Born	April 24, 1986 (1986-04-24) (age 23), Quesnel, BC, CAN
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 189 lb (86 kg; 13 st 7 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team	Dallas Stars Texas Stars (AHL)
NHL Draft	240th overall, 2004 Phoenix Coyotes
Pro career	2007 – present

Aaron Gagnon (born April 24, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League.

Gagnon was drafted in the eighth round, 240th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. On February 2, 2007, Gagnon signed a 3-year contract with the Dallas Stars.^[1]

Contents 1 Personal life 2 Playing career 2.1 Seattle Thunderbirds 3 International play 4 Awards 5 Career statistics 5.1 International statistics 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Personal life

Gagnon was born on April 24, 1986 in Quesnel, British Columbia to parents Kelly and Barry Gagnon.^[2] Despite being born in Quesnel, Gagnon was raised in Armstrong, British Columbia.^[2] Gagnon has a sister, Jillian, and a brother, Bryn.^[2] His brother Bryn is also an ice hockey player, having played for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League and currently a member of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Trojans of the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference.^[3]

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Seattle Thunderbirds

Gagnon was drafted in the 5th round, 83rd overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2001 WHL Bantam Draft.^[4] In the season immediately following the draft, Gagnon played in 2 games with the Thunderbirds, while spending most of the season with his North Okanagan Midget AA team of the BCAHA where he scored 59 goals and 118 points in only 41 games to lead the team in scoring.^[5] One year later, Gagnon began his rookie season with Seattle. In 60 games, Gagnon scored 18 points while adding another 5 points in 15 playoff games. Gagnon's sophomore season was a large improvement over his rookie campaign. With 36 points in 63 games, Gagnon doubled his previous seasons' point total. Gagnon's defensive game also improved, as he led the Thunderbirds in plus/minus with a plus-18.^[5]

Gagnon's third season in the WHL proved to be one of his most successful. After setting new career highs in goals (31), assists (34), and points (65) in 72 games, Gagnon was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team and was named the Western Conference nomination for the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player of the year,^[6] an award he ultimately lost to Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers.^[7]

On September 22, 2005, just prior to the start of his fourth full WHL season, Gagnon was named captain of the Thunderbirds.^[8]

Gagnon's final season with the Thunderbirds was arguably the best of his WHL career. Serving once again as the Thunderbirds' captain, Gagnon finished the season with career highs in goals (42), assists (38), and points (80) in only 59 games. During the season, Gagnon was twice named the Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week and was also named the Husky WHL Player of the Month for December.^[9] At the completion of the regular season, Gagnon was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team^[10] and was the Western Conference nomination for both the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL's MVP, and the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player of the year.^[11] For the second time in his WHL career, Gagnon lost out on an award to Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers, losing the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy; however, Gagnon did manage to win his first Brad Hornung Trophy.^[12]

[edit] International play

On April 1, 2004, Gagnon was named to the Canadian roster for the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships in Minsk, Belarus.^[13]

[edit] Awards

• 2005 – WHL West First All-Star Team
• 2006 – WHL Boston Pizza Player of the Week (November 27 – December 3)
• 2006 – WHL Husky Player of the Month (December)
• 2007 – WHL Boston Pizza Player of the Week (February 19 – 25)
• 2007 – WHL Brad Hornung Trophy
• 2007 – WHL West First All-Star Team

[edit] Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2001–02	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		60	5	13	18	14		15	3	2	5	4
2003–04	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		63	21	15	36	29		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		72	31	34	65	29		12	4	5	9	16
2005–06	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		62	24	21	45	40		7	5	3	8	6
2006–07	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		59	42	38	80	58		11	6	2	8	10
2007–08	Idaho Steelheads	ECHL		22	7	14	21	4		4	1	1	2	2
2007–08	Iowa Stars	AHL		25	0	1	1	8		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		61	8	11	19	28		10	1	2	3	2
AHL totals				86	8	12	20	36		10	1	2	3	2

[edit] International statistics

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004	Canada	U18		7	0	3	3	10
Totals				7	0	3	3	10

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Aaron Gagnon's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Official Grand Rapids Griffins profile

Awards
Preceded by Kris Russell	Winner of the WHL Brad Hornung Trophy 2007	Succeeded by Tyler Ennis

Persondata
NAME	Gagnon, Aaron
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Professional ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH	April 24, 1986
PLACE OF BIRTH	Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH