Cody Eakin (born May 24, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played with the SCL Tigers of the National League (NL). He was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round, 85th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and has previously played for the Capitals, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres.
| Cody Eakin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Eakin with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 | |||
| Born | May 24, 1991 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| team Former teams | Free agent Washington Capitals Dallas Stars Vegas Golden Knights Winnipeg Jets Buffalo Sabres SCL Tigers | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 85th overall, 2009 Washington Capitals | ||
| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
Playing career
editMajor junior
editEakin was drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2006 WHL Draft.[1] At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round, 85th overall.
In 2010, Eakin was named to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team.[2] On January 9, 2011, he was traded to the Kootenay Ice in exchange for Christian Magnus, Ryan Bloom, Jarett Zentner, Colby Cave, Steven Myland and three draft picks ranging from 2011 to 2012.[3] In his first year with the Ice, Eakin was named to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team.[4]
Professional
edit
Eakin began the 2011–12 season with the Washington Capitals' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears.[5] On November 1, 2011, the Capitals called-up Eakin to their roster,[6] and the following day, he made his NHL debut with in 13 minutes 19 seconds of ice time, but no points, in 5–4 overtime win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks.[7][8] Eakin scored his first NHL goal on November 4 against Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes.[9]
On June 22, 2012, during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Eakin was traded to the Dallas Stars (along with a second-round draft pick) in exchange for Mike Ribeiro.[10]
Eakin scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal on April 23, 2014, against Frederik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks. The goal ended up being the game-winner in a 4–2 victory as the Stars tied the series at two games apiece.[11]
On December 16, 2016, Eakin was suspended for four games for charging New York Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.[12] Through injury and a lack of production, Eakin endured his worst season in the NHL during the 2016–17 campaign, scoring just 3 goals and 9 assists (12 points) in 60 games.
On June 21, 2017, Eakin was left exposed by the Stars and chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.[13] In his first season with Vegas, Eakin scored 11 goals and 27 points in 80 games. The team fell in five games to Eakin's former club, the Capitals, in the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.[14] During the 2018 playoffs, Eakin scored 3 goals in 20 games.
The Golden Knights matched up with the San Jose Sharks during the first round of the 2019 playoffs. In Game 7 on April 23, Eakin cross-checked Joe Pavelski in the chest following a faceoff. Pavelski landed awkwardly on his head, causing the referees to issue Eakin a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, despite neither of them seeing the infraction as they mistakenly assumed that Pavelski had been checked in the head. At the time of the penalty, the Golden Knights were leading 3–0 with just over ten minutes remaining. However, the Sharks would score four unanswered goals on the ensuing five-minute power play. When a major penalty is called, the entire penalty must be served, regardless of how many goals are scored. The Sharks eventually won the game 5–4 in overtime, eliminating the Golden Knights.[15] According to Golden Knights general manager George McPhee, the league called him days after their elimination to apologize for the call, while referees Eric Furlatt and Dan O'Halloran did not officiate another game in the remainder of the 2019 playoffs.[16]
In the following 2019–20 season, Eakin struggled to produce offensively with the Golden Knights positing just 10 points through 41 games. On February 21, 2020, Eakin was traded by the Golden Knights to his hometown Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2021 conditional fourth-round pick.[17] Later, on March 9, 2020, Eakin scored his first goal as a Winnipeg Jet - the game-winning goal - in a 4–2 win vs the Arizona Coyotes.
On October 10, 2020, having left the Jets as a free agent, Eakin was signed to a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres.[18]
On September 11, 2022, Eakin signed a professional tryout agreement with the Calgary Flames.[19] On October 6, he, alongside Sonny Milano, were released from their tryouts.[20]
Personal life
editEakin grew up in an athletic family, as both his father and his uncle Bruce Eakin played professional hockey.[21]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2015 Czech Republic | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2011 United States | |
Eakin was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2015 World Championships, where Canada won the title for the first time since 2007 with a perfect 10–0 record.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | Winnipeg Wild AAA | MMHL | 38 | 29 | 35 | 64 | 62 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 2006–07 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 55 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 52 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 2008–09 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 54 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 42 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 70 | 47 | 44 | 91 | 71 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 30 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Kootenay Ice | WHL | 26 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 14 | ||
| 2011–12 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 43 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 30 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Texas Stars | AHL | 35 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 48 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 81 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 78 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 42 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2016–17 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 60 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 80 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 22 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 78 | 22 | 19 | 41 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 17 | ||
| 2019–20 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 41 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 46 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 69 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | SCL Tigers | NL | 34 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 701 | 110 | 146 | 256 | 278 | 50 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 33 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Canada | IH18 |  | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Canada | WJC18 | 4th | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Canada | WJC |  | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Canada | WC | | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 17 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| East Second All-Star Team | 2010, 2011 | [22] |
References
edit- ^ "WHL ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: CODY EAKIN". scbroncos.com. April 17, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "WHL ANNOUNCES LEAGUE FINALISTS". wheatkings.com. March 16, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "BRONCOS MOVE EAKIN TO KOOTENAY". kelownarockets.com. January 9, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "WHL EAST ALL STARS AND AWARDS FINALISTS". whl.ca. March 24, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "Hershey Bears forward Cody Eakin doesn't seem like a rookie". Pennlive. October 20, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Capitals Recall Cody Eakin from Hershey". Washington Capitals. November 1, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Cody Eakin to make his NHL debut against Ducks". The Washington Post. November 2, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ "Cody Eakin shakes off nerves for a solid NHL debut". The Washington Post. November 2, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ "Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes Game Boxscore". National Hockey League. November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ^ "Capitals acquire center Mike Ribeiro from Stars for Eakin, pick". Washington Capitals. June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ "Stars vs Ducks Game 4". Dallas Stars. April 23, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
- ^ "Cody Eakin of Stars suspended four games for charging". National Hockey League. January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ^ "Cody Eakins heads to Vegas in expansion draft". Dallas Stars. June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Rosen, Dan. "Capitals win Stanley Cup, defeat Golden Knights in Game 5 of Final". NHL.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ O'Brien, James (April 24, 2019). "Sharks eliminate Golden Knights in unforgettable Game 7". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ^ "Golden Knights: NHL apologized for blown Game 7 call". April 25, 2019.
- ^ "Eakin traded to Jets by Golden Knights for draft pick". National Hockey League. February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Sabres sign Cody Eakin to 2-year deal". Buffalo Sabres. October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Flames sign forwardCody Eakin to professional tryout". Sportsnet. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ "Flames release Sonny Milano, Cody Eakin from professional tryouts". Sportsnet. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ Marrazza, Dan (September 8, 2017). "Cody Eakin: 3 Fun Facts". NHL.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ Elite Prospects – WHL (East) Second All-Star Teams
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database