From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013
looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their
Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 15 looks at the defenseman with the best name, Johnny Oduya.
Johnny Oduya was born on October 1st, 1981, in Stockholm, Sweden. At age fifteen during the 1996-1997 season, Oduya played for the Hammarby IF Stockholm Junior level team in the Swedish junior league, going without a point in thirteen games. In 1997-1998, he remained in the same organization, and appeared in twenty-six games, while notching three goals and eleven assists, as well as establishing a tough guy reputation with seventy penalty minutes. He continued to play in the junior league in 1998-1999, and scored fourteen goals and thirty-one assists in thirty-eight games. Oduya regressed a bit in 1999-2000, scoring just three goals and passing only eighteen assists in thirty-two games in the regular season, and then he had one goal and two assists in six playoff games. He did earn a promotion to Hammarby's professional squad in the second-tier Swedish league, but was pointless in two games. Oduya made his first trip to North America for the 2000-2001 season, joining the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Moncton Wildcats for forty-four games. He scored eleven goals and thirty-eight assists before moving to the Victoriaville Tigres, playing in twenty-four games with three goals and sixteen assists in the regular season. In the playoffs, Oduya supplied another four goals and nine assists in thirteen games. He was also a seventh round draft pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. They retained his rights when he returned to Sweden in 2001-2002, rejoining Hammarby IF for forty-six games, to the tune of eleven goals and fourteen assists. In the playoffs, he had a single goal in two games. Oduya was far peskier in 2002-2003, scoring fifteen goals, dishing twenty-five assists, and accumulating 200 penalty minutes in only forty-eight games. He was promoted to play for Djurgardens IF Stockholm in the Swedish Elitserien for the 2003-2004 season, and he struggled to produce offense with only four goals and four assists in forty-two games, followed by four pointless playoff games. His intangibles were much more valuable though, as he played shutdown defense, had good puck control, and agitated opponents to a line of 173 penalty minutes. Oduya stayed with Djurgardens in 2004-2005, and registered two goals, four assists, and 139 penalty minutes in the regular season, appearing in forty-nine games. In twelve postseason games, he had two assists. In 2005-2006, Oduya played for Frolunda HC Goteberg, appearing in forty-seven games and recording eight goals and eleven assists while cutting his penalty minutes again to ninety-five. In the playoffs, he had one goal and two assists in seventeen games. On July 24th, 2006, Oduya was signed by the New Jersey Devils to play in the 2006-2007 season, since his affiliation with the Capitals organization had expired. While expected to play in the American Hockey League or be a healthy scratch, injuries necessitated Oduya to play in the NHL, and he performed well in having two goals and nine assists in seventy-six games as a lower-pairing defenseman. He had only one assist in six playoff games that year. Oduya developed more in 2007-2008, playing in seventy-five games with six goals and twenty assists, followed by another assist in five playoff games. He also recorded a +27 on his plus/minus rating, good for ninth in the league. Oduya remained with the Devils in 2008-2009, playing to a line of seven goals and twenty-two assists while appearing in all eighty-two games, but he went without a point in seven playoff games. He was selected to represent Sweden in the 2009 World Championships, playing in five games and scoring three goals and an assist. In 2009-2010, Oduya played in forty games for New Jersey, scoring two goals and two assists in what appeared to be a down year. Then, Oduya was included in a move that shook up the hockey world. On February 4th, 2010, Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and the Devils' first round and second round picks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft were traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for Ilya Kovalchuk, Anssi Salmela, and the Thrashers' second round pick in a blockbuster trade. The Thrashers traded both picks they received to Chicago in a separate deal, and the Blackhawks picked Kevin Hayes with the first round choice and Justin Holl in the second round. The Devils later selected Jonathon Merrill with the pick they received. Bergfors and Salmela have busted in the NHL and gone to Russia to play in the KHL since then, while Cormier has bounced between the NHL and AHL. The centerpiece of the deal, Kovalchuk, famously had his seventeen-year contract with New Jersey terminated, which resulted in hefty penalties both financially and for play development before they agreed on a fifteen-year contract with Kovalchuk. Just days before this post, Kovalchuk nullified the remaining twelve years on his contract and later signed on with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, making Oduya the only full-time NHL player left from the trade. Around the same time, Oduya was selected to play in the Winter Olympics for Sweden, but he went pointless in four games. In twenty-seven games with the Thrashers after the trade, Oduya recorded one goal and eight assists. He remained in Atlanta for 2010-2011, playing in the full eighty-two game season and scoring two goals and adding fifteen assists. The Thrashers were struggling with ownership during Oduya's tenure there, and on June 21st, 2011, the team was relocated to Winnipeg and rebranded as the Jets. Oduya played a partial season in Winnipeg, appearing in sixty-three games with two goals and eleven assists before being traded again, this time going to the Chicago Blackhawks for their second and third round selections in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft on February 27th, 2012. In eighteen games with Chicago, Oduya recorded one goal and four assists, followed by three assists in six playoff games. Part of the 2013 season was erased due to a lockout in 2012, and Oduya entered the shortened season at age thirty-one, but played in all forty-eight games to the tune of three goals and nine assists. He also appeared in all twenty-three postseason games for the Blackhawks, scoring three goals and adding five assists as Chicago marched to the Stanley Cup. Interestingly enough, the picks that he had been traded with from New Jersey to Atlanta ended up with the Blackhawks when they had a salary purge after their 2010 Stanley Cup victory, and Oduya too worked his way there in time to win a Stanley Cup. The prospects from the Kovalchuk deal have yet to develop as NHL players, but the veterans have made a lasting impact on the teams they have played for.
Johnny Oduya was born on October 1st, 1981, in Stockholm, Sweden. At age fifteen during the 1996-1997 season, Oduya played for the Hammarby IF Stockholm Junior level team in the Swedish junior league, going without a point in thirteen games. In 1997-1998, he remained in the same organization, and appeared in twenty-six games, while notching three goals and eleven assists, as well as establishing a tough guy reputation with seventy penalty minutes. He continued to play in the junior league in 1998-1999, and scored fourteen goals and thirty-one assists in thirty-eight games. Oduya regressed a bit in 1999-2000, scoring just three goals and passing only eighteen assists in thirty-two games in the regular season, and then he had one goal and two assists in six playoff games. He did earn a promotion to Hammarby's professional squad in the second-tier Swedish league, but was pointless in two games. Oduya made his first trip to North America for the 2000-2001 season, joining the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Moncton Wildcats for forty-four games. He scored eleven goals and thirty-eight assists before moving to the Victoriaville Tigres, playing in twenty-four games with three goals and sixteen assists in the regular season. In the playoffs, Oduya supplied another four goals and nine assists in thirteen games. He was also a seventh round draft pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. They retained his rights when he returned to Sweden in 2001-2002, rejoining Hammarby IF for forty-six games, to the tune of eleven goals and fourteen assists. In the playoffs, he had a single goal in two games. Oduya was far peskier in 2002-2003, scoring fifteen goals, dishing twenty-five assists, and accumulating 200 penalty minutes in only forty-eight games. He was promoted to play for Djurgardens IF Stockholm in the Swedish Elitserien for the 2003-2004 season, and he struggled to produce offense with only four goals and four assists in forty-two games, followed by four pointless playoff games. His intangibles were much more valuable though, as he played shutdown defense, had good puck control, and agitated opponents to a line of 173 penalty minutes. Oduya stayed with Djurgardens in 2004-2005, and registered two goals, four assists, and 139 penalty minutes in the regular season, appearing in forty-nine games. In twelve postseason games, he had two assists. In 2005-2006, Oduya played for Frolunda HC Goteberg, appearing in forty-seven games and recording eight goals and eleven assists while cutting his penalty minutes again to ninety-five. In the playoffs, he had one goal and two assists in seventeen games. On July 24th, 2006, Oduya was signed by the New Jersey Devils to play in the 2006-2007 season, since his affiliation with the Capitals organization had expired. While expected to play in the American Hockey League or be a healthy scratch, injuries necessitated Oduya to play in the NHL, and he performed well in having two goals and nine assists in seventy-six games as a lower-pairing defenseman. He had only one assist in six playoff games that year. Oduya developed more in 2007-2008, playing in seventy-five games with six goals and twenty assists, followed by another assist in five playoff games. He also recorded a +27 on his plus/minus rating, good for ninth in the league. Oduya remained with the Devils in 2008-2009, playing to a line of seven goals and twenty-two assists while appearing in all eighty-two games, but he went without a point in seven playoff games. He was selected to represent Sweden in the 2009 World Championships, playing in five games and scoring three goals and an assist. In 2009-2010, Oduya played in forty games for New Jersey, scoring two goals and two assists in what appeared to be a down year. Then, Oduya was included in a move that shook up the hockey world. On February 4th, 2010, Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and the Devils' first round and second round picks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft were traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for Ilya Kovalchuk, Anssi Salmela, and the Thrashers' second round pick in a blockbuster trade. The Thrashers traded both picks they received to Chicago in a separate deal, and the Blackhawks picked Kevin Hayes with the first round choice and Justin Holl in the second round. The Devils later selected Jonathon Merrill with the pick they received. Bergfors and Salmela have busted in the NHL and gone to Russia to play in the KHL since then, while Cormier has bounced between the NHL and AHL. The centerpiece of the deal, Kovalchuk, famously had his seventeen-year contract with New Jersey terminated, which resulted in hefty penalties both financially and for play development before they agreed on a fifteen-year contract with Kovalchuk. Just days before this post, Kovalchuk nullified the remaining twelve years on his contract and later signed on with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, making Oduya the only full-time NHL player left from the trade. Around the same time, Oduya was selected to play in the Winter Olympics for Sweden, but he went pointless in four games. In twenty-seven games with the Thrashers after the trade, Oduya recorded one goal and eight assists. He remained in Atlanta for 2010-2011, playing in the full eighty-two game season and scoring two goals and adding fifteen assists. The Thrashers were struggling with ownership during Oduya's tenure there, and on June 21st, 2011, the team was relocated to Winnipeg and rebranded as the Jets. Oduya played a partial season in Winnipeg, appearing in sixty-three games with two goals and eleven assists before being traded again, this time going to the Chicago Blackhawks for their second and third round selections in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft on February 27th, 2012. In eighteen games with Chicago, Oduya recorded one goal and four assists, followed by three assists in six playoff games. Part of the 2013 season was erased due to a lockout in 2012, and Oduya entered the shortened season at age thirty-one, but played in all forty-eight games to the tune of three goals and nine assists. He also appeared in all twenty-three postseason games for the Blackhawks, scoring three goals and adding five assists as Chicago marched to the Stanley Cup. Interestingly enough, the picks that he had been traded with from New Jersey to Atlanta ended up with the Blackhawks when they had a salary purge after their 2010 Stanley Cup victory, and Oduya too worked his way there in time to win a Stanley Cup. The prospects from the Kovalchuk deal have yet to develop as NHL players, but the veterans have made a lasting impact on the teams they have played for.
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