Patrick Kaleta is an American 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

Winger (ice hockey)

Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

 currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...

 of 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). He was drafted by the Sabres in the sixth round, 176th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft

2004 NHL Entry Draft

The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout which canceled all the games scheduled for the 2004–05 NHL season.- Selections by round :Listed...

.

Junior

Kaleta grew up in the Buffalo suburb of Angola, NY and played most of his minor hockey with Hamburg Hawks and the West Seneca Wings. He played high school hockey for St. Francis HS in Athol Springs. It was there he was discovered by the Peterborough Petes of the OHL who selected him in the 2nd round (31st overall) in the 2002 OHL Draft.

Kaleta spent his junior hockey career with the Peterborough Petes

Peterborough Petes

The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:...

 of the OHL

Ontario Hockey League

The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....

 where he compiled 147 points and 460 penalty minutes over four seasons. In the 2006 OHL playoffs, Kaleta scored 8 goals and added 10 assists as Peterborough reached the Memorial Cup

Memorial Cup

The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...

. Kaleta signed his first professional contract in June, 2006, with the Buffalo Sabres.

Professional

On February 21, 2007, partway through his first professional season, Kaleta was called up from the Rochester Americans

Rochester Americans

The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial...

 by his parent club in Buffalo. In his first NHL game on February 22, 2007, against 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...

, he earned his first NHL point, an assist on a goal by Clarke MacArthur

Clarke MacArthur

Clarke MacArthur is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League . He was drafted by the Sabres in the third round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. MacArthur started his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres, and was later...

, and his first NHL fight against Ottawa's Chris Phillips

Chris Phillips

Chris Phillips is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League . He has been a member of the Ottawa Senators for his entire career, which began with the 1997–98 season. He also serves as their alternate captain and is regarded...

. Kaleta scored his first NHL goal on February 10, 2008 against the Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...

.

Kaleta recorded his first 2 goal performance on Saturday, December 12, 2009, against the New York Rangers

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

, a 3-2 victory for Buffalo. He scored the game winner on a short-handed breakaway, beating Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in...

 high on the glove side.

Kaleta has earned a reputation as a hard hitter and usually plays on the Sabres' fourth line along with the team's enforcer (Andrew Peters

Andrew Peters

Andrew Peters is a retired Canadian ice hockey left winger- Playing career :Peters was drafted 34th overall by the Sabres in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft...

 during his time in Buffalo, and currently Cody McCormick

Cody McCormick

Cody McCormick is a Canadian ice hockey player who currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. He is of First Nations descent, with both Oneida and Chippewa/Ojibway ancestors, and he also has European heritage.-Playing career:...

). Kaleta describes his style as such: "I try to play a clean, hard-nosed game. A lot of people don't like that."

Kaleta is just the fourth Buffalo-area resident to play for the hometown Sabres in the regular season. Buffalo's Peter Ciavaglia

Peter Ciavaglia

Peter Anthony Ciavaglia is a retired American professional ice hockey center. After graduating from Nichols High School in Buffalo, NY in 1987, Peter was selected in that year's NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames...

 played in 5 games between 1991 and 1993. Scott Thomas played 39 games for the Sabres between 1992 and 1994. Also, Fort Erie

Fort Erie, Ontario

Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York....

's Randy Burridge

Randy Burridge

Randall "Stump" Burridge is a retired professional ice hockey player.He played 706 games played in the National Hockey League, scoring 199 goals and notching 251 assists for a total of 450 points, and accumulating 458 penalty minutes....

 played with the Sabres from 1995 to 1998. Additionally, South Buffalo native Tim Kennedy used to play for the Sabres. Of the four, Kaleta has spent the most time and played the most games for Buffalo. In a playoff game against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 20, 2011, Kaleta opened the bench door when Nikolay Zherdev was pressed against the boards by another Buffalo player, causing Zherdev to fall awkwardly on to the floor of the Buffalo bench area.

Early in the 2011-12 season, Kaleta was suspended for 4 regular season games for a head-butt on Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 forward Jakub Voracek

Jakub Vorácek

Jakub Voráček is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League...

. This marked the third time in less than 2 seasons that Kaleta was caught head-butting.

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
2002–03 2002-03 OHL season The 2002–03 OHL season was the 23rd season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the Kitchener Rangers, who also went on to win the Memorial Cup.-Notes:...	Peterborough Petes Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:...	OHL Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....		67	7	9	16	67		7	0	0	0	6
2003–04 2003-04 OHL season The 2003–04 OHL season was the 24th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the Guelph Storm, who swept the Mississauga IceDogs in the league final....	Peterborough Petes	OHL		67	14	14	28	126		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05 2004-05 OHL season The 2004–05 OHL season was the 25th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the London Knights, defeating the Ottawa 67's...	Peterborough Petes	OHL		62	24	28	52	146		14	3	3	6	30
2005–06 2005-06 OHL season The 2005–06 OHL season was the 26th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the Peterborough Petes, who defeated the London Knights in the final.-Rule changes:...	Peterborough Petes	OHL		68	16	35	51	121		19	8	10	18	43
2006–07	Rochester Americans Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial...	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...		58	5	10	15	133		5	0	0	0	12
2006–07 2006-07 NHL season In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage, which gives them a maximum possible four games on their home ice, with the other team getting a maximum possible three...	Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...	NHL		7	0	2	2	21		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Rochester Americans	AHL		29	1	3	4	109		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08 2007-08 NHL season The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation of the National Hockey League . It began on September 29, 2007, with the regular season ending April 6, 2008...	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		40	3	2	5	41		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		51	4	5	9	89		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		55	10	5	15	89		6	1	1	2	22
2010–11	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		51	4	5	9	78		6	1	2	3	6
NHL totals				204	21	19	40	318		12	2	3	5	28

External links

• Hockeyfights.com - Patrick Kaleta