Justin Abdelkader
Justin Abdelkader | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 25, 1987 Muskegon, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward |
| Years active | 2008–2023 |
| Known for | Playing for Detroit Red Wings in the NHL |
Justin Abdelkader (; born February 25, 1987) is a retired American professional ice hockey forward. Throughout his career, he competed for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as for EV Zug and HC Lugano in Switzerland's National League (NL). Abdelkader was selected 42nd overall by Detroit in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Amateur
During his final year of high school, Abdelkader played junior hockey with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the United States Hockey League, where he tallied 27 goals and 52 points, helping lead the team to the 2004–05 Clark Cup Championship. He then spent three seasons playing collegiate hockey for the Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey program in the former Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
On April 7, 2007, Abdelkader netted the decisive goal in the NCAA Championship game against Boston College, securing Michigan State University’s national championship and earning recognition as the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. His goal, scored with just 18.9 seconds remaining, stood as the latest regulation-winning goal in an NCAA Frozen Four title game until it was surpassed in 2014.
Detroit Red Wings
Abdelkader was chosen by the Detroit Red Wings with the 42nd pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
On April 3, 2008, he signed a one-game amateur tryout agreement with Detroit, thereby relinquishing his college eligibility. The following day, he inked a three-year contract and appeared in one additional game that season. When Detroit captured the Stanley Cup that June, Abdelkader participated in the team’s celebration and received a Stanley Cup ring but did not meet the criteria to have his name engraved on the trophy.
In the 2008–09 campaign, Abdelkader scored 24 goals for the Grand Rapids Griffins and emerged as a key contributor during their playoff run. On May 8, 2009, he was promoted to replace Tomáš Kopecký for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Anaheim Ducks, with head coach Mike Babcock commending his physical style of play. Abdelkader earned his first NHL point by assisting Johan Franzén.
He recorded his inaugural NHL goal on May 30, 2009, during Game 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, followed by another goal in Game 2—making him the first rookie since Dino Ciccarelli in 1981 to score goals in back-to-back finals games.
In the subsequent 2009–10 season, Abdelkader appeared in 50 games and registered three goals along with three assists. The Red Wings extended his contract for two years at $1.575 million.
The 2010–11 season marked his first full NHL campaign, where he played 74 games and contributed seven goals and twelve assists. The following season, he missed only a single game and concluded with eight goals and fourteen assists over 81 contests.
Abdelkader agreed to a four-year contract worth $7.2 million with Detroit on September 14, 2012.
On October 9, 2015, he became just the second player in franchise history to record a hat trick during a home opener. His performance earned him First Star of the Week honors on October 12 after leading all players with four goals and five points. Subsequently, on November 12, 2015, Abdelkader secured a seven-year contract extension valued at $29.75 million.
The Red Wings placed Abdelkader on waivers on October 6, 2020, initiating a buyout of the remaining three years on his contract.
EV Zug and HC Lugano
Abdelkader joined EV Zug of the National League (NL) on February 3, 2021, signing for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. He made his first appearance on February 23, 2021, contributing to a 4–3 overtime victory over Genève-Servette HC at the Patinoire des Vernets. Throughout 13 playoff contests, Abdelkader tallied six goals and three assists, playing a key role in EV Zug's capture of the 2021 NL championship.
On February 24, 2022, Abdelkader inked a deal with HC Lugano for the rest of the 2021–22 season. During this stint, he recorded one assist across six regular season matches and added two goals alongside three assists in six playoff games.
He rejoined EV Zug on December 20, 2022, agreeing to play through the conclusion of the 2022–23 season.
International play
Abdelkader represented the US national junior team at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships hosted in Sweden.
As captain of the United States squad during the 2014 IIHF World Championship, he amassed three goals and one assist over seven games. Although he was sidelined for one game due to a knee-to-knee hit, Abdelkader returned to contribute two goals—including the decisive game-winner against Germany—helping lead Team USA to the quarterfinal round. During that stage, he received a major penalty and game misconduct for charging an opponent, which led to a three-game suspension imposed at the 2015 IIHF World Championship, applicable if he participated.
Additionally, Abdelkader competed for the United States at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he scored one goal in three appearances.
Personal life
Abdelkader is the son of Joseph and Sheryl Abdelkader. His paternal grandfather, Yusuf Abdul Qadir (whose name was anglicized to Joseph Abdelkader), emigrated from Jordan to Muskegon, Michigan, where he married Zuzanna (Susie), a Polish immigrant.
He attended Churchill Elementary School and Mona Shores Middle School before graduating from Mona Shores High School in 2005. During his high school career, he earned all-state honors in hockey and was named Michigan's Mr. Hockey. In his senior year, he also competed with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL.
In December 2015, Abdelkader earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Management from Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business.
In November 2016, he proposed to his longtime partner Julie Leshkevich at Joe Louis Arena. The couple married on July 21, 2017, and welcomed their first child in September 2018.
Regular season and playoffs
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| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Mona Shores High School | HS–MI | 28 | 37 | 43 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 60 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 86 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | Michigan State Spartans | CCHA | 44 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Michigan State Spartans | CCHA | 38 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Michigan State Spartans | CCHA | 42 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 107 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 76 | 24 | 28 | 52 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 33 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 50 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | ||
| 2010–11 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 74 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 61 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | ||
| 2011–12 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 62 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 33 | ||
| 2013–14 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 71 | 23 | 21 | 44 | 72 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 82 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 120 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | ||
| 2016–17 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 64 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 75 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 71 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 49 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | EV Zug | NL | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 47 | ||
| 2021–22 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | HC Lugano | NL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 2022–23 | EV Zug | NL | 24 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| Year | Team | Tournament | Outcome | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | United States | WJC | Template:Bronze3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| 2012 | United States | WC | 7th place | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2014 | United States | WC | 6th place | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 31 | |
| 2016 | United States | WCH | 7th place | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2021 | United States | WC | Template:Bronze3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | United States | OG | Finished 5th | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior career totals | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 25 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 39 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award title | Year awarded |
|---|---|
| NCAA | |
| National Champion (with Michigan State Spartans) | 2007 |
| NCAA Tournament MVP | 2007 |
| National League (Switzerland) | |
| Swiss National League title (with EV Zug) | 2021 |
External links
- 1987 births
- American men's ice hockey centers
- American people of Jordanian descent
- American people of Polish descent
- Cedar Rapids RoughRiders players
- Detroit Red Wings draft picks
- Detroit Red Wings players
- Eli Broad College of Business alumni
- Grand Rapids Griffins players
- HC Lugano players
- Ice hockey players from Michigan
- Living people
- Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey players
- Sportspeople from Muskegon, Michigan
- Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics
- Olympic ice hockey players for the United States
- EV Zug players
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- NCAA men's ice hockey national champions