Andrew Ference
Andrew Ference was drafted 208th overall in the eighth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Edmonton, Alberta native spent five seasons (1994-1999) in the WHL with the Portland Winter Hawks, where he totaled 184 points and 572 penalty minutes in 258 games. He helped the Winter Hawks win the WHL Championship in 1997-98, which led to them also winning the Memorial Cup that same year. During his time with Portland, he was named to the WHL West First and Second All-Star Teams, was awarded the CHL Plus/Minus Award (+75 rating in 1997-98) and was named the WHL Humanitarian of the Year. He made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 1, 1999 against the Dallas Stars and scored his first career goal on November 13th against the Nashville Predators. He then played in the NHL YoungStars Game during the 2001-02 season. In his fourth season with Pittsburgh, he was traded in February 2003 to the Calgary Flames for a third round draft pick. During the 2003-04 playoffs, he recorded 3 assists and 25 penalty minutes in 26 games with Calgary before losing in game seven of the Stanley Cup finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He then spent the 2004-05 lockout season in the Czech Republic playing for Ceske Budejovice. He returned to the Flames in 2005-06, where he tied his previous record of 4 goals and set new career-highs with 82 games played, 27 assists and 31 points. He also finished second on his team with 136 hits. He was then traded in February 2007, along with Chuck Kobasew, to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau. He went on to appear in his 500th NHL game on February 21, 2009 against the Florida Panthers. In international hockey, he helped Team Canada win silver at the 1999 World Junior Championships. Even though he’s not a big defenseman at 5’11 and around 190 pounds, Ference still likes to deliver hits and isn’t afraid of anyone. He has good skating ability and is a solid two-way player; however, his offensive numbers are a bit low.
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