Mike Connolly (ice hockey)

Michael Brian Connolly (born July 3, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Straubing Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Connolly has previously played in the National Hockey League for the Colorado Avalanche.

Mike Connolly
Mike Connolly in 2022
Born (1989-07-03) July 3, 1989
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
DEL team
Former teams		 Straubing Tigers
Colorado Avalanche
Augsburger Panther
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2011–present

Playing career

Undrafted, after playing junior hockey in the AJHL for the Camrose Kodiaks, Connolly attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team after the 2008-09 season, Connolly remained on a point-per-game average through his sophomore season. In his Junior year, he led the Bulldogs with 54 points in 42 game en route to the NCAA Championship and a WCHA First All-Star Team selection.[1]

On April 13, 2011, shortly after his team won the Championship, Connolly signed a three-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League.[2]

In his first professional season in 2011–12, Connolly was assigned to the Sharks American Hockey League affiliate, the Worcester Sharks. He led Worcester rookies with 30 points in 40 games before he was dealt by San Jose at the trade deadline on February 27, 2012, to the Colorado Avalanche, along with Jamie McGinn and Michael Sgarbossa in exchange for Daniel Winnik, TJ Galiardi and a seventh round selection.[3] He was then assigned to the Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. After two games with the Monsters, Connolly was unexpectedly recalled by the Avalanche and made his NHL debut against the Minnesota Wild in a 2-0 victory on March 4, 2012.[4]

After off-season knee surgery, Connolly missed the start of the 2012–13 season with the Lake Erie Monsters. As a result, Connolly struggled offensively upon his return until the latter portion of the season to contribute with 9 goals for 23 points in 65 games. His rights were not retained by Colorado and he was released as a free agent at the conclusion of his contract.

On July 18, 2013, Connolly was signed to his first European contract, on a one-year deal with German club, Augsburger Panther.[5] In his first European season in 2013–14, Connolly quickly adapted to the larger ice and cemented his position as center on the top scoring line for Augsburg. Despite missing out on the post-season, Connolly lead the team with 28 assists and placed second in points with 42 to re-sign to a one-year extension on February 23, 2014.[6]

In the following 2014–15 season, Connolly was limited to 22 games due to a cruciate ligament injury, and was unable to reproduce his initial success in the DEL. After finishing with 11 points, Connolly left as a free agent and signed a one-year contract with fellow DEL club, the Straubing Tigers on March 26, 2015.[7]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Camrose Kodiaks AJHL 47 18 30 48 79 17 7 13 20 28
2007–08 Camrose Kodiaks AJHL 37 25 41 66 39 12 3 5 8 38
2008–09 U. of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 43 13 29 42 53 — — — — —
2009–10 U. of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 37 14 26 40 24 — — — — —
2010–11 U. of Minnesota-Duluth WCHA 42 28 26 54 59 — — — — —
2011–12 Worcester Sharks AHL 40 10 20 30 26 — — — — —
2011–12 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 13 3 4 7 4 — — — — —
2011–12 Colorado Avalanche NHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2012–13 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 65 9 14 23 21 — — — — —
2013–14 Augsburger Panther DEL 52 14 28 42 76 — — — — —
2014–15 Augsburger Panther DEL 22 4 7 11 30 — — — — —
2015–16 Straubing Tigers DEL 49 8 27 35 48 7 0 0 0 6
2016–17 Straubing Tigers DEL 52 9 39 48 53 2 0 1 1 0
2017–18 Straubing Tigers DEL 47 12 30 42 44 — — — — —
2018–19 Straubing Tigers DEL 52 15 37 52 36 2 0 0 0 8
2019–20 Straubing Tigers DEL 52 14 31 45 50 — — — — —
2020–21 Straubing Tigers DEL 23 1 4 5 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Straubing Tigers DEL 53 19 34 53 38 4 1 1 2 0
2022–23 Straubing Tigers DEL 50 16 22 38 33 7 3 1 4 0
NHL totals 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
DEL totals 452 112 259 371 424 22 4 3 7 14
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada West
World Junior A Challenge
Gold medal – first place 2007 Trail

Awards and honors
Award Year
International
World Junior A Challenge Most Valuable Player 2007
College
WCHA All-Rookie Team 2008–09
WCHA All-Tournament Team 2009 [8]
All-WCHA First Team 2010–11 [1]

References
  1. "Matt Frattin, Jake Gardiner Named To All-WCHA Teams". Toronto Maple Leafs. March 31, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  2. "UMD's Mike Connolly signs with San Jose Sharks". CBSSports.com. April 13, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  3. "Avalanche acquire McGinn as well as prospects Connolly and Sgarbossa". Denver Post. February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  4. "Avs' Mike Connolly familiar with site of NHL debut". Denver Post. March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  5. "Panthers are complete: Mike Connolly switches to Augsburger". Augsburger Panther. July 18, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  6. "The next important contract: Panthers keep Connolly" (in German). Augsburger Panther. February 23, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  7. "Tigers announce the acquisition of four players" (in German). Straubing Tigers. March 26, 2015. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  8. "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
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