Known for his patience, power, and high hockey IQ, Eric Staal was not a flashy player, but he was a winner and a valuable member of every team he played on.
Staal was the second overall pick in the 2003 Draft, and the Canadian went right to the parent club of the team that drafted him, the Carolina Hurricanes. He had a magical second year in hockey, setting what would be personal bests in Goals (45), Assists (55), and Points (100), while earning a Second Team All-Star. More importantly, he anchored Carolina to their first Stanley Cup. Staal would later become Carolina’s captain, though he never had the same numbers that he did in 2005-06. Still, Staal had at least 70 Points in the five years that followed, and was a four-time All-Star in that time frame.
Staal was traded to the New York Rangers late in the 2015-16 Season, and in the off-season, he joined the Minnesota Wild. Over the next four years, he recorded 240 Points in 311 games, earning two more All-Star Game appearances. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2021, but age and injuries took their toll, and he bounced around from the Sabres, to Montreal, to Team Canada in the 2022 Olympics, and finally a year with the Florida Panthers.
Internationally, he became a member of the Triple Gold Club, securing Gold with Team Canada at the 2007 Worlds and the 2010 Olympics.
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