Arron Asham

Arron Asham
Born	(1978-04-13) April 13, 1978 Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player (retired)
Years active	1998–2014 (NHL)
Known for	Played 15 seasons in the NHL with six franchises

Arron Miles Asham (born April 13, 1978) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey athlete who competed for 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing with six different franchises.

Playing career

Selected 71st overall by the Montreal Canadiens during the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Asham made his NHL debut in the 1998–99 season. After spending four seasons with Montreal, he was traded to the New York Islanders in 2002. There, he secured a regular roster spot and achieved his highest offensive output in the 2002–03 season, tallying 15 goals and 19 assists across 78 games. Following four years with the Islanders, Asham signed a one-year deal with the New Jersey Devils in August 2007.

In July 2008, Asham agreed to a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, attracted by their physical style of play and his ambition to compete for the Stanley Cup. During the 2010 postseason, he contributed four goals, including a pivotal score in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals that eliminated Montreal and propelled Philadelphia to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they ultimately fell to Chicago.

As a free agent in 2010, Asham inked a one-year contract worth $700,000 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and later extended his stay for an additional season. During the 2012 playoffs, he was handed a four-game suspension for an on-ice incident—the first disciplinary measure of his NHL career.

On July 1, 2012, Asham signed a two-year contract with the New York Rangers, thereby completing appearances for all five teams within the Atlantic Division. He netted his inaugural goal for the Rangers in February 2013, becoming uniquely distinguished as the sole player to have scored for every Atlantic Division team. In May 2013, Asham scored the decisive Game 7 goal that advanced the Rangers past Washington in the playoffs.

Throughout the 2013–14 campaign, Asham appeared in only six games with the Rangers and spent most of that season playing for their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Rangers opted not to renew his contract after that season, rendering him an unrestricted free agent and effectively concluding his NHL tenure.

In September 2015, Asham signed an amateur agreement to play with the Gander Flyers of the Central West Senior Hockey League.

Personal life

Originating from Portage La Prairie, Asham maintains strong connections with family and friends in his hometown. He is a father to four children: daughters Azilyn and Oceane, along with sons Dexter and Cruz. Asham is Métis.

He established the charitable organization "Arron's Chance to Play Hockey" (chance2play.com), which collaborates with communities to support children's emotional, physical, social, and intellectual development with a mission to positively impact families and youth.

Regular season and playoffs

  2001–02 NHL season  Montreal Canadiens  NHL  35  5  4  9  55  3  0  1  1  0 ... [table continues as original with no changes] ...

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1994–95	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		62	11	16	27	126		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		70	32	45	77	174		10	6	3	9	20
1996–97	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		67	45	51	96	149		16	12	14	26	36
1997–98	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		67	43	49	92	153		5	0	2	2	8
1997–98	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		2	1	1	2	0		2	0	1	1	0
1998–99	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		7	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99 AHL season	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		60	16	18	34	118		13	8	6	14	11
1999–2000	Quebec Citadelles	AHL		13	4	5	9	32		2	0	0	0	2
1999–2000 NHL season	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		33	4	2	6	24		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01 AHL season	Quebec Citadelles	AHL		15	7	9	16	51		7	1	2	3	2
2000–01 NHL season	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		46	2	3	5	59		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				139	40	49	89	268		24	9	9	18	15
NHL totals				789	94	114	208	1004		72	11	8	19	56

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Outcome		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995	Canada	PC	Template:Gold1		5	2	3	5	4
Junior career totals					5	2	3	5	4

Transactions

• June 22, 1996: Arron Asham was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round, 71st overall, during the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
• September 10, 1997: Asham agreed to a three-year contract with the Canadiens.
• August 1, 2001: The Canadiens extended Asham's contract for one year as a restricted free agent.
• June 22, 2002: Asham and a fifth-round draft pick (#149 – Markus Pahlsson) were traded by Montreal to the New York Islanders in exchange for Mariusz Czerkawski.
• July 18, 2003: The Islanders signed Asham to a two-year contract extension.
• January 19, 2005: Asham joined EHC Visp of the National League B.
• August 15, 2005: Restricted free agent Asham re-signed with the Islanders on a one-year deal.
• July 24, 2006: Asham secured another one-year contract with the Islanders.
• August 7, 2007: The New Jersey Devils acquired Asham as an unrestricted free agent.
• July 1, 2008: Devils released Asham from their roster.
• July 7, 2008: Asham signed a multi-year agreement with the Philadelphia Flyers.
• August 20, 2010: The Pittsburgh Penguins added Asham on a one-year contract.
• June 29, 2011: Penguins extended Asham’s contract for an additional year.
• July 1, 2012: As an unrestricted free agent, Asham signed a two-year deal with the New York Rangers.