Mike Hoffman (ice hockey, born 1989)

For other people named Mike Hoffman, see Mike Hoffman (disambiguation).

Mike Hoffman
Hoffman with the Ottawa Senators during the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs
Born	(1989-11-24) November 24, 1989 (age 34) Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Free agent Ottawa Senators Florida Panthers St. Louis Blues Montreal Canadiens San Jose Sharks
NHL draft	130th overall, 2009 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2010–present

Michael Hoffman (born November 24, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who is currently a free agent. He recently played for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fifth round, 130th overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL entry draft. Hoffman has also previously played for the Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, and St. Louis Blues.

Playing career

Junior

Hoffman started his junior hockey career with the Kitchener Dutchmen of the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League in 2006–07. ^[1] earning a rookie of the year nomination. ^[2] At the end of the 2006–07 season, the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) called him up for two games in the season, and four in the playoffs. At the start of the 2007–08 season, he failed to make the Rangers. ^[3] Since no OHL team picked him up, ^[4] he transferred to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he played until 2010.

Hoffman first joined the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL but was released after 19 games. In 2010, Olympiques General Manager Charlie Henry said that Hoffman was "a good player for us, but he didn't work as hard as he works today." ^[5] The QMJHL's last-place Drummondville Voltigeurs eventually picked him up and he finished the season with 24 goals in 62 games. He was not selected in the 2008 NHL entry draft, his first year of eligibility. However, he attended the Philadelphia Flyers' training camp on an amateur tryout and was released on September 29. ^[6]

Hoffman then returned to Drummondville. In the 2008–09 season, he achieved prominence by scoring 52 goals in 62 games with the Voltigeurs, who came from last in the 2007–08 season to win the 2009 QMJHL championship title ^[7] and a berth in the 2009 Memorial Cup. ^[8] In Game 7 for the QMJHL championship, Hoffman scored a goal and an assist in Drummondville's 3–2 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes, finishing with 21 goals in 19 games in the playoffs. ^[7] He was then selected by the Senators 130th overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft at the age of 19. ^[9] The Senators could have signed him after the draft as a free agent had he gone unselected, but 14 other NHL teams had shown interest in drafting him, necessitating Ottawa's selection. ^[9] Hoffman subsequently attended the Senators' development and training camps and played in a pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens, but was designated for assignment and returned to the QMJHL. ^[10]

Hoffman played the 2009–10 season, his "over-age" season, for the Saint John Sea Dogs, who traded a second-round draft choice to Drummondville for the player. ^[11] Hoffman recorded 85 points (46 goals, 39 assists) in 56 games. ^[8] His goal scoring broke the all-time goal single-season scoring record for the Sea Dogs, surpassing Scott Howes' goal total. ^[12] His point total also placed him third in the QMJHL in goals, tied for second in power-play goals (17) and seventh in overall scoring. Hoffman was also named a First Team QMJHL All-Star, won the League Most Valuable Player trophy, ^[5] the League Sportsman of the Year trophy ^[5] and was a finalist for the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Player of the Year award. ^[13]

Professional

Ottawa Senators

Hoffman with the Binghamton Senators in 2011

In July 2010, Hoffman attended the Ottawa Senators' development camp, and on July 22, 2010, he signed an entry-level contract with the NHL club. ^[13] After attending rookie camp and training camp with Ottawa, Hoffman was assigned to the Binghamton Senators, the Senators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Hoffman played the majority of the season with Binghamton and was a member of the 2011 Calder Cup-winning team. He also spent time in the ECHL with the Elmira Jackals during the season, Ottawa's second-tier affiliate.

Hoffman returned to Binghamton for the 2011–12 season. He was called up to Ottawa in December 2011 and made his NHL debut on December 23, 2011, against the Carolina Hurricanes; he was held pointless in his debut. ^[14]

Hoffman was the leading scorer for Binghamton during the 2012–13 season prior to suffering a broken collarbone just before the AHL All-Star Game. He played three games with Ottawa before re-injuring the collarbone and missing the last 12 regular season and first 10 playoff games. ^[15]

Hoffman began the 2013–14 season in Binghamton. He was recalled to Ottawa on December 2, 2013, after recording 26 points in 21 games, the second-highest point total in the AHL at the time. ^[16] He was returned to Binghamton, but returned to Ottawa in February 2014 and remained with the team for the final 23 games. In 2014–15, Hoffman played the whole season in Ottawa and his 27 goals led the team. ^[17] He was selected to play in the NHL All-Star weekend ^[18] and led all NHL rookies in goals. ^[17] He finished sixth in voting for the Calder Trophy for NHL rookie of the year. ^[19]

Following the 2014–15 NHL season Hoffman became a restricted free agent under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Ottawa Senators made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights and, on July 5, 2015, Hoffman filed for salary arbitration. ^[20] According to media reports, Hoffman asked for $3.4 million, while the Senators countered with $1.7 million. Hoffman was awarded a one-year $2 million deal, which the Senators accepted. Hoffman became a restricted free agent at the end of the 2015–16 season. On July 27, 2016, he re-signed with the Senators to a four-year, $20.75M deal, thereby avoiding arbitration. ^[21] On December 16, 2016, Hoffman was suspended for two games for a cross-checking incident on Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks. ^[22]

Fiancée harassment controversy

On May 4, 2018, teammate Erik Karlsson's wife, Melinda, filed an order of protection against Hoffman's fiancée, Monika Caryk. The order came in response to a large number of harassing messages directed toward the Karlssons over an extended period of time, allegedly originating from Caryk. The alleged harassment included utilizing multiple fake social media accounts to direct over 1,000 "negative and derogatory" comments towards the Karlssons, including comments wishing that someone would injure Erik Karlsson’s legs to end his career, and others wishing Karlsson's wife and her then-unborn child dead. ^[23] The Karlssons' son was later stillborn.

During a 2018 court deposition, Caryk burst into tears and threatened to leave the room during questioning. She told the court that she and Melinda Karlsson began as friends and that the Karlssons were never outwardly hostile towards her. When asked how the friendship deteriorated, Caryk stated that she became offended after her Facebook and Instagram posts stopped receiving "likes" from Melinda Karlsson, and Caryk became more upset when she stopped receiving invitations to team dinners organized for wives and girlfriends of Senators' players. The deposition revealed that wives and girlfriends of several players associated with the Senators and other organizations had contacted Caryk privately before the matter had ever gone public, admonishing her for her continued and increasing hostility towards the Karlssons. ^[24]

Although the allegations against Caryk remained unproven in a court of law, Hoffman was swiftly traded from Ottawa once the harassment allegations were made public. ^{[25] [26]} Senators' goaltender Craig Anderson later hinted that the situation was a factor in his own poor performance and request to be traded after signing a contract extension the season prior. He noted that he felt the situation had been resolved with Hoffman's exit from the team. ^[27]

Florida Panthers

On June 19, 2018, the Senators traded Hoffman, along with Cody Donaghey and a fifth-round pick of the 2020 NHL entry draft to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Mikkel Bødker, Julius Bergman, and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft. ^[28] About two hours later, he was traded to the Florida Panthers together with a seventh-round pick of the 2018 NHL entry draft for a fourth-round and fifth-round pick of the 2018 draft and a second-round pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. ^[29]

On October 13, 2018, Hoffman embarked on a 17–game point streak with the Panthers, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists, breaking the franchise record previously held by Pavel Bure with 13 games in 1999–00. ^[30] He finished his final season with the Panthers in 2019–20, registering 29 goals and 59 points in 69 games. ^[31]

St. Louis Blues

On December 27, 2020, Hoffman signed a professional tryout agreement with the St. Louis Blues. ^[32] On January 11, 2021, Hoffman and the Blues officially agreed on a one-year, $4 million contract. ^[31] In the shortened 2020–21 season, Hoffman tallied 36 points in 52 games. In a top-six scoring role he recorded seven of his goals on the power play, leading the Blues. Hoffman added one goal in four playoff contests against the Colorado Avalanche. ^[33]

Montreal Canadiens

On July 28, 2021, Hoffman was signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens as an unrestricted free agent. ^[33] On reporting to training camp, it was found that Hoffman had a knee injury that would cause him to miss up to four weeks. As a result he did not play in any of the team's pre-season games. ^[34] In his two seasons with the Canadiens, Hoffman scored 15 goals and 35 points in 67 games during the 2021–22 season and 14 goals and 34 points in 64 games in 2022–23. With Montreal, Hoffman was described as a "one-way player" lacking defence and a streaky player, elevating his game for short periods. ^[35] On March 24, 2023 Boston Bruins forward A. J. Greer was suspended by the NHL for one for a cross-check to Hoffman's face. ^[36] Hoffman was upset with the NHL's inconsistency of Greer's suspension, taking to social media stating that he had received a larger suspension for a less egregious check to the head. ^[37]

San Jose Sharks

Hoffman (right) with Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken in 2023.

On August 6, 2023, Hoffman was initially traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of a three-team trade also involving the San Jose Sharks. San Jose then acquired him from Pittsburgh. ^[38] On September 18, 2024, Hoffman signed a professional try-out agreement with the Edmonton Oilers. ^[39] On September 30, Hoffman was released from the PTO. ^[40]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005–06	Kitchener Dutchmen	MWJHL		2	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Kitchener Dutchmen	MWJHL		47	28	29	57	70		6	3	5	8	6
2006–07	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		2	0	0	0	2		4	0	0	0	0
2007–08	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL		19	5	7	12	16		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Drummondville Voltigeurs	QMJHL		43	19	17	36	77		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Drummondville Voltigeurs	QMJHL		62	52	42	94	86		19	21	13	34	26
2009–10	Saint John Sea Dogs	QMJHL		56	46	39	85	38		21	11	13	24	23
2010–11	Binghamton Senators	AHL		74	7	18	25	16		19	1	8	9	16
2010–11	Elmira Jackals	ECHL		4	0	3	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Binghamton Senators	AHL		76	21	28	49	44		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Ottawa Senators	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Binghamton Senators	AHL		41	13	15	28	38		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Ottawa Senators	NHL		3	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Binghamton Senators	AHL		51	30	37	67	32		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Ottawa Senators	NHL		25	3	3	6	2		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Ottawa Senators	NHL		79	27	21	48	14		6	1	2	3	2
2015–16	Ottawa Senators	NHL		78	29	30	59	18		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Ottawa Senators	NHL		74	26	35	61	51		19	6	5	11	10
2017–18	Ottawa Senators	NHL		82	22	34	56	34		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Florida Panthers	NHL		82	36	34	70	30		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Florida Panthers	NHL		69	29	30	59	28		4	3	2	5	4
2020–21	St. Louis Blues	NHL		52	17	19	36	10		4	1	0	1	4
2021–22	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	15	20	35	32		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	14	20	34	28		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	San Jose Sharks	NHL		66	10	13	23	20		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				745	228	259	487	267		33	11	9	20	20

Awards and honours

Award	Year
QMJHL
First Team All-Star	2009, 2010
Michel Brière Memorial Trophy	2010
Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy	2010
CHL Second All-Star Team	2010
AHL
Calder Cup (Binghamton Senators)	2011
AHL All-Star Game	2014
AHL First All-Star Team	2014	[41]
NHL
NHL All-Star Skills Competition (Rookie Competitor)	2015	[42]

References

1. "First-place Sugar Kings dump Dutchmen 7–3". The Record. Kitchener, Ontario. January 15, 2007. p. C2.
2. O'Brien, Richard. "Time to honour Mid-Western's best players". The Record. Kitchener, Ontario. p. C6.
3. Brown, Josh (September 4, 2007). "Rangers rookie blanks Battalion; Eganville native shakes away butterflies to put in solid outing". The Record. Kitchener, Ontario. p. D1.
4. "Hoffman aims to make point with Sens". Ottawa Senators. June 30, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
5. Briggs, Scott (April 6, 2010). "Simply indispensable; Hockey: Mike Hoffman has gone from being released in 2007 to league MVP". Saint John Telegraph Journal. p. B8.
6. "Flyers Assign 13 to Phantoms" (Press release). Philadelphia Flyers. September 30, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
7. Hicks, Jeff (May 14, 2009). "Rangers castoff shoots for Memorial Cup". The Record. Kitchener, Ontario. p. C3.
8. "Mike Hoffman hockey statistics & profile at hockeydb.com". hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
9. Hicks, Jeff (June 29, 2009). "Sens draft Kitchener's Hoffman; Passed over in last year's draft, Mike Hoffman grabbed attention by banging in 52 goals for Quebec league champions". The Record. Kitchener, Ontario. p. C1.
10. Briggs, Scott (September 21, 2009). "Saint John acquires instant offence with addition of sniper from Sens; Return Ottawa sends Mike Hoffman back to QMJHL to provide optimum ice time". Saint John Telegraph Journal. p. B10.
11. "Mike Hoffman Added To Sea Dogs Roster" (Press release). Saint John Sea Dogs. September 20, 2009 – via Our Sports Central.
12. "Mike Hoffman Breaks Scott Howes' Single-Season Goal Scoring Record in Dramatic Road Victory" (Press release). Saint John Sea Dogs. February 27, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010– via Our Sports Central.
13. "Bulletin: Senators sign forward Mike Hoffman to entry-level contract" (Press release). Ottawa Senators. July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
14. "Mike Hoffman Stats". NHL. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
15. "Senators Sign RFA Hoffman to One-Year, Two Way Contract". TSN . July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
16. Lund, Chris (December 2, 2013). "Sens recall Hoffman; re-assign Borowiecki, Grant". Ottawa Senators . Retrieved December 3, 2013.
17. Leahy, Sean (August 3, 2015). "Sens' Mike Hoffman awarded team-friendly 1-year, $2M decision in arbitration". Puck Daddy. Retrieved August 25, 2023– via Yahoo! Sports.
18. Halford, Mike (February 9, 2015). "Leading goalscorer Hoffman unsure about long-term deal with Sens". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
19. "Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman awarded US$2-million, one-year deal in salary arbitration". National Post. The Canadian Press. August 3, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
20. "Four players headed for salary arbitration". NHL.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
21. "News Release: Senators agree to terms with forward Mike Hoffman on a four-year contract". Ottawa Senators. July 26, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
22. "Sens' Hoffman gets 2 games for Couture cross-check". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. December 16, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
23. "Mike Hoffman's fiancee not planning to sue Erik Karlsson's wife: Lawyer". 680news.com. September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
24. Yogaretnam, Shaamini (September 1, 2018). "Court records reveal how events unfolded before Karlsson-Hoffman dispute became public". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
25. "Erik Karlsson's wife files protection order against teammate Mike Hoffman's girlfriend". CBC Sports. June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
26. "Wishing my unborn child dead": NHL star's wife says teammate's fiancée harassed couple". CBS News. June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
27. "Anderson happy in Ottawa as long as drama is behind them". TSN. August 26, 2018.
28. "Senators acquire Boedker, Bergman and a 6th-round pick from San Jose". Ottawa Senators. June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018– via NHL.com.
29. "Hoffman traded to Panthers by Sharks after being acquired from Senators". NHL.com. June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
30. "By the Numbers: Hoffman's historic point streak". TSN. November 23, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
31. "Hoffman signs one-year deal with Blues". St. Louis Blues. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
32. "Blues sign veteran Hoffman to tryout agreement". ESPN. Associated Press. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
33. "Three-year contract for forward Mike Hoffman". Montreal Canadiens. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
34. "Canadiens' Mike Hoffman to miss up to four weeks with lower-body injury". Sportsnet . September 25, 2021.
35. Lévesque, Dave (August 6, 2023). "Mike Hoffman n'aura impressionné personne à Montréal" [Mike Hoffman will not have impressed anyone in Montreal]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Retrieved August 25, 2023.
36. "Bruins' A.J. Greer suspended one game for cross-checking Canadiens' Hoffman". Sportsnet. March 24, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
37. "Canadiens' Hoffman questions Greer's one-game suspension for cross-checking". Sportsnet. March 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
38. Satriano, David (August 6, 2023). "Karlsson goes to Penguins in 3-team trade with Sharks, Canadiens". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
39. "RELEASE: Oilers sign Mike Hoffman to PTO". NHL.com. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
40. "Oilers release F Hoffman from PTO". The Sports Network. September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
41. "First, Second Team AHL All-Stars named". American Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
42. Garrioch, Bruce (January 10, 2015). "Ottawa Senators rookie Hoffman to show all-star speed". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

External links

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

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Nicola Riopel	Michel Brière Memorial Trophy 2009–10	Succeeded by Sean Couturier