Andrew Ladd
Andrew Ladd was playing with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen when he was drafted 4th overall in the first round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Maple Ridge, British Columbia native played two seasons with the Hitmen, where he led the team with 30 goals in 2003-04, won the WHL Plus-Minus Award with a +39 rating and also won the WHL Top Draft Prospect Award. He then led his team with 167 penalty minutes the following year. He played for Team Canada at the 2005 World Junior Championships, where he helped his team win the gold medal. He signed a three-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in September 2005 and would play for both the Hurricanes and their AHL team, the Lowell Lock Monsters. He made his NHL debut in November 2005 but soon after suffered a knee injury. He returned to the Hurricanes’ lineup for the playoffs, where he played in 17 games, contributing 5 points and helped his team become the 2005-06 Stanley Cup Champions. He underwent an emergency appendectomy on December 14th, 2006 which caused him to miss 9 games with the Hurricanes. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on February 26, 2008 in exchange for Tuomo Ruutu, where Ladd was reunited with former minor league teammates Troy Brouwer, Brent Seabrook and Colin Fraser. He then re-signed with Chicago to a two-year contract during the off-season. He played in all 82 games with the Blackhawks during the 2008-09 season, recording career-highs with 15 goals, 34 assists and 49 points. Chicago made the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and made it to the Conference Final, where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings. Ladd contributed 4 points in those 17 games. At 6’2, he has great size and is an all around good player, but needs to work on his defensive skills and stay injury-free in order to better his career.
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