Jeffrey Daryl Friesen (born August 5, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League, spending roughly half his career with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. The rest of his career was spent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and Calgary Flames. He won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003.

Jeff Friesen
Friesen with the Calgary Flames in 2007
Born (1976-08-05) August 5, 1976 (age 47)
Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for San Jose Sharks
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
New Jersey Devils
Washington Capitals
Calgary Flames
Eisbären Berlin
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 11th overall, 1994
San Jose Sharks
Playing career 1994–2011

Playing career edit

Friesen played his junior years with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL) where he was Rookie of the Year in 1993. He was selected 11th overall in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. He played 14 season in the NHL as a winger, originally as a left winger but also as a right winger.

Friesen played nearly seven seasons with the Sharks, becoming their 3rd all-time leading scorer, but was traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim near the end of the 2000–01 season. After playing the following season with the Ducks, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils for the 2002–03 season where he won the Stanley Cup.[1] In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Ottawa Senators that year, Friesen scored the game-winning goal with just under three minutes left in regulation in Game 7. It was his third game-winning goal of the series. Then in Game 7 of the finals, he scored two goals against his former team, the Ducks en route to the Devils' third Stanley Cup championship.

On September 26, 2005, the salary cap-troubled Devils traded Friesen to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional 2006 draft pick. On March 9, 2006, he was moved again to the Ducks for a second-round draft pick, but spent a significant part of the 2005–06 season sidelined with a groin injury.

Friesen was signed by the Calgary Flames on July 5, 2006 to a 1-year $1.6 million contract for the 2006–07 season. After a disappointing season that had Friesen producing six goals and six assists in seventy-two games, the Calgary Flames chose not to re-sign him. He played in the AHL as a left wing for the Lake Erie Monsters before January 29, 2008, when Friesen was released.

Friesen attended the San Jose Sharks' 2008 training camp on a tryout basis.[2] On October 9, 2008, Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced that Friesen had been released from training camp.[3] On August 29, 2009, Friesen signed a one-year contract with the Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).[4]

Friesen is tied with Jamie Baker for the Sharks single-season short-handed goals record with 6, set in the 1997–98 season.[5] On February 21, 2015 he returned to San Jose (Santa Clara) where he was introduced along with several other former Shark players before the outdoor Stadium Series game vs. the L.A. Kings at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

Personal life edit

Friesen and his ex-wife Rhonda have a daughter and son together.[6][7]

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1991–92 Regina Pats WHL 4 3 1 4 2
1992–93 Regina Pats WHL 70 45 38 83 23 13 7 10 17 8
1993–94 Regina Pats WHL 66 51 67 118 48 4 3 2 5 2
1994–95 Regina Pats WHL 25 21 23 44 22
1994–95 San Jose Sharks NHL 48 15 10 25 14 11 1 5 6 4
1995–96 San Jose Sharks NHL 79 15 31 46 42
1996–97 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 28 34 62 75
1997–98 San Jose Sharks NHL 79 31 32 63 40 6 0 1 1 2
1998–99 San Jose Sharks NHL 78 22 35 57 42 6 2 2 4 14
1999–2000 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 26 35 61 47 11 2 2 4 10
2000–01 San Jose Sharks NHL 64 12 24 36 56
2000–01 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 15 2 10 12 10
2001–02 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 81 17 26 43 44
2002–03 New Jersey Devils NHL 81 23 28 51 26 24 10 4 14 6
2003–04 New Jersey Devils NHL 81 17 20 37 26 5 0 0 0 4
2005–06 Washington Capitals NHL 33 3 4 7 24
2005–06 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 18 1 3 4 8 16 3 1 4 6
2006–07 Calgary Flames NHL 72 6 6 12 34 5 0 0 0 2
2007–08 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 5 1 4 5 0
2009–10 Eisbären Berlin DEL 53 15 30 45 130 5 1 1 2 0
2010–11 Eisbären Berlin DEL 30 5 9 14 12 11 1 4 5 2
NHL totals 893 218 298 516 488 84 18 15 33 48

International edit

Medal record
Representing   Canada
World Championships
  1997 Helsinki
  2004 Prague
  1996 Vienna
World Junior Championships
  1994 Frydek-Mistek/Ostrava
  1995 Red Deer
Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
1994 Canada WJC   5 0 2 2 0
1995 Canada WJC   7 5 2 7 4
1996 Canada WC   8 2 0 2 6
1997 Canada WC   11 3 4 7 16
1999 Canada WC 4th 7 2 2 4 0
2001 Canada WC 5th 7 1 3 4 6
2004 Canada WC   9 0 1 1 4
Junior totals 12 5 4 9 4
Senior totals 42 8 10 18 32

Awards edit

CHL/WHL edit

NHL edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Devils trade Sykora to Ducks for 3 players". New York Times. 2002-07-07. Retrieved 2002-07-07.
  2. ^ "Friesen returns as tryout player". Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  3. ^ "Friesen Released From Training Camp". Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  4. ^ "Jeff Friesen bleibt Eisbär". Archived from the original on 2009-09-02. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  5. ^ "Single-season short-handed goals". hockey-reference.com. 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  6. ^ "Hier umarmt Friesen seine Allerliebsten". 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  7. ^ "Seine Welt ist eine Scheibe". 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2010-01-04.

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Preceded by San Jose Sharks first round draft pick
1994
Succeeded by