T. J. Hensick
Timothy James Hensick | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 10, 1985 United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Known for | NHL center for Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues |
Timothy James Hensick (born December 10, 1985) is a retired American professional ice hockey center who competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. He was selected 88th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by Colorado.
Playing career
Hensick advanced through the United States National Development Program before spending four seasons (2003–07) at the University of Michigan. In his senior year, he topped the league charts with 69 points and 46 assists. Although he was not among the finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, he earned a place on the NCAA All-American Team and accumulated 222 points throughout his college tenure, securing a position on the First All-Decade Team.
In April 2007, Hensick signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche and began his professional career with their AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, during the 2007–08 season. He appeared in his first NHL game on November 30, 2007, and netted his inaugural NHL goal in just his second appearance. Representing Lake Erie as their only player, he participated in the 2008 AHL All-Star Game, where he led PlanetUSA with two goals and two assists.
Hensick opened the 2009–10 season on Colorado’s NHL roster but featured in only seven games before being placed on waivers and reassigned to Lake Erie. There, he led the team with 70 points and was honored as AHL Player of the Month in December. He also earned selection to the 2010 AHL All-Star Game.
Unable to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, Hensick was traded to the St. Louis Blues in June 2010 in exchange for Julian Talbot and inked a one-year two-way contract. After being assigned to their AHL team, the Peoria Rivermen, he made his Blues debut in November 2010, marking his 100th NHL game milestone. Over three seasons leading Peoria’s scoring charts, he remained a vital offensive presence but received limited opportunities at the NHL level.
In June 2013, Hensick agreed to a one-year contract with Swedish outfit Modo Hockey competing in the Swedish Hockey League. Following a disappointing output of just 15 points across 31 games, both parties mutually agreed to part ways. Returning to North America, he signed an AHL deal with the Abbotsford Heat in January 2014. Shortly thereafter, he was claimed off waivers by the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he tallied 34 points in 42 contests despite missing postseason action.
Continuing his career in the AHL, Hensick secured a one-year contract with the Hamilton Bulldogs in July 2014. After two seasons without NHL interest, he obtained a one-year two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2015 and was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Midway through that season, he was loaned to the Utica Comets (affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks), contributing 15 points over 19 games.
As a free agent in July 2016, Hensick signed a one-year AHL contract with the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliate, the Ontario Reign. He spent two seasons there before signing an ECHL deal with the Toledo Walleye in October 2018 after not receiving offers from higher leagues. Leading Toledo offensively with 58 points in 47 games, Hensick returned to the AHL by joining the San Jose Barracuda in February 2019 and added 20 points over 23 games.
Rejoining Toledo as a free agent in August 2019, Hensick was appointed team captain for the 2019–20 ECHL season.
Regular season and playoffs
2018–19 AHL seasonSan Jose Barracuda AHL 23|||6|||14|||20|||0 2019–20 ECHL season Toledo Walleye ECHL 57|||16|||40|||56|||23 2021–22 ECHL season Toledo Walleye ECHL 65|||22|||56|||78|||24 2022–23 ECHL season Toledo Walleye ECHL 9|||2|||6|||8|||2| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001–02 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 17 | 10 | 5 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | U.S. NTDP U18 | NAHL | 46 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 48 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | U.S. NTDP U18 | NAHL | 10 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 43 | 12 | 34 | 46 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 39 | 23 | 32 | 55 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 41 | 17 | 35 | 52 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 41 | 23 | 46 | 69 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 50 | 12 | 33 | 45 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 31 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 AHL season | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 12 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 2 | |||||||
| 2008–09 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 61 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 14 | |||||||
| 2009–10 NHL season | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| 2009–10 AHL season | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 58 | 20 | 50 | 70 | 25 | |||||||
| 2010–11 AHL season | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 59 | 21 | 48 | 69 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 NHL season | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| 2011–12 AHL season | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 66 | 21 | 49 | 70 | 20 | |||||||
| 2012–13 AHL season | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 76 | 19 | 48 | 67 | 50 | |||||||
| 2013–14 SHL season | Modo Hockey | Swedish Hockey League | 31 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 2 | |||||||
| 2013–14 AHL season | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 42 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 0 | |||||||
| 2014–15 AHL season | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 75 | 19 | 41 | 60 | 10 | |||||||
| 2015–16 AHL season | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 46 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 8 | |||||||
| 2015–16 | Utica Comets | AHL | 19 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 AHL season | Ontario Reign | AHL | 67 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 AHL season | Ontario Reign | AHL | 60 | 11 | 34 | 45 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 ECHL season | Toledo Walleye | ECHL | 47 | 17 | 41 | 58 | 10 | |||||||
| colspan="3" AHL totals !
653 !!172 !!416 !!588 !!194 |
21 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 2 | |||||||||
| colspan="3" NHL totals !
112 !!12 !!26 !!38 !!18 ! 2 !! 0 !!1 !!1 !! 0 ! | ||||||||||||||
International
| Year | Team | Competition | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | United States | U17 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2003 | United States | WJC18 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2005 | United States | WJC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| Junior career totals | 19 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 0 | |||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegiate | ||
| CCHA Rookie of the Year | 2004 | |
| All-CCHA Rookie Team | 2004 | |
| All-CCHA First Team selections | 2004, 2005, 2007 | |
| CCHA Top Scorer | 2005, 2007 | |
| AHCA West First-Team All-American honors | 2005, 2007 | |
| All-CCHA Second Team recognition | 2006 | |
| NCAA Leading Scorer | 2007 | |
| CCHA All-Tournament Team selection | 2007 | |
| AHL | ||
| AHL All-Star Game appearances | 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 | |
| Second All-Star Team acknowledgment | 2012 | |