Jason Garrison

Jason Garrison

Garrison with the Tampa Bay Lightning in December 2014
Born (1984-11-13) November 13, 1984
White Rock, BC, CAN
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Tampa Bay Lightning
Florida Panthers
Vancouver Canucks
National team  Canada
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2008–present

Jason John Maxwell Garrison (born November 13, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Garrison played two years of Junior A with the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), during which time he earned a scholarship to play college hockey with the University of Minnesota Duluth. Following his third NCAA year, he signed with the Florida Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Garrison spent four years with the Panthers organization, setting franchise records for single-season goals and power play goals by a defenceman in 2011–12. In July 2012, he signed a six-year deal with his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. After two seasons with Vancouver, he was traded to Tampa Bay, just prior to the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Personal life

Garrison was born and raised in White Rock, British Columbia, where he attended Chantrell Creek Elementary and Elgin Park Secondary School.[1] He played minor hockey in nearby Semiahmoo Bay, as well as Burnaby and Aldergrove.[2] Growing up, he also played rugby, volleyball and was an avid snowboarder. Moving away from home to play junior hockey in 2003, he lived in Nanaimo, British Columbia, for two years before attending the University of Minnesota Duluth on an athletic scholarship to play for the ice hockey team. During his NHL career with the Florida Panthers, he lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while returning to a home in Downtown Vancouver in the off-seasons.[1]

Playing career

Junior and college

Garrison did not make the transition from minor to junior hockey until the age of 19.[2] Joining the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), he played at the Junior A level for two years. Appearing in 52 regular season games in 2003–04, he recorded seven goals and 27 assists as a rookie. A forward in his minor hockey years, Garrison switched to defence in his first junior year.[1][2] Garrison went on to add three goals and 13 points over 24 post-season games as the Clippers won the Fred Page Cup as League champions and the Doyle Cup as Western Canada regional champions. Competing for the national title at the 2004 Royal Bank Cup, the Clippers finished last out of five teams. Garrison had three assists in four tournament contests. The following season, he improved to 22 goals and 62 points over 57 games, ranking second in team scoring.[3] The Clippers finished first in BCHL regular season play, but were eliminated in the Fred Page Cup Semi-finals.

Earning an athletic scholarship, Garrison went on to play NCAA hockey with the University of Minnesota Duluth of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). In his freshman year, he recorded three goals and 12 assists over 40 games in 2005–06. In the following two seasons, Garrison struggled with injuries and recorded three points over 21 games and 14 points over 26 games in 2006–07 and 2007–08, respectively.

Professional

Garrison during his time with the Rochester Americans

Garrison opted to forgo his senior year of college after being offered an NHL contract with the Florida Panthers. He signed a two-year, entry level deal with the team on April 2, 2008.[4] Turning professional in 2008–09, he was assigned to the Panthers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Within a month, he was recalled by the Panthers and appeared in his first NHL game against the St. Louis Blues on October 25, 2008.[5] It was the only NHL game he appeared in that season, as he was quickly returned to the minors. In the AHL, he scored eight goals and 35 points in 75 games, ranking fourth among rookie defencemen in League scoring.[6]

Garrison with the Vancouver Canucks in 2013

Garrison split the season in 2009–10 between the Panthers and the Americans, scoring his first NHL goal in a 7–4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on March 3, 2010.[7] Playing in 39 NHL games, he scored two goals and eight points, while also recording three goals and 19 points in 38 AHL contests. Forming a shutdown pairing with Mike Weaver,[8] Garrison played his first full season with the Panthers in 2010–11. Appearing in 73 games, he totalled five goals and 18 points. With a –2 plus-minus rating while playing on the worst team in the Eastern Conference, Garrison was ranked by James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail as the League's second-best defensive defenceman.[9]

Playing in his fourth season with the Panthers organization, Garrison was instrumental in the team's newfound success in 2011–12, while playing in a more offensive role on a pairing with Brian Campbell. On March 23, 2012, Garrison set a Panthers franchise record for most goals by a defenceman in a single season with his 16th goal in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. He surpassed the previous mark of 15 set by Jay Bouwmeester (2007–08, 2008–09) and Bryan McCabe (2008–09).[10] His nine powerplay goals also tied the team record held by Bouwmeester (2008–09) and Gordon Murphy (1993–94).[11] Adding 17 assists, Garrison finished with 33 points in 77 games, helping the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2000. Playing the New Jersey Devils in the first round, they were eliminated in seven games. Garrison recorded a goal and two assists in four post-season games before sustaining a pair of lower-body injuries that sidelined him for the remainder of the series.[12]

Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, Garrison signed a six-year, $27.6 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2012.[13] His $4.6 million cap hit constituted a nearly sevenfold increase of his previous season's $675,000 salary.[2] In the months ahead of his free agency, Garrison went on record as being interested in playing for the Canucks, his hometown team.[2] Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Garrison's debut with his new team was delayed until February 2013. Upon the commencement of NHL play, his struggles to adjust with his new team were well-publicized, as he was taken off the powerplay unit and separated from his intended defensive partner, Alexander Edler, within the first month.[14] He would find success with Dan Hamhuis later in the season, however, reprising his role as a defensive-defenseman with a booming shot.

On June 27, 2014, Garrison was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with the rights to Jeff Costello and a seventh-round draft pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[15] The pick was traded by Vancouver for forward Linden Vey. On October 31, 2015, Garrison skated in his 400th career NHL game, which was in a 1-3 loss to the visiting Boston Bruins.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 52 7 20 27 31 24 3 10 13 12
2004–05 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 57 22 40 62 42 — — — — —
2005–06 U. of Minnesota Duluth WCHA 40 3 9 12 26 — — — — —
2006–07 U. of Minnesota Duluth WCHA 21 1 2 3 16 — — — — —
2007–08 U. of Minnesota Duluth WCHA 26 5 9 14 26 — — — — —
2008–09 Rochester Americans AHL 75 8 27 35 68 — — — — —
2008–09 Florida Panthers NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2009–10 Rochester Americans AHL 38 3 16 19 33 7 2 7 9 0
2009–10 Florida Panthers NHL 39 2 6 8 23 — — — — —
2010–11 Florida Panthers NHL 73 5 13 18 26 — — — — —
2011–12 Florida Panthers NHL 77 16 17 33 32 4 1 2 3 0
2012–13 Vancouver Canucks NHL 47 8 8 16 28 4 0 0 0 2
2013–14 Vancouver Canucks NHL 81 7 26 33 57 — — — — —
2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 70 4 26 30 19 23 2 5 7 8
NHL totals 388 42 96 138 185 31 3 7 10 10

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Canada WC 5th 7 0 4 4 6
Senior totals 7 0 4 4 6

References

  1. 1 2 3 "TeamPages Chat with the Pros - Jason Garrison, Florida Panthers". TeamPages.com. 2010-09-21. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "High-scoring Panthers defenceman Garrison hopes he's on Canucks radar as a UFA option". The Province. 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  3. ↑ "Nanaimo Clippers 2004-2005". EliteProspects.com. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  4. ↑ "Panthers sign free agent Garrison". Florida Panthers. 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  5. ↑ "Late bloomer no more". Florida Panthers. 2009-09-10. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  6. ↑ "2008-09 AHL Defencemen Scoring". American Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  7. ↑ "Booth has four points, Panthers snap seven-game losing streak". CBS Sports. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  8. ↑ "The Game's Most Underrated Defensive Pairing". TheScore.com. 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  9. ↑ Mirtle, Jason (2011-03-13). "The NHL's top defensive defencemen". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  10. ↑ "Florida Panthers Single-Season Goal Leaders - Defencemen". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  11. ↑ "Florida Panthers Single-Season Powerplay Goal Leaders - Defencemen". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  12. ↑ "Garrison banged up, Ellerby out for Panthers". CBC Sports. 2012-04-21. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  13. ↑ "Garrison signs six-year, $27.6 Million Deal with Canucks". Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  14. ↑ Botchford, Jason (2013-02-21). "Criticism of new Canuck Jason Garrison springing like wild flowers". The Province. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  15. ↑ Canucks, Vancouver (2014-06-27). "Canucks acquire 50th overall pick from Lightning". Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  16. ↑ Long, Corey (October 31, 2015). "Bruins defeat Lightning to stay unbeaten on road". NHL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2015.

External links

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