Brad Thiessen
Encyclopedia
Brad Thiessen is a Canadian professional ice hockey
goaltender
who is currently playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
in the American Hockey League
(AHL).
Thiessen played three seasons in the British Columbia Hockey League
before playing three seasons of collegiate ice hockey at Northeastern University. In his junior season at Northeastern, Thiessen was named Hockey East
Player of the Year and a conference all-star, NCAA All-American, and a Hobey Baker Award
finalist. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Thiessen signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins
as an undrafted free agent.
. In 2003–04 with the Penticton Panthers, Thiessen appeared in 42 games, finishing with a record of 13–17–1. The following season with the Prince George Spruce Kings
, he finished 12–22–1. In his final season of junior hockey with the Merritt Centennials
in 2005–06, Thiessen achieved career best statistics with a 22–21–4 record, a 2.88 goals against average, and a .922 save percentage.
After junior hockey, Thiessen played for Northeastern University in Boston
, Massachusetts
for three seasons, from 2006 to 2009.
During his freshman season in 2006–07, Thiessen was named to the Hockey East
All-Rookie team. That season he appeared in 33 games, earning a 11–17–5 record. The next season, he was 16–17–3.
In Thiessen's junior year during the 2008–09 season, he led the team to one of their most successful seasons, including their first trip to the NCAA tournament in over 15 years. He was the 2008–09 Hockey East
Player of the Year, a Hockey East all-star, an NCAA All-American, and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award
. That season, Thiessen set school records for wins (25), goals against average (2.12), save percentage (.931), saves (1,195), games (41) and minutes played (2,495:44). He led the NCAA in saves, was third in minutes played, and fourth in save percentage. He also became Northeastern's all-time top goaltender in goals against average (2.40), save percentage (.922) and shutouts (9).
and joined the organization's American Hockey League
affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, though appeared in no games that season. After the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins season ended, Thiessen was among a number of players who participated with the Pittsburgh Penguins in practice during the Stanley Cup playoffs
. Though he never dressed for a game, Thiessen was with the team when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings
in game seven to win the Stanley Cup
.
Thiessen split time during the 2009–10 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and their ECHL
affiliate Wheeling Nailers
. In 30 regular season appearances with the Penguins, Thiessen earned a 14-14-1 record, while he was 8–3–0 with Wheeling.
During the 2010–11 season, Thiessen was named as the Eastern Conference's starting goaltender for the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic. At the time of the All-Star break, Thiessen led the AHL with 17 wins. He became the second Penguin to be named to the All-Star team after Dany Sabourin
in 2006. On his 25th birthday, he became the third Penguins goaltender to record 30 wins in a single season, joining Dany Sabourin (2005-06) and John Curry (2007-08).
On March 24, 2011, Thiessen was recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins
due to an injury to backup goalie Brent Johnson
, but did not play in an NHL game.
2008–09
2010–11
AHL First All-Star Team
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...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
who is currently playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza...
in 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).
Thiessen played three seasons in the British Columbia Hockey League
British Columbia Hockey League
The British Columbia Hockey League is a Junior "A" ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada, a subsection of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 16 teams. These teams play in two conferences, known as the Coastal and the Interior...
before playing three seasons of collegiate ice hockey at Northeastern University. In his junior season at Northeastern, Thiessen was named Hockey East
Hockey East
Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
Player of the Year and a conference all-star, NCAA All-American, and a Hobey Baker Award
Hobey Baker Award
The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player.It is named for hockey player and World War I veteran Hobey Baker, who played collegiately at Princeton University and learned the game at St...
finalist. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Thiessen signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
as an undrafted free agent.
Amateur career
Thiessen played three seasons in the junior A British Columbia Hockey LeagueBritish Columbia Hockey League
The British Columbia Hockey League is a Junior "A" ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada, a subsection of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 16 teams. These teams play in two conferences, known as the Coastal and the Interior...
. In 2003–04 with the Penticton Panthers, Thiessen appeared in 42 games, finishing with a record of 13–17–1. The following season with the Prince George Spruce Kings
Prince George Spruce Kings
The Prince George Spruce Kings are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League...
, he finished 12–22–1. In his final season of junior hockey with the Merritt Centennials
Merritt Centennials
The Merritt Centennials are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Merritt, British Columbia. They are members of the Interior Division of the British Columbia Hockey League . The franchise was established in Kamloops in 1961 and moved to White Rock in 1973 when the WCHL's Vancouver Nats moved to...
in 2005–06, Thiessen achieved career best statistics with a 22–21–4 record, a 2.88 goals against average, and a .922 save percentage.
After junior hockey, Thiessen played for Northeastern University in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
for three seasons, from 2006 to 2009.
During his freshman season in 2006–07, Thiessen was named to the Hockey East
Hockey East
Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
All-Rookie team. That season he appeared in 33 games, earning a 11–17–5 record. The next season, he was 16–17–3.
In Thiessen's junior year during the 2008–09 season, he led the team to one of their most successful seasons, including their first trip to the NCAA tournament in over 15 years. He was the 2008–09 Hockey East
Hockey East
Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
Player of the Year, a Hockey East all-star, an NCAA All-American, and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award
Hobey Baker Award
The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player.It is named for hockey player and World War I veteran Hobey Baker, who played collegiately at Princeton University and learned the game at St...
. That season, Thiessen set school records for wins (25), goals against average (2.12), save percentage (.931), saves (1,195), games (41) and minutes played (2,495:44). He led the NCAA in saves, was third in minutes played, and fourth in save percentage. He also became Northeastern's all-time top goaltender in goals against average (2.40), save percentage (.922) and shutouts (9).
Professional career
After his third year at Northeastern, rather than play his senior season, Thiessen signed as an undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
and joined the organization's 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...
affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, though appeared in no games that season. After the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins season ended, Thiessen was among a number of players who participated with the Pittsburgh Penguins in practice during the Stanley Cup playoffs
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 15, 2009, after the 2008–09 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference , play a best-of-seven series for the conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and...
. Though he never dressed for a game, Thiessen was with the team when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
in game seven to win the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
.
Thiessen split time during the 2009–10 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and their ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
affiliate Wheeling Nailers
Wheeling Nailers
The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL....
. In 30 regular season appearances with the Penguins, Thiessen earned a 14-14-1 record, while he was 8–3–0 with Wheeling.
During the 2010–11 season, Thiessen was named as the Eastern Conference's starting goaltender for the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic. At the time of the All-Star break, Thiessen led the AHL with 17 wins. He became the second Penguin to be named to the All-Star team after Dany Sabourin
Dany Sabourin
Daniel Sabourin is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently under contract for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...
in 2006. On his 25th birthday, he became the third Penguins goaltender to record 30 wins in a single season, joining Dany Sabourin (2005-06) and John Curry (2007-08).
On March 24, 2011, Thiessen was recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
due to an injury to backup goalie Brent Johnson
Brent Johnson
Brent Johnson is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .- Playing career :...
, but did not play in an NHL game.
Awards
2006–072006–07 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October , 2006 and ended with the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 7, 2007 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri...
- Hockey East All-Rookie Team
2008–09
2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 10, 2008 and concluded with the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 11, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C....
- NCAANational Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
All-American First Team - Hobey Baker AwardHobey Baker AwardThe Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player.It is named for hockey player and World War I veteran Hobey Baker, who played collegiately at Princeton University and learned the game at St...
Finalist - Hockey EastHockey EastHockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
Player of the Year - Hockey East First Team All-Star
2010–11
2010–11 AHL season
The 2010–11 AHL season is the 75th season of the American Hockey League. An all-time high of thirty teams will play 80 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on October 8, 2010 and ended on April 10, 2011...
AHL First All-Star Team
Career statistics
| 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 | Minutes | GA | GAA Goals against average Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender.... |
Saves | SV% Save percentage Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops... |
W | L | T | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | Northeastern University | NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States... |
33 | 1985 | 82 | 2.48 | 957 | .921 | 11 | 17 | 5 | 4 |
| 2007-08 | Northeastern University | NCAA | 37 | 2180 | 96 | 2.64 | 1014 | .914 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 2 |
| 2008-09 | Northeastern University | NCAA | 41 | 2496 | 88 | 2.12 | 1195 | .931 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 3 |
| 2009-10 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza... |
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... |
30 | 1763 | 72 | 2.45 | 769 | .914 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 4 |
| 2009-10 | Wheeling Nailers Wheeling Nailers The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.... |
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
12 | 674 | 30 | 2.67 | 340 | .919 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| NCAA totals | 111 | 6661 | 266 | 2.40 | 3166 | .923 | 52 | 56 | 12 | 9 | ||
| AHL totals | 30 | 1763 | 72 | 2.45 | 769 | .914 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 4 | ||