Aaron Palushaj
Encyclopedia
Aaron Palushaj is an American
professional ice hockey
right winger who currently plays for the Hamilton Bulldogs
of the American Hockey League
(AHL).
by the St. Louis Blues. Palushaj previously played junior hockey in the USHL
with Des Moines Buccaneers
before playing two-years of collegiate hockey with the University of Michigan
in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
.
On April 3, 2009, Palushaj signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Blues. Assigned to AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen
, for his first professional season he was later traded by the Blues to the Montreal Canadiens for Matt D'Agostini
on March 3, 2010.
On March 17, 2011, Palushaj dressed for his first game with the Montreal Canadiens.
at the age of thirteen. Palushaj first played soccer as a child, and after seeing posters of Steve Yzerman
and the Russian Five
in his first-grade classroom decided he wanted to play hockey.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
right winger who currently plays for the Hamilton Bulldogs
Hamilton Bulldogs
The Hamilton Bulldogs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at Copps Coliseum, nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens...
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
(AHL).
Playing career
Palushaj was drafted 44th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft2007 NHL Entry Draft
The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, United States on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007...
by the St. Louis Blues. Palushaj previously played junior hockey in the USHL
United States Hockey League
The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger...
with Des Moines Buccaneers
Des Moines Buccaneers
The Des Moines Buccaneers are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team of the United States Hockey League . The team played in the West Division starting in the 2009 - 2010 season....
before playing two-years of collegiate hockey with the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
.
On April 3, 2009, Palushaj signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Blues. Assigned to AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen
Peoria Rivermen
The Peoria Rivermen are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Peoria, Illinois, USA at the Carver Arena.-History:...
, for his first professional season he was later traded by the Blues to the Montreal Canadiens for Matt D'Agostini
Matt D'Agostini
Matthew D'Agostini is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League...
on March 3, 2010.
On March 17, 2011, Palushaj dressed for his first game with the Montreal Canadiens.
Personal life
Palushaj grew up in Michigan. His father, Tom, emigrated from AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
at the age of thirteen. Palushaj first played soccer as a child, and after seeing posters of Steve Yzerman
Steve Yzerman
Stephen Gregory "Steve" Yzerman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League...
and the Russian Five
Russian Five
The Russian Five is the name of two separate but related units of five Russian ice hockey players.-CSKA Moscow and Soviet National Team:The first, also known as the Green Unit was a unit of players for both the CSKA Moscow and the Soviet national hockey teams during the 1980s...
in his first-grade classroom decided he wanted to play hockey.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Des Moines Buccaneers Des Moines Buccaneers The Des Moines Buccaneers are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team of the United States Hockey League . The team played in the West Division starting in the 2009 - 2010 season.... |
USHL | 58 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 53 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 15 | ||
| 2006–07 | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | 56 | 22 | 45 | 67 | 62 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2007–08 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season The 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 7, 2007 and ended with the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 12, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado... |
University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
CCHA Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship... |
43 | 10 | 34 | 44 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season The 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 10, 2008 and concluded with the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 11, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.... |
University of Michigan | CCHA Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship... |
39 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 AHL season The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:... |
Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen The Peoria Rivermen are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Peoria, Illinois, USA at the Carver Arena.-History:... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 AHL season The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11... |
Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 44 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Hamilton Bulldogs Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at Copps Coliseum, nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens... |
AHL | 18 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 28 | ||
| 2010–11 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 68 | 22 | 35 | 57 | 42 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 14 | ||
| 2010–11 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 134 | 32 | 59 | 91 | 76 | 42 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 44 | ||||
| NHL totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III. The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known... |
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| CCHA Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship... West First All-American Team |
2009 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season The 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 10, 2008 and concluded with the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 11, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.... |
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