Brandon Gignac

Brandon Gignac
Born	(1997-11-07) November 7, 1997 (age 26) Repentigny, Quebec, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	Montreal Canadiens Laval Rocket  (AHL) New Jersey Devils
NHL Draft	80th overall, 2016 New Jersey Devils
Playing career	2019–present

Brandon Gignac (born November 7, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round, 80th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Gignac played major junior hockey with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) before he was selected by the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the third round, 80th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. ^[1] During his final season with the Cataractes in the 2016–17, on November 12, 2016, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils. ^{[2] [3]} After posting 62 points in 59 regular season games with Shawinigan, Gignac joined the Devils' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Albany Devils, on an amateur try-out basis following a first round defeat in the QMJHL playoffs. He made his professional debut in Albany's penultimate regular season game against the Rochester Americans in a 5–4 defeat on April 14, 2017. ^[4]

In his first professional season, Gignac was assigned by New Jersey to their new AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, for their inaugural season in 2017–18. In his first two months, he contributed with just two goals and one assist, while also developing his two-way game before suffering a season-ending knee injury, tearing both his ACL and MCL, on December 13, 2017. Before the 2018–19 season, Gignac participated in the Devils' training camp. ^[5] On March 9, 2019, Gignac received his first call-up to the NHL by the Devils and made his NHL debut, taking one shot and skating for 9:04 minutes as the Devils lost 4–2 to the New York Rangers. ^[6]

In his final year with the Devils organization, he played in the ECHL with the Jacksonville Icemen. ^[7] Gignac was a restricted free agent at the end of the 2020–21 season. He was left unprotected in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft but ultimately went unselected. ^[8] Gignac was not given a qualifying offer by the Devils and became an unrestricted free agent. ^[9]

On July 29, 2021, Gignac signed a one-year contract with the Laval Rocket of the AHL. ^[10] Gignac registered 10 goals and 26 points in 48 games with the Rocket during the 2021–22 season. He signed a two-year extension with Laval on July 9, 2022. ^[11]

During the 2023–24 season, while leading the Rocket in scoring with 42 points through 43 regular season games, Gignac secured a two-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens on February 4, 2024. ^[12] He was recalled by Montreal the same day and made his debut for the Canadiens in a 5–2 win over the Washington Capitals on February 7. ^[13] On February 13, Gignac scored his first career NHL goal in a 5-0 shutout victory versus the Anaheim Ducks. ^[14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012–13	Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix	QMAAA		42	20	17	37	46		3	0	1	1	4
2013–14	Shawinigan Cataractes	QMJHL		53	5	9	14	18		4	0	1	1	6
2014–15	Shawinigan Cataractes	QMJHL		63	9	31	40	18		7	2	1	3	4
2015–16	Shawinigan Cataractes	QMJHL		67	24	37	61	41		20	7	9	16	8
2016–17	Shawinigan Cataractes	QMJHL		59	23	39	62	30		6	0	4	4	2
2016–17	Albany Devils	AHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Binghamton Devils	AHL		21	2	1	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Binghamton Devils	AHL		66	12	24	36	28		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	New Jersey Devils	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Binghamton Devils	AHL		36	4	10	14	19		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Binghamton Devils	AHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Jacksonville Icemen	ECHL		35	10	17	27	6		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Laval Rocket	AHL		48	10	16	26	12		13	5	4	9	6
2022–23	Laval Rocket	AHL		49	13	20	33	14		2	0	1	1	0
2023–24	Laval Rocket	AHL		61	19	36	55	46		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		7	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				8	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014	Canada Quebec	U17	4th		6	1	0	1	4
Junior totals					6	1	0	1	4

References

1. Ryan, Chris (June 26, 2016). "Meet the 2016 Devils draft class". nj.com. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
2. "Devils sign forward Brandon Gignac to entry-level contract" (PDF). njdevilspr.com (Press release). New Jersey Devils. November 12, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
3. "À travers la LNH : un 1er contrat pour Gignac". RDS (in Canadian French). November 12, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
4. "Game Summary Americans 5, Devils 4". American Hockey League. April 14, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
5. Robenhymer, Julie (August 15, 2018). "Gignac aims to impress at Devils Training Camp". New Jersey Devils. Retrieved March 11, 2019– via NHL.com.
6. Stein, Amanda (March 9, 2019). "Rangers rally by Devils, 4-2". New Jersey Devils. Retrieved March 11, 2019– via NHL.com.
7. "A Fresh Start for Brandon Gignac". Laval Rocket. December 3, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
8. "NHL Expansion Draft protected list for Kraken released". National Hockey League. July 18, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
9. "Devils acquire defenseman Jaros from San Jose; Extend qualifying offers to 5 players". Utica Observer-Dispatch. July 27, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
10. @RocketLaval (July 29, 2021). "The Laval Rocket announced on Thursday that the team has agreed to terms on a one-year contract (2021-22 - AHL, one-way) with Quebec-born forward Brandon Gignac" (Tweet). Retrieved July 29, 2021– via Twitter.
11. "Brandon Gignac de retour pour deux saisons avec le Rocket". RDS (in French). July 9, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
12. "Two-year contract for Brandon Gignac". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved February 4, 2024– via NHL.com.
13. "Canadiens' Brandon Gignac: Makes debut". CBS Sports. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
14. "ANA@MTL: Game recap". Montreal Canadiens. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024– via NHL.com.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database