Luke Gazdic

Luke Gazdic
Born	(1989-07-25) July 25, 1989 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey winger, sports analyst
Years active	2007–2021 (player), 2023–present (analyst)
Known for	NHL player for Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils; enforcer role; NHL analyst for Sportsnet

Luke Gazdic (born July 25, 1989) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger. Selected 172nd overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars, he competed in the NHL for the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils, predominantly serving as an enforcer. Since 2023, Gazdic has been employed as an analyst for NHL coverage on Sportsnet.

Playing career

On September 29, 2013, Gazdic was picked up off waivers by the Edmonton Oilers from the Dallas Stars. He made his NHL debut on October 1, 2013, and scored his first NHL goal early that season against the Winnipeg Jets. While with the Oilers, he contributed eight points while primarily fulfilling an enforcer's duties.

As a free agent on July 5, 2016, Gazdic signed a one-year, two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils and participated in 11 games during the 2016–17 campaign. On July 2, 2017, he returned to Canada by agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract with the Calgary Flames. He spent the entire 2017–18 season with their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, registering one goal and two points over 61 contests.

Without an NHL contract in the summer of 2018, Gazdic attended the San Diego Gulls training camp on a tryout basis and secured a position on their AHL roster for the 2018–19 season. In 20 games, he tallied three goals and seven points. Gazdic extended his stay with the Gulls by signing a one-year contract in August 2019. He announced his retirement from professional hockey in June 2021.

Personal life

His brothers Benjamin and Mark also play ice hockey professionally. Their father, Mike Gazdic, was selected in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.

Gazdic shares a connection with former Oilers teammate Connor McDavid through McDavid’s marriage to Lauren Kyle, who is a cousin of Gazdic’s former date; Gazdic was responsible for arranging their blind date.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004–05	North York Rangers U16 AAA	GTHL		38	13	16	29	24		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	North York Rangers	OPJHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Wexford Raiders	OPJHL		47	17	16	33	105		10	0	5	5	14
2006–07	Erie Otters	OHL		58	5	8	13	136		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Erie Otters	OHL		67	17	12	29	144		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Erie Otters	OHL		63	20	10	30	127		5	0	0	0	9
2008–09	Idaho Steelheads	ECHL		2	1	0	1	14		2	0	0	0	0
Texas Stars |AHL |49 |3 |1 |4 |155 | — | — | — | — | — |-	Idaho Steelheads |ECHL |4 |1 |1 |2 |10 |— |— |— |— |— |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	Texas Stars |AHL |72 |9 |8 |17 |110 |5 |0 |0 |0 |2 |-		Texas Stars |AHL |76 |11 |12 |23 |102 |— |— |— |— |— |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	Texas Stars |AHL |59 |4 |7 |11 |80 |8 |0 |0 |0 |19 |-	Edmonton Oilers |NHL |67 |2 |2 |4 |127 |—  —  —  —  — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"   2014–15  Edmonton Oilers  NHL  40  2  1  3  43   —   —   —   —   — |-   2014–15 Oklahoma City Barons AHL   5   2   0   2   7   —   —   —   —   — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2015–16 Edmonton Oilers NHL   29   1   ۰   ۱   24   —   —   —   —   — |- 2015–16 Bakersfield Condors AHL   11   1   2   3   6   —   —   —   —   — |- bgcolor="#f۰f۰f۰" 2016–17 Albany Devils AHL   37   1   6   7   63   —   —   —   —   — |- 2016–17 New Jersey Devils NHL   11   ۰   ۰   ۰   12   —   —   —   —   — |- bgcolor="#f۰f۰f۰" 2017–18 Stockton Heat AHL   61   1   1   2   ‌59      —      —      —      — |- 2018–19 San Diego Gulls AHL   20   3   4   7   39      1      ۰      ۰      ۲ |- bgcolor="#f۰f۰f۰" 2019–20 San Diego Gulls AHL    7    ۰    ۰    ۰    ۲    —    —    —    —    — |- bgcolor="#e۰e۰e۰"	AHL totals !397 !35 !41 !76 !623 !14 !۰ !۰ !۰ !23 |- bgcolor="#e۰e۰e۰"			NHL totals !147 !5 !3 !8 !206 !— !— !— !— !—