Dustin Byfuglien (pronounced /ˈbʌflɪn/)^[1] born March 27, 1985, is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

[edit] Early Life

Byfuglien was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but his mother, Cheryl, was a native of the hockey mecca Roseau, Minnesota and soon moved herself and her son back home. In Roseau Byfuglien played hockey because that is what everyone seems to do in the far North Minnesota city, also the hometown of the famed Broten brothers--Neal, Aaron and Paul--all of whom had NHL careers. However, due to academic ineligibility, Byfuglien decided to move to Chicago where he played midget hockey well enough to be drafted by Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL). His improving play and physical game caught the eye of the Chicago Blackhawks, who drafted Byfuglien in 2003.

[edit] Playing career

Byfuglien was drafted by the Blackhawks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, chosen 245th overall in the 8th round. Originally a defenseman at the start of the 2007–2008 season, he was moved to a forward position to give the team a larger body near the net, an experiment which has proven successful.

The forward excelled in his third professional season, earning a recall on November 3 to the Chicago Blackhawks and never returning to the Rockford IceHogs. In eight games with Rockford, Byfuglien had seven points. He had a goal in his first shift with the Blackhawks in the 2007–08 NHL season on November 3 against the St. Louis Blues and recorded his first career hat trick against the Phoenix Coyotes on November 30. He finished tied for fifth on the team with 19 goals and 36 points in his third season with the team, all while making a transition to forward throughout the campaign. He was the first Rockford player to earn the American Hockey League's Player of the Week award in Week 3, when he scored one goal and five assists in four games.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] See also

• List of black NHL players

[edit] External links

• Dustin Byfuglien's NHL player profile
• Dustin Byfuglien's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Hockey's Future prospect profile
• Dustin Byfuglien Minor Hockey Goal Mix Video
• [1]

1. ^ http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8470834&service=page&tab=prf

This biographical article relating to an American ice hockey winger is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e