the 2007–08 season, Schenn played for Canada West at the 2008 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he was the leading scorer. After his season with Brandon was over, Schenn played with Team Canada at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships in Kazan, Russia, as one of five 16-year-olds, capturing a gold medal. He tallied 1 goal and 2 assists in 7 games in the tournament.[41] During the summer, he also competed in the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, earning another gold medal in the Czech Republic. Schenn served as an alternate captain at the Hlinka Memorial Tournament, and recorded six points (two goals and four assists) in four games.

During the 2008–09 season, Schenn was invited to Team Canada's tryout camp for the 2009 World Junior Championships, but did not make the final squad.[42] Schenn was invited to Hockey Canada's summer evaluation camp in August 2009, and also to the December selection camp for the 2010 World Junior Championships. He made the team and competed in the tournament that was hosted in his home province of Saskatchewan.[43] Schenn won a silver medal with Canada, after they lost the gold medal game in overtime to the American team.

When the Kings returned Schenn to the WHL in December 2010, it allowed him to try out for Canada's team at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships. Schenn made the team after the December selection camp, and was selected as one of the alternate captains.[44] In Canada's preliminary round game against the Czech Republic, Schenn was named player of the game. Against Norway, Schenn tied Canada's record for goals in a single game (held by Mario Lemieux and Simon Gagné) with four. He also added an assist to finish the game with five points.[45] In Canada's gold medal loss to Russia, Schenn scored a goal and added an assist. He recorded 18 points in the tournament, tying Canada's all-time record for a single tournament, set by Dale McCourt in 1977.[46] After the tournament, Schenn was the tournament's top scorer, and was named to the media All-Star team for the event. The IIHF Directorate named him Best Forward and Tournament MVP.[47] Canada's coaching staff selected him as one of the team's top three players for the tournament.[48] At the end of the tournament, it was revealed that Schenn had been playing with a separated shoulder he suffered during Canada's quarter-final victory against Switzerland.[49]

Personal life

Schenn was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to Jeff and Rita Schenn. His older brother, Luke, is a defenceman for the Nashville Predators.[50] They have two younger sisters, Madison and Macy.[51]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
2006–07Saskatoon Contacts AAASMHL41 27 43 70 633 4 3 7 4
2007–08Brandon Wheat KingsWHL66 28 43 71 486 2 1 3 14
2008–09Brandon Wheat KingsWHL70 32 56 88 8212 8 10 18 12
2009–10Los Angeles KingsNHL1 0 0 0 0
2009–10Brandon Wheat KingsWHL59 34 65 99 5515 8 11 19 2
2010–11Los Angeles KingsNHL8 0 2 2 0
2010–11Manchester MonarchsAHL7 3 4 7 45 1 3 4 0
2010–11Brandon Wheat KingsWHL2 1 3 4 2
2010–11Saskatoon BladesWHL27 21 32 53 2310 6 5 11 14
2011–12Adirondack PhantomsAHL7 6 6 12 4
2011–12Philadelphia FlyersNHL54 12 6 18 3411 3 6 9 8
2012–13Adirondack PhantomsAHL33 13 20 33 15
2012–13Philadelphia FlyersNHL47 8 18 26 24
2013–14Philadelphia FlyersNHL82 20 21 41 547 0 3 3 8
2014–15Philadelphia FlyersNHL82 18 29 47 34
2015–16Philadelphia FlyersNHL80 26 33 59 336 0 2 2 7
2016–17Philadelphia FlyersNHL79 25 30 55 38
2017–18St. Louis BluesNHL82 28 42 70 56
2018–19St. Louis BluesNHL72 17 37 54 4026 5 7 12 14
2019–20St. Louis BluesNHL71 25 33 58 449 2 3 5 6
2020–21St. Louis BluesNHL56 16 20 36 354 1 0 1 9
2021–22St. Louis BluesNHL62 24 34 58 3312 0 8 8 14
2022–23St. Louis BluesNHL82 21 44 65 50
2023–24St. Louis BluesNHL82 20 26 46 56
NHL totals940 260 375 635 53175 11 29 40 66

International

YearTeamEventGP G A Pts PIM
2008Canada WesternU176 6 7 13 4
2008CanadaU187 1 2 3 6
2008CanadaIH184 3 4 7 4
2010WJC6 2 6 8 4
2011CanadaWJC7 8 10 18 0
2014WC7 3 1 4 0
CanadaWC 2 1 0 1 4
2017CanadaWC10 1 0 1 2
CanadaWC10 2 3 5 0
Junior totals30 20 29 49 18
Senior totals30 7 4 11 6

Awards

Junior

AwardYear
Brandon Wheat Kings Rookie of the Year2008
Brandon Wheat Kings Most Popular Player2008
Boston Pizza WHL Fan's Choice Award2008
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL Rookie of the Year)2008
WHL Player of the Week (January 11–18)2009
CHL Player of the Week (January 11–18)2009
WHL East Second Team All-Star2009
2011
WHL East First Team All-Star2010

NHL

AwardYearRef
National Hockey League All-Star Game2018
Stanley Cup champion2019

International

AwardYear
World Junior Player of the GameRound Robin vs. Czech Republic, 2011[52]
World Junior Top Three Player for Team Canada2011
World Junior All-Star Team2011
World Junior Best Forward2011
World Junior Most Valuable Player2011

Other

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brayden Schenn Stats and News . 2022-11-03 . NHL.com . en-US.
  2. Web site: 2006–07 Playoffs. Saskatchewan AAA Midget Hockey League. 2010-04-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20090222071435/http://smaaahl.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?leagueID=9165&clientID=3433&pageID=1623. February 22, 2009. dead. mdy-all.
  3. Web site: 2009 NHL Top Prospect Profile - Brayden Schenn, Brandon Wheat Kings. Western Hockey League. 2009-06-24. 2010-12-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20110725052543/http://media.whl.ca/2009-nhl-top-prospect-profile---brayden-schenn-brandon-wheat-kings-p128566. July 25, 2011. dead. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: Made in Saskatoon. Saskatoon Star Phoenix. 2010-04-18. 2006-05-05. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101024031822/http://www2.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/blades/story.html?id=cf2b4b3f-754d-4f64-a8a6-b2ca4b254d7d. October 24, 2010. mdy-all.
  5. Web site: Player Profile Brayden Schenn. 2010-04-18. Hockey Canada.
  6. Web site: Brayden Schenn Game by Game Stats 2007–08. 2010-12-03. Western Hockey League. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120515231117/http://www.whl.ca/roster/gameByGame/id/390/ls_season/229. May 15, 2012. mdy-all.
  7. Web site: 2007–08 Brandon Wheat Kings [WHL]]. 2009-03-14. Hockeydb.
  8. Web site: Top Scorers: 2007–08 Regular Season, Rookies. 2009-03-14. Western Hockey League. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090312081817/http://www.whl.ca/stats/statdisplay.php?type=top_scorers. March 12, 2009. mdy-all.
  9. Web site: Brayden Schenn. 2010-04-18. The Sports Network.
  10. Web site: Wheat Kings' Brayden Schenn Named Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week. Hockey Now. 2010-12-03. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110707103615/http://www.albertahockey.com/story/13/WHL%20Report/2967/videos.aspx?id=237. July 7, 2011. mdy-all.
  11. News: Wheat Kings' Schenn Named Boston Pizza CHL Player of the Week. Canadian Hockey League. 2009-01-21.
  12. Web site: 2008–09 Brandon Wheat Kings [WHL]]. 2009-03-15. Hockeydb.
  13. Web site: Western Hockey League Preliminary Rankings. 2009-03-15. 2008-11-18. National Hockey League.
  14. Web site: 2009 ISS Top 30. 2009-03-15. 2008-11-17. The Sports Network.
  15. Web site: Tavares, Hedman highlight NHL mid-season rankings. 2009-03-15. 2009-01-12. The Sports Network.
  16. Web site: Schenn, Brayden Draft Prospect Card. 2010-04-18. National Hockey League.
  17. Web site: Schenn's big camp. Insidesocal.com. Hammond, Rich. 2010-04-18. 2009-09-21.
  18. Web site: Brayden Schenn. CBS. 2010-04-18.
  19. Web site: Brayden Schenn. Hockeydb.com. 2010-04-18.
  20. Web site: 2009–10 WHL League Leaders. Hockeydb.com. 2010-04-18.
  21. Web site: WHL awards/all-stars (Eastern Conference). Regina Leader-Post. Harder, Greg. 2010-04-18. 2010-03-17. dead. https://archive.today/20130119023533/http://communities.canada.com/REGINALEADERPOST/blogs/slapshots/archive/2010/03/17/whl-awards-all-stars-eastern-conference.aspx. January 19, 2013. mdy-all.
  22. Web site: Kings sending Brayden Schenn back to junior team. Los Angeles Times. 2010-12-02. 2010-12-03.
  23. Web site: Brayden Schenn dealt from Wheat Kings to Blades. The Sports Network. 2011-01-10. 2011-01-10.
  24. Web site: WHL East All Stars and Awards Finalists. Western Hockey League. 2011-03-24. 2011-03-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110426120739/http://www.whl.ca/article/whl-east-all-stars-and-awards-finalists. April 26, 2011. mdy-all.
  25. Web site: Brayden Schenn, Kings. National Hockey League. 2010-04-18.
  26. Web site: Kings Sign Schenn to Three-Year Deal. Los Angeles Kings. 2010-04-18. 2010-03-04.
  27. Web site: Kings practice report: Brayden Schenn probably won't play against Florida. Los Angeles Times. 2010-12-01. 2010-12-03.
  28. Web site: Kings Assign Schenn To Monarchs. Monarchs Media Relations. 2011-04-17. 2011-04-18. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110727234816/http://www.monarchshockey.com/news.php?nid=3974. July 27, 2011. mdy-all.
  29. Web site: Flyers deal Richards to Kings for Simmonds and Schenn. The Sports Network. June 23, 2011.
  30. Web site: Flyers' Brayden Schenn has broken foot, Philly recalls Rionaldo, Gustafsson . NHL.com . October 30, 2018 . October 27, 2011.
  31. Web site: Kimelman . Adam . Classic goal has Schenn breathing a bit easier . NHL.com . October 30, 2018 . January 2, 2012.
  32. News: Gelston . Dan . Brayden Schenn's first career hat trick sends Flyers past Flames, 5-3 . October 30, 2018 . Globe and Mail . February 29, 2016.
  33. Web site: Lewis . Scott . Flyers, Brayden Schenn avoid arbitration with 4-year deal . sportsnet.ca . October 30, 2018 . July 25, 2016.
  34. Web site: Blues acquire Schenn from Flyers . . 2017-06-23 . 2017-06-23.
  35. Web site: Brayden Schenn scores hat trick to power Blues over Canadiens . sportsnet.ca . October 30, 2018 . December 5, 2017.
  36. Web site: Schenn leads 3 Stars of the Week . NHL.com . October 30, 2018 . December 11, 2017.
  37. Web site: Blues' Brayden Schenn hitting his stride in 1st all-star season . cbc.a . October 30, 2018 . January 24, 2018.
  38. Web site: Rosen . Dan . Blues win Stanley Cup for first time, defeat Bruins in Game 7 of Final . National Hockey League . June 13, 2019.
  39. Web site: Blues sign Schenn to 8-year contract extension . St. Louis Blues . October 4, 2019.
  40. Web site: Pinkert . Chris . Schenn named Blues' 24th captain . NHL.com . September 19, 2023 . September 19, 2023.
  41. Web site: Player Statistics by Team – Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512200503/http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/148/IHM1480CAN_83_8_0.pdf. live. May 12, 2021. 2010-04-18. IIHF. 2008-03-06.
  42. Web site: Brayden Schenn wants to avoid pain of being cut this time around. Faceoff.com. 2010-04-18. 2009-12-13. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120303230041/http://www.faceoff.com/story.html?id=7e2c64b8-595d-4a34-8186-1319a5131622. March 3, 2012. mdy-all.
  43. Web site: Brayden and Luke Schenn all over the map; join short list of brothers to play for Team Canada at world juniors. Saskatoon Star Phoenix. 2009-12-27. 2010-04-18. Mitchell, Kevin.
  44. Web site: Schenn named alternate captain. Brandon Wheat Kings. 2010-12-19. 2010-12-21.
  45. Web site: Schenn scores four as Canada dominates Norway at Worlds. The Sports Network. 2010-12-30. 2010-12-30.
  46. Web site: WJHC: Russia scores five goals in third to beat Canada for gold. The Sports Network. 2011-01-05. 2011-01-05.
  47. Web site: Brayden Schenn sweeps honours. 2011-01-05. 2011-01-05. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121018102809/http://www.iihf.com/channels1011/wm20/news/news-singleview-wm20/article/brayden-schenn-sweeps-honours.html?tx_ttnews. October 18, 2012. IIHF. mdy-all.
  48. Web site: Best Players of Each Team Selected by Coaches. https://web.archive.org/web/20210505185146/http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/236/IHM236000_85J_1_0.pdf. live. May 5, 2021. 2011-01-05. IIHF. 2011-01-05.
  49. Web site: Schenn wins MVP, Ellis top defenceman. The Sports Network. 2011-01-06. 2011-01-06.
  50. Web site: Maple Leafs Trade Schenn To Flyers For Van Riemsdyk. The Sports Network. 2012-06-23. 2012-06-23.
  51. Web site: Kimelman . Adam . Family loyalties divided as Schenn brothers square off . NHL.com . October 30, 2018 . October 24, 2011.
  52. Web site: Best Players Per Game. IIHF. 2010-12-28.