David Clarkson (ice hockey)

David Clarkson
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Born	(1984-03-31) March 31, 1984 Etobicoke, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Columbus Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2005–present

David Clarkson (born March 31, 1984) is a Canadian ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Clarkson was a member of the 2003 Memorial Cup-winning Kitchener Rangers.

Playing career

Following his junior career, Clarkson went undrafted and was signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils in August 2005. He was assigned to the Albany River Rats of the AHL in September of that year. He would go on to play the majority of the 2006–2007 season with the Devils' new farm team, the Lowell Devils (also of the AHL), before receiving a late-season call-up to New Jersey.

Clarkson made his NHL debut on March 15, 2007, at Carolina. He scored his first NHL goal one game later in a 7–2 loss to the same Carolina Hurricanes. He would go on to finish the season with New Jersey, including three playoff games, and start the next season in the NHL.

Clarkson played in the YoungStars Game during the 56th NHL All-Star Game SuperSkills Competition, scoring one goal and two assists. He was the lone Devils' representative at the festivities, as Martin Brodeur (who was voted in) was unable to participate.

Clarkson ranked seventh in the NHL in penalty minutes (183) during the 2007–08 season.

As the NHL lockout began, Clarkson signed with Austrian team EC Red Bull Salzburg to begin the 2012–13 season. Once the NHL lockup was settled, he returned to the Devils and did well offensively, scoring 15 points in 12 games before slumping and only recording another nine points in the remaining 36 games as New Jersey failed to the make the playoffs.

An unrestricted free agent, Clarkson did not re-sign with the Devils during the offseason, instead signing a seven-year, $36.75 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 5, 2013. On September 22, 2013, a brawl erupted during a preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres during which Clarkson left the bench to fight. He subsequently received an automatic 10-game suspension from the NHL. Clarkson ended his first season in Toronto with five goals and 11 points in 60 games.

In the midst of his second season with the Maple Leafs in the 2014–15 season, and unable to establish a level of play to match his contract, Clarkson was traded by Toronto to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Nathan Horton on February 26, 2015.

Personal life

Clarkson was born in Etobicoke, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, growing up in the Mimico neighbourhood. He and his wife Brittney have two children, McKinley and Colton.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000–01	Port Hope Clippers	OPJHL		47	18	14	32	118		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Belleville Bulls	OHL		22	2	7	9	34		8	1	1	2	6
2001–02	Aurora Tigers	OPJHL		37	26	21	47	141		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Belleville Bulls	OHL		3	0	0	0	11		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		54	17	11	28	122		21	4	3	7	23
2003–04	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		55	22	17	39	173		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		31	33	21	54	145		15	6	2	8	40
2005–06	Albany River Rats	AHL		56	13	21	34	233		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Lowell Devils	AHL		67	20	18	38	150		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	New Jersey Devils	NHL		7	3	1	4	6		3	0	0	0	2
2007–08	New Jersey Devils	NHL		81	9	13	22	183		5	0	0	0	4
2008–09	New Jersey Devils	NHL		82	17	15	32	164		7	2	0	2	19
2009–10	New Jersey Devils	NHL		46	11	13	24	85		5	0	0	0	2
2010–11	New Jersey Devils	NHL		82	12	6	18	116		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	New Jersey Devils	NHL		80	30	16	46	138		24	3	9	12	32
2012–13	EC Red Bull Salzburg	EBEL		5	2	1	3	18		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	New Jersey Devils	NHL		48	15	9	24	78		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		60	5	6	11	93		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		58	10	5	15	92		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		3	0	0	0	14		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		23	2	2	4	23		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				570	114	86	200	992		44	5	9	14	59

Transactions

• August 12, 2005 - Signed by the New Jersey Devils as a free agent.
• July 1, 2008 - Re-signed by the New Jersey Devils for two years at $800,000 per year.
• June 30, 2010 - Re-signed by the New Jersey Devils for three years for $2 million the first year and $3 million for the second and third year, with a total cap hit of $2.6 million.
• July 5, 2013 - Signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs for seven years for $5.25 million per year.
• February 26, 2015 - Traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Nathan Horton.

External links

• David Clarkson's player profile at NHL.com
• David Clarkson's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
• David Clarkson's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database