Sean Couturier

Sean Couturier
Born	December 7, 1992 Phoenix, AZ, USA
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Philadelphia Flyers
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	8th overall, 2011 Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career	2011–present

Sean Gerald Couturier^[1] (born December 7, 1992) is an Canadian-American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers selected him eighth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Minor

Couturier was born in Phoenix, Arizona^[2] while his father, Sylvain Couturier, was playing for the International Hockey League (IHL)'s Phoenix Roadrunners. Following his father's retirement, the family moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick,^[3] where his father became general manager of the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Couturier played his minor hockey in Bathurst and calls the city home.

Junior

Drummondville had the second overall pick in the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft, and picked Couturier after defenseman Brandon Gormley was selected by the Moncton Wildcats. Couturier joined Drummondville for the 2008–09 season and helped the team win their first President's Cup as QMJHL champions. He was tenth on the team in points during the regular season.^[4]

In 2009–10, Couturier stepped forward to lead the QMJHL in points; he had the lowest point totals required to win the Jean Béliveau Trophy as leading scorer in QMJHL history. Nicolas Deschamps had the same number of points but had scored fewer goals. Teammate Gabriel Dumont was the leading QMJHL goalscorer while Couturier was fourth in the goalscoring race (also trailing Luke Adam of the Montreal Junior Hockey Club and Drummondville teammate Mike Hoffman). In the 2010 playoffs, Drummondville advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated by the eventual champions, the Moncton Wildcats. Couturier was third on his team in points for the playoffs, behind Dumont and Chris DiDomenico.

In 2010–11, Couturier had a bout with mononucleosis over the off-season, a condition that usually takes a year to fully recover from.^[5] Despite this setback, Couturier once again had an impressive year. Couturier matched the 96 points he scored the year before in 10 fewer games, leaving him fourth overall in QMJHL scoring, while having the highest points per game of any draft eligible CHL player. In the playoffs, Drummondville advanced to the second round, before being eliminated in seven games by the Gatineau Olympiques, who would continue on to the President's Cup final. Couturier finished the playoffs with 11 points in 10 games.

His 2010–11 campaign resulted in him being named to the QMHJL First All-Star team, as well as winning the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy as the league MVP and the Mike Bossy Trophy as the best professional prospect in the QMJHL.

2012 playoffs

Philadelphia Flyers

Couturier was drafted eighth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The Flyers acquired the pick via trade that sent Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Jakub Voráček and the Blue Jackets' first-round and third-round (which the Flyers used to select Nick Cousins) selections. Couturier signed a three-year, entry-level contract on September 21, 2011.^[6]

Couturier made an impression in training camp and started the 2011–12 season with the Flyers, also receiving ice time on the penalty kill. He earned his first point in the NHL in his third game on October 12 against the Vancouver Canucks with a primary assist on a goal by Jakub Voráček. Couturier scored his first NHL goal in his fifth game on October 18, 2011, against Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators in a 7–2 win. He was one of the youngest players to participate in the NHL All-Star Game festivities, named on the rookie team and participating in the skills competition.

During the Flyers' opening round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Couturier was tasked with shutting down Art Ross Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Couturier earned much praise for his play, holding Malkin to one even strength point while Couturier was on the ice during the series,^[7] and also scoring his first career hat-trick, becoming the second-youngest player to score a hat-trick in a playoff game,^[8] and adding an assist in a four-point performance during game two of the series. Teammate Jaromír Jágr compared Couturier to Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis.^[9]

International play

Medal record
Representing Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2015 Czech Republic
World Junior Championships
	2011 USA

During his third QMJHL season, Couturier was invited to take part in the Canadian National Junior Team's selection camp in December 2010.^[10] Couturier was named to the team for the 2011 World Junior Championships, held in Buffalo, New York, as Canada's only NHL draft-eligible player.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2007–08	Notre Dame Midget Hounds	SMHL		40	19	37	56	32		10	3	8	11	10
2008–09	Drummondville Voltigeurs	QMJHL		58	9	22	31	24		19	1	7	8	8
2009–10	Drummondville Voltigeurs	QMJHL		68	41	55	96	47		14	10	8	18	18
2010–11	Drummondville Voltigeurs	QMJHL		58	36	60	96	36		10	6	5	11	14
2011–12	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		77	13	14	27	14		11	3	1	4	2
2012–13	Adirondack Phantoms	AHL		31	10	18	28	16		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		46	4	11	15	10		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	13	26	39	45		7	0	0	0	6
2014–15	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	15	22	37	28		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		63	11	28	39	30		1	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				350	56	101	157	127		19	3	1	4	8

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008	Canada Atlantic	U17	8th		5	0	1	1	2
2009	Canada Atlantic	U17	9th		5	5	4	9	4
2011	Canada	WJC			7	2	1	3	0
2015	Canada	WC			10	3	3	6	2
Junior totals					17	7	6	13	6
Senior totals					10	3	3	6	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year
Junior
President's Cup (with the Drummondville Voltigeurs)	2008–09
Jean Béliveau Trophy[11]	2009–10
QMJHL Second-Team All-Star	2009–10
Best Plus/Minus record in the QMJHL	2009-10 (+62)[12]
Michel Brière Memorial Trophy[13]	2010–11
Mike Bossy Trophy[13]	2010–11
QMJHL First-Team All-Star	2010–11

References

1. "Thanksgiving a time for Couturier to Remember Grandparents". NJ.com.
2. "Sean Couturier's Player Page on Voltigeurs Site". QMJHL.
3. "Sean Couturier's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database". The Internet Hockey Database.
4. "Elitesprospects.com - Drummondville Voltigeurs". Eliteprospects.
5. "ca.sports.yahoo.com". yahoo.
6. Couturier, one of many stars vs. Leafs, signs contract; Wed. lineup set | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/21/2011
7. Chris Shafer (June 4, 2012). "Group of talented rookies responsible for Flyers quick turnaround". Hockey's Future. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
8. Dan Rosen (April 13, 2012). "Flyers rally to stun Penguins, grab 2-0 series lead". NHL.com. Retrieved July 8, 2013. The 19-year-old became the youngest player to score a hat trick in a playoff game since Ted Kennedy did it in 1945 -- Kennedy was four days younger than Couturier is right now.
9. Joe Yerdon (April 14, 2012). "Jaromir Jagr can’t help but compare Sean Couturier to Ron Francis". ProHockeyTalk. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
10. Hockey Canada Selection Camp: Team Profile
11. Player Bio - Sean Couturier
12. "Sean Couturier's player page at Eliteprospects". Eliteprospects.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database