Logan O'Connor (born August 14, 1996) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). O'Connor won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022. He has become a fan favourite thanks to his gritty, hard-working style of play.[1]
| Logan O'Connor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 O'Connor with the Colorado Avalanche in 2023 | |||
| Born |
August 14, 1996 Missouri City, Texas, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Colorado Avalanche | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
Early life
editO'Connor is the son of former NHL player Myles O'Connor and was born while his father played for the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League (IHL).[2] He was raised in Calgary, after his father retired from playing.[3]
Playing career
editAmateur
editO'Connor first played as a bantam and midget within the Calgary Royals organization of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL). Opting to pursue a collegiate career, O'Connor was selected with the 194th overall pick by the Sioux Falls Stampede in the 2013 United States Hockey League (USHL) Entry Draft.
During first junior season with the Stampede in the 2013–14 season, O'Connor committed to the University of Denver of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).[4] As a 17-year-old with Sioux Falls, O'Connor was placed on the checking line and recorded 3 goals and 10 points in 59 games.
In the following 2014–15 season, O'Connor was named captain of the Stampede and continued his development by increasing his scoring presence in posting 16 goals and 36 points in 58 regular season games. In the postseason, he contributed 10 points in 12 games for Sioux Falls to help capture the Clark Cup.[5]
Embarking on his collegiate career with the Denver Pioneers in the 2015–16 season, O'Connor appeared in 23 games for two goals and two assists as a freshman. In the following 2016–17 season, he became a fixture among the Pioneers checking line, registering 7 goals and 18 points while appearing in all 44 games to help Denver claim the 2017 national championship.[6]
In his junior season in 2017–18, O'Connor again appeared every game with the Pioneers, posting a season-best 21 points while leading the Pioneers with two short-handed goals through 41 games. He helped the Pioneers claim the NCHC championship and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Named as a two-time All-Academic in the NCHC, O'Connor was selected as captain of the Pioneers for his senior season on June 7, 2018.[7]
Professional
editAt the conclusion of his junior season and following the 2018 NHL entry draft, O'Connor was invited to attend the Colorado Avalanche development camp.[8] On July 24, 2018, O'Connor forwent his senior season as captain with the Pioneers in agreeing to a two-year, entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent with the Avalanche.[9]
O'Connor began the 2018–19 season with the Avalanche's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. On December 30, he was recalled by the Avalanche.[10] O'Connor made his debut the following night in a 3–2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.[11] He finished the season with five scoreless appearances for the Avalanche and 42 points in 64 games for the Eagles.
On November 27, 2019, O'Connor scored his first career NHL goal in a 4–1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.[12] He skated in 16 games for the Avalanche during the 2019–20 regular season, and also played in five 2020 playoff games, recording one assist.
On September 18, 2020, the Avalanche re-signed O'Connor to a two-year contract extension.[13]
On September 22, 2021, the Avalanche re-signed O'Connor to a three-year, $3.15 million dollar extension.[14]
On May 21, 2022, O'Connor scored his first career playoff goal in a second round game against the St. Louis Blues.[15]
On January 20, 2024, O'Connor scored his first career hat trick against the Philadelphia Flyers.[16] On March 10, he was declared out for the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery to repair an injury that had forced him to miss six games since the All-Star Game break.[17]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Calgary Royals | AMHL | 34 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 59 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 58 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 42 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | University of Denver | NCHC | 23 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | University of Denver | NCHC | 44 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | University of Denver | NCHC | 41 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 64 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 40 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 22 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 81 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 38 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 2022–23 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 82 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 57 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 263 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 117 | 31 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| Clark Cup champion | 2015 | [5] |
| College | ||
| NCAA champion | 2017 | [6] |
| NCHC All-Academic Team | 2017, 2018 | |
| NCHC All-Tournament Team | 2018 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2022 | [18] |
References
edit- ^ Briggs, David (October 1, 2020). "Logan O'Connor Is the Gritty Player the Avalanche Need". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- ^ "Avalanche Signs Logan O'Connor". Colorado Avalanche. July 23, 2018.
- ^ "Logan O'Connor gives up DU captaincy to play his role with the Avalanche". The Denver Post. July 29, 2018.
- ^ "O'Connor commits to the University of Denver". stixhockeyacademy.com. October 27, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "Sioux Falls Stampede win 2015 Clark Cup". United States Hockey League. May 15, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "Denver Pioneers celebrate national title at Magness Arena". Denver Post. April 11, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "Logan O'Connor named Captain for 2018-19 season". Denver Pioneers. June 7, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "Avalanche sign Denver free agent Logan O'Connor to entry-level deal". milehighhockey.com. July 24, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "Avalanche signs Logan O'Connor". Colorado Avalanche. July 24, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "We have recalled Logan O'Connor from the Colorado Eagles". Twitter. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ Sadowski, Rick. "Brown, Kings recover to top Avalanche in OT". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ Knabenbauer, Ron (November 28, 2019). ""Happiness" on O'Connor's First NHL Goal". Colorado Avalanche. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
- ^ "Avalanche Re-Signs Logan O'Connor". Colorado Avalanche. September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Avalanche's Logan O'Connor: Inks three-year extension". CBS Sports. September 23, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Solomon, David (May 21, 2022). "Avalanche top Blues, lose defenceman Girard for rest of playoffs". CBC. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Flynn, Colleen (January 20, 2024). "Avalanche forward earns 1st career hat trick in 7-4 win over Flyers". The Hockey News. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Avalanche's Logan O'Connor to have season-ending hip surgery". ESPN. March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Colorado Avalanche win first Stanley Cup since 2001 with Game 6 comeback". ESPN. June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database