Jordan Leopold - Playing Career

Playing Career

Prior to joining the NHL, Leopold played US college hockey with the University of Minnesota from 1998 until 2002 where he helped the Gophers win an NCAA national championship despite pressure to leave early to the NHL. After his first year with Minnesota, scoring 23 points, Leopold was drafted in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft 44th overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as a prospective offensive defenseman. After completing his sophomore season with the Gophers, Leopold became the property of the Calgary Flames, traded by the Ducks for Andrei Nazarov and a second-round draft pick. In 2001-02, his final season with Minnesota, he won the Hobey Baker Award for being the season's outstanding player in college hockey. He also played for the USA in the World Championships that year.

Leopold started his professional career in the NHL in the 2002–03 NHL season. He played 58 games for the Calgary Flames and scored 4 goals and 14 points. In his second season, Leopold would look like a seasoned veteran, playing in all 82 regular season games and scoring 33 points as well as contributing to the Flames' playoff run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, play which earned him a spot in the defense of the American national team for the 2005 World Championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

After one more season with the Flames, Leopold was traded to the Colorado Avalanche at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Leopold's first season with the Avalanche, in 2006–07, was all but wiped out due to injury. Having missed the first 25 games of the season recovering from hernia surgery, he then suffered a groin injury on December 11, 2006, ruling him out for another 17 games. Just a month later Leopold was injured again, fracturing his wrist on February 17, 2007, effectively missing the rest of the season, and playing in just 15 games. At season's end Leopold was re-signed by the Avalanche to a two-year contract on May 22, 2007.

In the 2007–08 season, Leopold was again struck down with another injury-plagued season. Throughout the course of the season Jordan missed 35 games with a hip ailment, lacerated leg and pneumonia. Jordan also suffered a concussion when he was hit high by Steve Ott on March 9, 2008. Ott was subsequently suspended for three games.

Leopold recovered to full health in time for the 2008–09 season. He played in every game with the Avalanche until the NHL trade deadline, when he was traded back to the Flames for Lawrence Nycholat, prospect Ryan Wilson and a second-round pick. Leopold then played all 19 games for the Flames becoming the first NHL player to play 83 games of the 82 game season, Ian White repeated the feat in 2010.

On June 27, 2009, as an impending free agent, Leopold's negotiation rights were traded by the Flames to the Florida Panthers, for the negotiation rights of Jay Bouwmeester, at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. After testing free-agency, Leopold signed a one-year contract with the Panthers on July 2, 2009.

In the 2009–10 season, Leopold scored 7 goals and 18 points in 61 games with the Panthers. On March 1, 2010, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2nd round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. On April 16, 2010, in Game 2 of a playoff series between the Penguins and the Ottawa Senators, Leopold's series was ended by a hit from Senators' defenceman Andy Sutton. Leopold, who had a history of concussion injuries, remained unconscious on the ice for several minutes. He returned to the lineup in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup against the Montreal Canadiens.

On July 1, 2010, Leopold left the Penguins as a free agent and signed a three-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres.