Chris Higgins (ice hockey b. 1983) : biography
Christopher "Chris" Higgins (born June 2, 1983) is an American professional ice hockey winger with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He finished a two-year career with the Yale Bulldogs, earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before turning professional for the 2003–04 season. After two seasons with the Canadiens’ minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), he joined the NHL in 2005–06. He recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 2009. After brief stints with the Rangers, Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers, he joined the Canucks in February 2011. Internationally, Higgins has competed for the United States in two World Junior Championships (2002 and 2003) and one World Championship (2009).
Playing style
Listed at 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall and 203 pounds (92 kilograms), Higgins plays mostly in the style of a power forward. He is known as a two-way player with good skating, capable of contributing offensively while remaining defensively responsible. He has alternated between playing the wing and center positions. Early in his career, he was compared to Dallas Stars forward Brendan Morrow.
Notes
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| | Regular season | | Playoffs | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
1999–00 | Avon Old Farms | USHS | 27 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
2000–01 | Avon Old Farms | USHS | 24 | 22 | 13 | 35 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
2001–02 | Yale University | ECAC | 27 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
2002–03 | Yale University | ECAC | 28 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — |
2003–04 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 67 | 21 | 27 | 48 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
2003–04 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
2004–05 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 76 | 28 | 23 | 51 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
2005–06 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 23 | 15 | 38 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
2006–07 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 61 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
2007–08 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
2008–09 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 57 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
2009–10 | New York Rangers | NHL | 55 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
2009–10 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
2010–11 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 48 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
2010–11 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
2011–12 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 71 | 18 | 25 | 43 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
2012–13 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 41 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NHL totals | 523 | 133 | 121 | 254 | 170 | 56 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 8 |