Lee Sweatt
Encyclopedia
Walter Lee Sweatt is an American
former professional ice hockey
player. Sweatt played four years of professional hockey in Europe and North America. Sweatt played three games in the National Hockey League
(NHL) in 2011, before retiring to work in the financial industry. His younger brother, Bill
, was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks
in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft
and is a member of the Vancouver Canucks
organization.
After a one-year stint with the Junior A
Chicago Steel
of the United States Hockey League
(USHL), Sweatt played four seasons in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
(WCHA) with the Colorado College Tigers
. During his senior year with Colorado, he served as team captain and received All-WCHA Third Team honors. Graduating with a degree in mathematical economics, he was named the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year in 2007.
Undrafted by an NHL team, Sweatt played in Europe for four seasons with TPS
of the Finnish SM-liiga
, Dinamo Riga
of the Kontinental Hockey League
and EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Hockey League
. After winning the Pekka Rautakallio trophy
as the SM-liiga's best defenseman and the Kanada-malja
as league champions with TPS in 2010, he returned to North America, signing with the Vancouver Canucks
. He played the subsequent season with the Canucks' American Hockey League
(AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose
, while also debuting in the NHL with the Canucks. In July 2011, he signed with the Senators.
Sweatt has also played inline hockey
at the international level, competing for the United States' national team at seven consecutive IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship
s from 2002 to 2009. At the 2008 tournament, he earned the Best Defenseman award. He has also played for the United States national select team
on two occasions, once in 2007 and another at the 2009 Deutschland Cup
.
in the United States Hockey League
(USHL) for the Chicago Steel
before joining the college ranks
for the Colorado College Tigers
. He recorded 16 points over 37 games as a freshman in 2003–04. The following season, he improved to a college career-high 27 points while helping Colorado to a MacNaughton Cup
as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
(WCHA) regular season champions (shared with the Denver Pioneers
). Serving as team captain in his senior year, he scored a career-high 9 goals, while adding 15 assists for 24 points. In addition to being his team's leading defenseman in scoring, Sweatt was named to the All-WCHA Third Team.
He joined the American Hockey League
(AHL) immediately after completing his senior season with Colorado, signing an amateur tryout contract with the San Antonio Rampage
on March 22, 2007. Appearing in 11 games for the remainder of the 2006-07 AHL season, he registered 1 assist. Also in 2007, Sweatt debuted with the United States' national select team
in international competition.
Undrafted and unsigned by an NHL team, Sweatt joined Finnish club TPS
of the SM-liiga
for the 2007–08 season. Competing in his first full professional season, he recorded 15 goals and 33 points over 56 games, second in team scoring to Teemu Laine
. Spending the 2008–09 season with EC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Hockey League
, Sweatt scored 36 points over 52 games, second among team defensemen to Mario Scalzo
.
In the off-season, he signed as a free agent to a one-year contract with Latvian club Dinamo Riga
of the Kontinental Hockey League
on July 13, 2009. He took a break from club play in November 2009, making his second appearance with the United States' national select team for the Deutschland Cup
. Returning to Dinamo, Sweatt was released from his KHL contract after a slow start to the 2009–10 season, recording 7 points in 37 games. Sweatt returned to TPS on January 18, 2010, and completed the regular season with 16 points in 21 SM-liiga games. In the playoffs, he added 13 points over 15 games, helping TPS win the Kanada-malja
as league champions. For his efforts, he was named to the SM-liiga All-Star Team and also won the Pekka Rautakallio trophy
as the league's best defenseman.
Returning to North America, Sweatt signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks
on May 31, 2010. Nearly three months later, the Canucks also signed Sweatt's brother, Bill
, from Colorado College. Following the pre-season, the Canucks assigned both Sweatt brothers to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose
. Joining the Moose, Lee and Bill became the first pair of brothers in the team's history to play for the club at the same time. After recording 14 points in 41 AHL games, the Canucks recalled him on January 23, 2011. Filling in for injured defenseman Alex Edler, he made his NHL debut three days later against the Nashville Predators
. He scored his first NHL goal that night, a game-winner in the third period against goaltender Pekka Rinne
; the Canucks won the game 2–1. The following shift, he blocked a shot from Predators defenseman Shea Weber
with his foot; a post-game X-ray diagnosed him with severe bruising. After resting the foot over the All-Star break, he played in two more games for the Canucks, before being re-assigned to the Moose. On the morning of his scheduled flight back to Manitoba, he blocked another shot during a Canucks practice, breaking his foot. Sweatt was consequently retained on the NHL team's roster and placed on the long-term injured reserve
list (injured players are not eligible to be sent down to the minors). Unable to skate on his injured foot until mid-June, Sweatt was sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Set to become a restricted free agent
in the off-season, Sweatt did not receive a qualifying offer from the Canucks, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2011. Ten days into his free agency, he signed a two-year, two-way contract
with the Ottawa Senators
. However, on August 12, 2011 Sweatt retired prior to playing for the Senators organization.
at the age of eight in order to improve his skating for ice hockey
. He began competing in the IIHF InLine Hockey World Championships with the United States national team in 2002. Playing seven straight years in the annual tournament, Sweatt won two gold (2004, 2006), one silver (2009) and two bronze medals (2003, 2005). At the 2008 IIHF InLine World Championships in Slovakia, Sweatt was named the tournament's Best Defenseman. He registered four goals and four assists in six games, ranking ninth among tournament defensemen in scoring, as the United States finished fourth in the competition, losing to Germany
in the bronze medal game.
.
, a village west of Chicago
. He played minor hockey with his younger brother Bill Sweatt
, in Highland Park, Illinois
. In addition to hockey, Sweatt played football
as a child, following after his father.
While enrolled at the Colorado College
, Sweatt maintained a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 while majoring in mathematical economics, qualifying for the WCHA All-Academic Team as a sophomore, junior and senior hockey player (freshmen are not eligible for the distinction). In his junior year, he was honored as a co-recipient of the Paul Markovich Award as the Colorado College Tigers' top student-athlete. He also received WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year honors after graduating with a 3.8 GPA in 2007.
In an interview with CBC Sports, Sweatt explained the reason for his retirement. Sweatt intends to work as a financial advisor and expects to make more money than if he were playing in the AHL. "I didn't need to prove myself all over again. I didn't want to be a bubble guy again. I didn't want to be the guy in the still living the dream at age 30 and sacrificing my goals outside the game."
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Team
! Event
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|-
| 2008
| United States
| InLine WC
| 6
| 4
| 4
| 8
| 1.5
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3" | Int'l InLine totals
! 6 !! 4 !! 4 !! 8 !! 1.5
|}
|-
! Award
! Year
|-
| All-WCHA
Academic Team || 2005, 2006, 2007
|-
| WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year || 2007
|-
| All-WCHA Third Team || 2007
|-
| IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship
Best Defenseman || 2008
|-
| Kanada-malja
(SM-liiga
champions; with TPS
) || 2010
|-
| Pekka Rautakallio trophy
(SM-liiga best defenseman) || 2010
|-
| SM-liiga All-Star Team || 2010
|}
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former 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...
player. Sweatt played four years of professional hockey in Europe and North America. Sweatt played three games in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) in 2011, before retiring to work in the financial industry. His younger brother, Bill
Bill Sweatt
Bill Sweatt is an American ice hockey left winger who currently plays within the Vancouver Canucks organization of the National Hockey League . As a roller hockey player, Sweatt has competed internationally with Team USA, winning a gold medal at the 2006 World InLine Championships...
, was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft
2007 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...
and is a member of the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
organization.
After a one-year stint with the Junior A
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
Chicago Steel
Chicago Steel
The Chicago Steel is a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team formed in 2000. It plays all of its home games at the Edge Ice Arena, located in Bensenville, Illinois. The Steel play in the Eastern Division of the United States Hockey League. The current GM and Head Coach of the Steel is Scott McConnell...
of the United States Hockey League
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...
(USHL), Sweatt played four seasons in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
(WCHA) with the Colorado College Tigers
Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey
The Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college ice hockey program that represents Colorado College. The Tigers are a member of Western Collegiate Hockey Association...
. During his senior year with Colorado, he served as team captain and received All-WCHA Third Team honors. Graduating with a degree in mathematical economics, he was named the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year in 2007.
Undrafted by an NHL team, Sweatt played in Europe for four seasons with TPS
TPS (ice hockey)
TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...
of the Finnish SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
, Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga was an ice hockey club, based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 1946 and disestablished in 1995 as Pārdaugava Rīga.-History of Dinamo Riga:...
of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
and EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Hockey League
Austrian Hockey League
The Austrian Hockey League , called the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Austria.-History:...
. After winning the Pekka Rautakallio trophy
Pekka Rautakallio trophy
The Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best defenceman of the season.-Trophy winners:*1977-78: Pekka Rautakallio *1978-79: Pekka Rautakallio *1979-80: Reijo Ruotsalainen...
as the SM-liiga's best defenseman and the Kanada-malja
Kanada-malja
The Kanada-malja is an ice hockey club championship trophy, awarded annually to the SM-liiga playoffs champion. Kanada-malja is Finnish for "Canada Cup", and is so named because it was donated by Canada's Finnish community in 1951....
as league champions with TPS in 2010, he returned to North America, signing with the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
. He played the subsequent season with the Canucks' 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) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose
Manitoba Moose
The Manitoba Moose were a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that played in the International Hockey League from 1996 to 2001 and American Hockey League from 2001 to 2011. The team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 to become the St...
, while also debuting in the NHL with the Canucks. In July 2011, he signed with the Senators.
Sweatt has also played inline hockey
Inline hockey
Inline hockey, often referred to as roller hockey in the United States, is a sport similar to ice hockey but played with inline skates. Like its parent sport, skaters on two teams use hockey sticks to direct a disk-shaped puck into the opponent's goal; however, various details of the game, such as...
at the international level, competing for the United States' national team at seven consecutive IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship
IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship
The IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The 15th championship was held between June 28 and July 4, 2010 in Karlstad, Sweden.-History:...
s from 2002 to 2009. At the 2008 tournament, he earned the Best Defenseman award. He has also played for the United States national select team
USA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
on two occasions, once in 2007 and another at the 2009 Deutschland Cup
Deutschland Cup
The Deutschland Cup is an in-season international ice hockey tournament hosted by the German Ice Hockey Federation which has been contested in most years since 1987.- Early Years :...
.
Playing career
Sweatt played juniorJunior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
in the United States Hockey League
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...
(USHL) for the Chicago Steel
Chicago Steel
The Chicago Steel is a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team formed in 2000. It plays all of its home games at the Edge Ice Arena, located in Bensenville, Illinois. The Steel play in the Eastern Division of the United States Hockey League. The current GM and Head Coach of the Steel is Scott McConnell...
before joining the college ranks
College hockey
College hockey refers to ice hockey played between colleges with their teams composed of enrolled students. College hockey is played in Canada and the United States, though leagues outside of North America exist....
for the Colorado College Tigers
Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey
The Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college ice hockey program that represents Colorado College. The Tigers are a member of Western Collegiate Hockey Association...
. He recorded 16 points over 37 games as a freshman in 2003–04. The following season, he improved to a college career-high 27 points while helping Colorado to a MacNaughton Cup
MacNaughton Cup
The MacNaughton Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the regular season conference champion of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association . The trophy is named after James MacNaughton of Calumet, Michigan, who was an avid supporter of amateur ice hockey...
as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
(WCHA) regular season champions (shared with the Denver Pioneers
Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey
The University of Denver Men's Hockey Program has been playing NCAA Division I hockey since 1949. Pioneer Hockey is one of the most successful hockey programs in the history of collegiate hockey. The Pioneers rank second in all-time NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championships with 7. Only the University...
). Serving as team captain in his senior year, he scored a career-high 9 goals, while adding 15 assists for 24 points. In addition to being his team's leading defenseman in scoring, Sweatt was named to the All-WCHA Third Team.
He joined 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) immediately after completing his senior season with Colorado, signing an amateur tryout contract with the San Antonio Rampage
San Antonio Rampage
The San Antonio Rampage are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. They are the top affiliate of the Florida Panthers of the NHL. Their home arena is the AT&T Center.-History:...
on March 22, 2007. Appearing in 11 games for the remainder of the 2006-07 AHL season, he registered 1 assist. Also in 2007, Sweatt debuted with the United States' national select team
USA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
in international competition.
Undrafted and unsigned by an NHL team, Sweatt joined Finnish club TPS
TPS (ice hockey)
TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...
of the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
for the 2007–08 season. Competing in his first full professional season, he recorded 15 goals and 33 points over 56 games, second in team scoring to Teemu Laine
Teemu Laine
Teemu Laine is a professional Finnish ice hockey player, currently with HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League.-Awards:* Finnish Champion with Jokerit in 2002....
. Spending the 2008–09 season with EC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Hockey League
Austrian Hockey League
The Austrian Hockey League , called the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Austria.-History:...
, Sweatt scored 36 points over 52 games, second among team defensemen to Mario Scalzo
Mario Scalzo
Mario Scalzo is a Canadian ice hockey Defenceman currently playing for Adler Mannheim in the DEL.- Career :...
.
In the off-season, he signed as a free agent to a one-year contract with Latvian club Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga was an ice hockey club, based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 1946 and disestablished in 1995 as Pārdaugava Rīga.-History of Dinamo Riga:...
of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
on July 13, 2009. He took a break from club play in November 2009, making his second appearance with the United States' national select team for the Deutschland Cup
Deutschland Cup
The Deutschland Cup is an in-season international ice hockey tournament hosted by the German Ice Hockey Federation which has been contested in most years since 1987.- Early Years :...
. Returning to Dinamo, Sweatt was released from his KHL contract after a slow start to the 2009–10 season, recording 7 points in 37 games. Sweatt returned to TPS on January 18, 2010, and completed the regular season with 16 points in 21 SM-liiga games. In the playoffs, he added 13 points over 15 games, helping TPS win the Kanada-malja
Kanada-malja
The Kanada-malja is an ice hockey club championship trophy, awarded annually to the SM-liiga playoffs champion. Kanada-malja is Finnish for "Canada Cup", and is so named because it was donated by Canada's Finnish community in 1951....
as league champions. For his efforts, he was named to the SM-liiga All-Star Team and also won the Pekka Rautakallio trophy
Pekka Rautakallio trophy
The Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best defenceman of the season.-Trophy winners:*1977-78: Pekka Rautakallio *1978-79: Pekka Rautakallio *1979-80: Reijo Ruotsalainen...
as the league's best defenseman.
Returning to North America, Sweatt signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
on May 31, 2010. Nearly three months later, the Canucks also signed Sweatt's brother, Bill
Bill Sweatt
Bill Sweatt is an American ice hockey left winger who currently plays within the Vancouver Canucks organization of the National Hockey League . As a roller hockey player, Sweatt has competed internationally with Team USA, winning a gold medal at the 2006 World InLine Championships...
, from Colorado College. Following the pre-season, the Canucks assigned both Sweatt brothers to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose
Manitoba Moose
The Manitoba Moose were a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that played in the International Hockey League from 1996 to 2001 and American Hockey League from 2001 to 2011. The team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 to become the St...
. Joining the Moose, Lee and Bill became the first pair of brothers in the team's history to play for the club at the same time. After recording 14 points in 41 AHL games, the Canucks recalled him on January 23, 2011. Filling in for injured defenseman Alex Edler, he made his NHL debut three days later against the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. He scored his first NHL goal that night, a game-winner in the third period against goaltender Pekka Rinne
Pekka Rinne
Pekka Rinne is a Finnish professional hockey goaltender currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
; the Canucks won the game 2–1. The following shift, he blocked a shot from Predators defenseman Shea Weber
Shea Weber
Shea Michael Weber is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman in the National Hockey League . An NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, he is the captain of the Nashville Predators....
with his foot; a post-game X-ray diagnosed him with severe bruising. After resting the foot over the All-Star break, he played in two more games for the Canucks, before being re-assigned to the Moose. On the morning of his scheduled flight back to Manitoba, he blocked another shot during a Canucks practice, breaking his foot. Sweatt was consequently retained on the NHL team's roster and placed on the long-term injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
list (injured players are not eligible to be sent down to the minors). Unable to skate on his injured foot until mid-June, Sweatt was sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Set to become a restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
in the off-season, Sweatt did not receive a qualifying offer from the Canucks, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2011. Ten days into his free agency, he signed a two-year, two-way contract
Two-way contract
A two-way contract is a professional sports contract which stipulates that an athlete’s salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play in...
with the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. However, on August 12, 2011 Sweatt retired prior to playing for the Senators organization.
InLine hockey
Sweatt began playing inline hockeyInline hockey
Inline hockey, often referred to as roller hockey in the United States, is a sport similar to ice hockey but played with inline skates. Like its parent sport, skaters on two teams use hockey sticks to direct a disk-shaped puck into the opponent's goal; however, various details of the game, such as...
at the age of eight in order to improve his skating for 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...
. He began competing in the IIHF InLine Hockey World Championships with the United States national team in 2002. Playing seven straight years in the annual tournament, Sweatt won two gold (2004, 2006), one silver (2009) and two bronze medals (2003, 2005). At the 2008 IIHF InLine World Championships in Slovakia, Sweatt was named the tournament's Best Defenseman. He registered four goals and four assists in six games, ranking ninth among tournament defensemen in scoring, as the United States finished fourth in the competition, losing to Germany
Germany national men's inline hockey team
The German men's national inline hockey team is the national team for Germany. Most recently, the team won the bronze medal at the 2007 Men's World Inline Hockey Championships. The current head coach is Georg Holzmann.-2008 World Championship team:...
in the bronze medal game.
Playing style
Sweatt is known as an offensive defenseman, possessing a good shot and a tendency to join plays deep in the opposing zone. He has played the role of powerplay "quarterback" on teams throughout his career – controlling the play by either passing or shooting the puck. Defensively, he is known to play aggressively, hitting opposing players. Due to his offensive capabilities at a comparatively small size for a defenseman at 5 feet and 9 inches, he has been compared to former NHL player Brian RafalskiBrian Rafalski
Brian Christopher Rafalski is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 15 professional ice hockey seasons for five teams: 11 in the National Hockey League for two teams , three in SM-liiga for two teams prior to entering the NHL, and one in Elitserien for...
.
Personal life
Sweatt was born in Elburn, IllinoisElburn, Illinois
Elburn is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,751 as of 2006. It is located at the intersection of Illinois Route 38 and Route 47...
, a village west of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He played minor hockey with his younger brother Bill Sweatt
Bill Sweatt
Bill Sweatt is an American ice hockey left winger who currently plays within the Vancouver Canucks organization of the National Hockey League . As a roller hockey player, Sweatt has competed internationally with Team USA, winning a gold medal at the 2006 World InLine Championships...
, in Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban municipality in Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. As of 2009, the population is 33,492. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located on the North Shore of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.-Overview:Highland Park was founded...
. In addition to hockey, Sweatt played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
as a child, following after his father.
While enrolled at the Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
, Sweatt maintained a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 while majoring in mathematical economics, qualifying for the WCHA All-Academic Team as a sophomore, junior and senior hockey player (freshmen are not eligible for the distinction). In his junior year, he was honored as a co-recipient of the Paul Markovich Award as the Colorado College Tigers' top student-athlete. He also received WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year honors after graduating with a 3.8 GPA in 2007.
In an interview with CBC Sports, Sweatt explained the reason for his retirement. Sweatt intends to work as a financial advisor and expects to make more money than if he were playing in the AHL. "I didn't need to prove myself all over again. I didn't want to be a bubble guy again. I didn't want to be the guy in the still living the dream at age 30 and sacrificing my goals outside the game."
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | ||
| 2002–03 | Chicago Steel Chicago Steel The Chicago Steel is a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team formed in 2000. It plays all of its home games at the Edge Ice Arena, located in Bensenville, Illinois. The Steel play in the Eastern Division of the United States Hockey League. The current GM and Head Coach of the Steel is Scott McConnell... |
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... |
58 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Colorado College Colorado College The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell... |
WCHA Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference.... |
37 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Colorado College | WCHA | 41 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Colorado College | WCHA | 41 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Colorado College | WCHA | 37 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | San Antonio Rampage San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. They are the top affiliate of the Florida Panthers of the NHL. Their home arena is the AT&T Center.-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... |
11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | TPS Turku TPS (ice hockey) TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:... |
SM-l SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
56 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | EC Red Bull Salzburg | EBEL Austrian Hockey League The Austrian Hockey League , called the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Austria.-History:... |
52 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 99 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | ||
| 2009–10 | Dinamo Riga Dinamo Riga Dinamo Riga was an ice hockey club, based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 1946 and disestablished in 1995 as Pārdaugava Rīga.-History of Dinamo Riga:... |
KHL Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe.... |
37 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | TPS Turku | SM-l | 21 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 8 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 8 | ||
| 2010–11 | Manitoba Moose Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose were a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that played in the International Hockey League from 1996 to 2001 and American Hockey League from 2001 to 2011. The team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 to become the St... |
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... |
41 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 52 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| SM-l totals | 93 | 24 | 25 | 49 | 50 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 10 | ||||
| KHL totals | 37 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International (InLine)
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDI{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:75%"|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Team
! Event
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|-
| 2008
2008 IIHF Men's InLine Hockey World Championship
The 2008 IIHF Men's InLine Hockey World Championship is the 12th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It took place between June 21 and June 29, 2008. The 2008 Championship marked the return of Canada to the international stage....
| United States
| InLine WC
IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship
The IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The 15th championship was held between June 28 and July 4, 2010 in Karlstad, Sweden.-History:...
| 6
| 4
| 4
| 8
| 1.5
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3" | Int'l InLine totals
! 6 !! 4 !! 4 !! 8 !! 1.5
|}
Awards
{| class="wikitable" border="1"|-
! Award
! Year
|-
| All-WCHA
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
Academic Team || 2005, 2006, 2007
|-
| WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year || 2007
|-
| All-WCHA Third Team || 2007
|-
| IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship
IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship
The IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The 15th championship was held between June 28 and July 4, 2010 in Karlstad, Sweden.-History:...
Best Defenseman || 2008
|-
| Kanada-malja
Kanada-malja
The Kanada-malja is an ice hockey club championship trophy, awarded annually to the SM-liiga playoffs champion. Kanada-malja is Finnish for "Canada Cup", and is so named because it was donated by Canada's Finnish community in 1951....
(SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
champions; with TPS
TPS (ice hockey)
TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...
) || 2010
|-
| Pekka Rautakallio trophy
Pekka Rautakallio trophy
The Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best defenceman of the season.-Trophy winners:*1977-78: Pekka Rautakallio *1978-79: Pekka Rautakallio *1979-80: Reijo Ruotsalainen...
(SM-liiga best defenseman) || 2010
|-
| SM-liiga All-Star Team || 2010
|}