Josh Anderson (ice hockey)

Last updated

Josh Anderson
Josh Anderson hockey.jpg
Anderson with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016
Born (1994-05-07) May 7, 1994 (age 30)
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 226 lb (103 kg; 16 st 2 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Montreal Canadiens
Columbus Blue Jackets
National teamFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
NHL draft 95th overall, 2012
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2014present

Joshua Anderson (born May 7, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Toronto maple leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 95th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. A power forward known for speed and physicality, Anderson became known as "the Powerhorse". [1]

Contents

Internationally, Anderson plays for the Canada national team, and won a silver medal at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.

Playing career

Early years

Growing up in Burlington, Ontario, Anderson played both baseball and hockey. While eligible for the 2010 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Entry Draft, Anderson was passed over by all teams and returned to play midget with the Burlington Eagles of the South-Central Triple A Hockey League (SCTA). [2] Reflecting back on this, Anderson stated he expected to be passed over as he was undersized for 16. [3] During the 2010–11 season, he attracted the attention of the London Knights owners who invited him to try out for the team. His tryout was successful enough that he earned a spot on the 2011–12 season roster. [2]

Professional

Columbus Blue Jackets

Anderson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. While in his final junior season with London, Anderson was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets. [4] He made his NHL debut on January 16, 2015, against the New York Rangers. [5] During the 2015–16 season, Anderson underwent surgery to repair a small orbital fracture that had occurred during a preseason game, and was expected to miss up to four weeks to recover. [6] Despite his setback, Anderson scored his first NHL goal on January 9, 2016, against Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes. [7] He was returned to the American Hockey League (AHL) shortly thereafter where he helped lead Columbus' affiliate Cleveland Monsters to the 2016 Calder Cup. [8]

During the 2017–18 season, Anderson injured his knee in a game against the Washington Capitals and was expected to be out for four weeks. [9] The following season was a breakout one for Anderson in which he played the entire 82-game campaign setting a career high 47 points as the Blue Jackets advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history. [10]

In the 2019–20 season, Anderson was unable to replicate his offensive game, posting just 1 goal and 4 points in 26 games before suffering a posterior labral tear of his left shoulder against the Ottawa Senators on December 14, 2019. With the injury failing to respond to rehabilitation, Anderson had season-ending shoulder surgery on March 2, 2020, with an expected recovery period of 4–6 months. [11]

Montreal Canadiens

On October 6, 2020, Anderson was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Max Domi and a third round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft. [12] On October 8, Anderson as a restricted free agent was signed to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract extension with the Canadiens. [13] He made an immediate impression on arrival in Montreal, and was first dubbed a "powerhorse" by new teammate Tomáš Tatar, a nickname that was soonly widely adopted. [1] [14] Anderson recorded 17 goals and 7 assists during the pandemic-shortened regular season, and was widely regarded as one of the standouts during a tough season for the team. [15] [16] He was noted for his ability to deliver "big game performances". [17] This was reinforced during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, where Anderson recorded five goals over the four rounds of the Canadiens' deep run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. Four of those goals came in two games, the first a two-goal performance in Game 3 of the semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights that first gave Montreal the series lead, with Anderson first tying the game in the closing minutes thanks to a misplay by Knights goaltender Marc-André Fleury and then scoring the overtime winner. [18] In Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, with the Canadiens facing elimination, Anderson scored the first goal of the game and then won it in overtime, notching the team's only win in the series. [19]

In preparation for the 2021–22 season, Anderson began playing on a line with Jonathan Drouin and former London Knights teammate Christian Dvorak, who had just been traded to the Canadiens. [20] Drouin, who had missed much of the previous season due to anxiety and cited Anderson as a close friend and support through his difficulties, would score the Canadiens' first goal of the season off of Anderson's feed. [21] The Canadiens struggled greatly in the beginning of the season, while Anderson managed a team-leading seven goals (as well as six assists) through the first 24 games of the season before sustaining an upper body injury in a December 3 game against the Colorado Avalanche. It was announced that he would miss between two and four weeks as a result. [22] Anderson ultimately returned to the lineup in mid-January. [23] As the team continued to struggle coach Dominique Ducharme was sacked and replaced with Martin St-Louis, who revamped the lineup and created a new first line with Anderson, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield that immediately began producing results. [24] On March 1, 2022, Anderson scored his first career hat-trick in an 8–4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. [25] Anderson later spent some games away from the first line, as St-Louis expressed a desire to revise his style of play to emphasize more than being a "physical guy." [26]

After notching three goals and two assists in the first twelve games of the 2022–23 season, Anderson was suspended for two games for boarding Golden Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo. [27] He appeared in 69 games that season, scoring 21 goals and registering an additional 11 assists. His season ended prematurely when he sustained a high ankle sprain in a March 21 game against the Lightning, after being driven into the net by defenceman Mikhail Sergachev. [28]

The beginning of Anderson's 2023–24 season was marked by a lengthy scoring drought that became a topic of widespread sports media discussion. He remarked that it was "very tough," in that "every day you think about when you're going to break out of that slump and start putting them in the back of the net." [29] He scored an empty net goal in a December 4 game against the Seattle Kraken, the team's 25th game of the season, bringing a 27-game goalless streak to an end. [30] Anderson scored two goals against goaltender Semyon Varlamov in a Canadiens victory over the New York Islanders on December 16, his first scored against a goaltender in 34 games dating back to March 13. Named the first star of the game, he received a standing ovation from the crowd. [31] Anderson received the Molson Cup as the team's best player of the month of December, ultimately having scored six goals and nine points in that span. [32]

International play

Medal record
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2022 Finland

On December 2, 2013, Anderson and Knights teammate Bo Horvat were invited to partake in the selection camp process for the Canada national junior team prior to the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. [33] He scored one goal in the course of seven games, where the Canadian team finished fourth.

Following the 2021–22 NHL season, with Montreal not qualifying for the playoffs, Anderson accepted an invitation to join the Canadian national team at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Tampere. [34] Anderson registered an assist in his tournament debut, Canada's 5–3 victory over Germany. [35] In his first nine games, Anderson scored a goal and six assists, including an assist in Canada's 6–1 semi-final victory over Czech Republic to reach the championship final. [36] He registered another assist in a 4–3 loss to Finland in the final, earning a silver medal. [37]

Personal life

Anderson’s father, Gary, grew up in Dollard-des-Ormeaux on Montreal’s West Island as a huge Canadiens fan. Former Canadien Pete Mahovlich is the uncle of Anderson’s mother, Michelle, through marriage. [38]

In May 2023, Anderson got engaged to Paola Finizio in Puglia, Italy. They were married in the same area in July 2024. [39]

Career statistics

Anderson celebrating the Monsters' Calder Cup victory with teammate Michael Chaput. Chaput and Anderson (38769107680).jpg
Anderson celebrating the Monsters' Calder Cup victory with teammate Michael Chaput.

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2010–11 Burlington Cougars OJHL 4022010000
2011–12 London Knights OHL 6412102234192354
2012–13 London KnightsOHL68232649771912323
2013–14 London KnightsOHL5927245181954914
2014–15 Springfield Falcons AHL 527101776
2014–15 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 60112
2015–16 Lake Erie Monsters AHL5818213910815751224
2015–16 Columbus Blue JacketsNHL121342
2016–17 Columbus Blue JacketsNHL781712298951122
2017–18 Columbus Blue JacketsNHL6319113042612321
2017–18 Cleveland Monsters AHL10000
2018–19 Columbus Blue JacketsNHL82272047601012322
2019–20 Columbus Blue JacketsNHL2613417
2020–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL5217724382251612
2021–22 Montreal CanadiensNHL6919133265
2022–23 Montreal CanadiensNHL6921113272
2023–24 Montreal CanadiensNHL789112074
NHL totals5351319222346143861457

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2014 Canada WJC 4th71010
2022 Canada WC Silver medal icon.svg1017810
Junior totals71010
Senior totals1017810

Awards and honours

AwardsYearRef
OHL
J. Ross Robertson Cup champion 2012, 2013 [40]
AHL
Calder Cup champion 2016 [41]

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References

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