Blair Jones
Blair Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 27, 1986 Central Butte, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Years active | 2006–2017 |
Blair Jones (born September 27, 1986) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Selected 102nd overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, he spent five seasons with the Lightning before moving to the Calgary Flames in 2012. Jones was born in Central Butte, Saskatchewan, and grew up in Craik, Saskatchewan.
Playing career
Jones competed in junior hockey for four seasons within the Western Hockey League (WHL), representing both the Red Deer Rebels and the Moose Jaw Warriors from 2002 through 2006. During the 2005–06 season, he placed sixth in league scoring with 85 points and played a key role in leading the Warriors to the WHL final. Although they were defeated by the Vancouver Giants, Jones was named to the East Division's second all-star team.
After being chosen in the fourth round by Tampa Bay in 2005, Jones began his professional career in the 2006–07 season, spending most of that year with Tampa Bay’s AHL team, the Springfield Falcons. He debuted in the NHL on November 20, 2006, and netted his first NHL goal on January 30, 2007, concluding that season with three points over 20 games.
Jones continued with Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, for the following two seasons. In 2009–10, he was selected for the AHL All-Star game and won the hardest shot contest with a speed of 100.3 mph. While his NHL appearances were limited across two seasons, he ranked second on Norfolk with 55 points during the 2010–11 campaign.
In January 2012, Jones was traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Brendan Mikkelson. Intended to contribute primarily as a defensive forward on forechecking and penalty killing units, his effectiveness was curtailed by a broken ankle shortly after joining Calgary. He secured a two-year contract extension with the Flames in June 2012.
Upon entering free agency on July 1, 2014, Jones agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The next year, he signed another one-year two-way contract with the Vancouver Canucks. Following training camp, he was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, where he appeared in 36 games before being loaned to the Charlotte Checkers in March 2016.
Jones transitioned to European hockey on August 29, 2016, signing with the German DEL team Iserlohn Roosters. His tenure with Iserlohn ended in January 2017 after a suspension.
Career statistics
... [table continues with similar data, trimmed for brevity] ...| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 37 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 72 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 55 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 25 | ||
| 2004–05 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 39 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 29 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 72 | 35 | 50 | 85 | 85 | 22 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 45 | ||
| 2006–07 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 466 | 116 | 178 | 294 | 436 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | ||||
| NHL totals | 132 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 65 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| East Second All-Star Team | 2006 | |