Jim O'Brien (ice hockey)
James Patrick O'Brien | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 1989 United States |
| Occupation | Ice hockey forward |
| Years active | 2010–2018 |
| Known for | Played 77 NHL games from 2010 to 2018 |
James Patrick O'Brien (born January 29, 1989) is a retired American ice hockey forward who competed in 77 National Hockey League games from 2010 through 2018.
Playing career
O'Brien began his junior hockey tenure with the U.S. National Under-18 Team competing in the NAHL between 2004 and 2006. At just 17 years old, he joined the University of Minnesota, becoming the youngest player participating in U.S. collegiate hockey at that time. Selected 29th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, he was recognized for his physical stature, skating proficiency, shot-blocking ability, and effectiveness on the penalty kill. Initially positioned as a defenseman, he transitioned during high school into a power-forward center role.
He played two seasons (2007–09) with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League before advancing to professional hockey with Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, in 2009. O'Brien debuted in the NHL on December 31, 2010, participating in six games throughout the 2010–11 season while contributing to Binghamton’s Calder Cup victory in 2011.
Following his attendance at Ottawa’s training camp for the 2011–12 season, he earned a call-up to the Senators and scored his inaugural NHL goal on February 15, 2012. On July 18, 2012, Ottawa secured his services with a two-year contract extension. After completing this term, O'Brien ventured overseas to join Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2014–15 season, tallying 12 points across 22 games before returning mid-season to North America.
He signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) but was soon claimed off waivers by the Hershey Bears. On July 1, 2015, O'Brien agreed to a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the New Jersey Devils. During that season, he amassed 19 goals and totaled 38 points playing for their AHL affiliate Albany Devils while also appearing in four NHL contests.
As an unrestricted free agent in July 2016, he inked a one-year, two-way deal with the Colorado Avalanche and was assigned to their AHL team, the San Antonio Rampage, for the 2016–17 campaign. His output was curtailed by injuries, resulting in nine goals and 24 points over 53 games; although briefly recalled to Colorado’s roster, he did not see game action.
In October 2017, O'Brien accepted a professional tryout contract with Ottawa’s new AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. After four appearances, he earned a one-year AHL contract and subsequently signed a two-year, two-way NHL agreement with Ottawa in February 2018. That season he played ten NHL games and registered one assist.
The following campaign was hampered by injury and limited him to eleven games. Upon entering free agency in June 2019, O'Brien signed a one-year contract with Germany’s Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers competing in the DEL.
Personal life
O'Brien was part of a small contingent of Senators players who had intended to attend the 2013 Boston Marathon. Their plan was to be present at the marathon’s finish line when the bombs detonated, causing fatalities and injuries among spectators and participants. Scratched from that evening’s game against the Boston Bruins, they altered their plans at the last moment and returned to their hotel to rest instead. Reflecting on the incident, O'Brien stated: "Sure enough I wake up from a nap and have a bunch of text messages. I turn on the TV ... it was just a twist of fate. Thank goodness we didn't go."
Regular season and playoffs
2008–09 WHL season2009–10 AHL season Binghamton Senators AHL 74 24 32 56 67 23 3 4 7 12 2011–12 NHL season Ottawa Senators NHL 28 3 3 6 4 7 0 1 1 0 Binghamton Senators AHL 27 7 7 14 10 — — — — — 2012–13 NHL season Ottawa Senators NHL 29 5 1 6 8 — — — — — Binghamton Senators AHL 51 11 18 29 46 2 1 1 2 2 2014–15 KHL seasonMetallurg NovokuznetskKontinental Hockey League KHL 22 2 10 12 30 — — — — — Hershey Bears AHL 32 10 19 29 26 10 3 1 4 8 2015–16 NHL seasonNew Jersey Devils NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — — Albany Devils AHL 56 19 19 38 48 6 2 3 5 4 2016–17 AHL seasonSan Antonio Rampage AHL 53 9 15 24 42 — — — — — Ottawa Senators NHL 10 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2017–18 AHL seasonBelleville Senators AHL 60 13 16 29 44 — — — — — Belleville Senators AHL 11 1 2 3 4 — — — — — 2019–20 DEL seasonThomas Sabo Ice TigersDeutsche Eishockey Liga DEL 15 1 1 2 10 — — — — —| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 54 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | NAHL | 40 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 51 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | U.S. NTDP U18 | NAHL | 13 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 43 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 70 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 66 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 | ||
| Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 63 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 55 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |||
| 2008–09 AHL season | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Binghamton Senators | AHL | 76 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2010–11 NHL season | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 77!
8! 5! 13! 16! 7! 0! 1! 1! 0! | |||||||||||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Placement | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | United States | U17 | 5th place | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2006 | United States | WJC18 | Template:Gold1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2007 | United States | WJC18 | Template:Silver2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | |
| 2009 | United States | WJC | 5th place | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Junior career totals | 24 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 26 | ||||