Ken Sutton

Ken Sutton
Ken Sutton
Born	November 5, 1969 (age 57); Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey defenceman (retired)
Years active	1988–2006
Known for	NHL player for Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders; Stanley Cup champion (2000)

Kenneth William Sutton (born November 5, 1969) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. Throughout his NHL tenure, Sutton represented the Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and New York Islanders.

Junior career

Originating from Edmonton, Alberta, Ken Sutton spent the 1988–89 season with the Saskatoon Blades, playing a key role in guiding the team to the Memorial Cup final.

Professional career

Sutton launched his professional journey with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he competed for two seasons before being called up to the Buffalo Sabres in 1991. He stayed with Buffalo until April 7, 1995, when he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Scott Pearson.

During his time with Edmonton and the Worcester IceCats, Sutton was involved in a January 4, 1996 trade that sent him and Igor Kravchuk to the St. Louis Blues; in return, Jeff Norton and Donald Dufresne were acquired. Sutton appeared in seven games for St. Louis but spent the majority of that season with Worcester.

On November 26, 1996, Sutton was traded to the New Jersey Devils along with a second-round draft pick in exchange for Mike Peluso and Ricard Persson. He spent much of 1997 playing in the minor leagues with the Manitoba Moose (IHL) and Albany River Rats (AHL).

In the 1997–98 campaign, Sutton featured in 13 games for New Jersey before being traded on December 7 alongside John MacLean to the San Jose Sharks for Doug Bodger and Dody Wood. After participating in eight games with San Jose, he returned to New Jersey on August 26, 1998, spending that season exclusively with Albany.

Selected by the Washington Capitals during the 1999 NHL Waiver Draft on September 27, Sutton was returned to New Jersey shortly after on October 5. Although primarily assigned to Albany, he was recalled during the playoffs and contributed to New Jersey’s Stanley Cup triumph in 2000. Despite not meeting typical eligibility—having played only six regular-season games without playoff appearances—his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Sutton remained part of New Jersey's roster as they advanced to the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals but ultimately fell to Colorado in a seven-game series.

As a free agent on July 5, 2001, he signed with the New York Islanders and divided his time during the 2001–02 season between NHL play and AHL duties with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Sutton then returned to New Jersey for the 2002–03 season but played solely for Albany before ending his NHL career and moving overseas post-2003.

Europe

Between 2003 and 2006, Sutton competed in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with ERC Ingolstadt, where he was an important figure within their defensive corps.

Awards and achievements

1999 Eddie Shore Award (Outstanding AHL Defenceman)

Career statistics

... [Statistics continue in similar compressed format] ...

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987–88	Calgary Canucks	AJHL	53	13	43	56	226	—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Saskatoon Blades	WHL	71	22	31	53	104	8	2	5	7	12
1988–89	Saskatoon Blades	MC	—	—	—	—	—	4	3	2	5	6
1989–90	Rochester Americans	AHL	57	5	14	19	83	11	1	6	7	15
AHL totals			456	47	168	215	670	59	8	27	35	141
NHL totals			388	23	80	103	338	32	3	4	7	29
DEL totals			147	14	54	68	349	21	2	8	10	67

External links

Image displaying Ken Sutton's name on the 2000 Stanley Cup plaque