Player of the Week - Andrew Cogliano

To this point, Andrew Cogliano has played his entire career in the hockey hotbed of Edmonton. Starting in 2011-12, he will get a fresh start in sunny California after a trade with the Oilers saw him fly south to the Ducks. The native of Toronto, ON is known as one of the fastest players in the game and undoubtedly has the skill-set to excel at the NHL level. In Edmonton, he found himself in a situation competing with a glut of talented forwards, many who are part of a youth influx in Oiler country; now Cogliano finds himself en route to Anaheim where he will join a more seasoned offensive attack that is led by the likes of Perry, Getzlaf & Ryan upfront.

Andrew has shown that he can produce and play in almost all situations in the NHL. From an offensive standpoint, Andrew notched 18 goals in each of his first two seasons, impressive numbers for such a young player. His goal totals have dipped a bit in the past couple of seasons, but that has come with an alterted role in the Oilers lineup. If presented with the right situation, Andrew will undoubtedly help the Ducks remain a team that no one looks forward to facing in the Western Conference, or around the NHL.

• Andrew was recently traded by the Oilers to the Anaheim Ducks. Since the trade, Andrew has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Ducks, worth $7.17 million
• Has accumulated 146 points in 328 games played to date in his NHL career, all with the Oilers
• Was a member of the ‘YoungStars’ game at the 2009 NHL All-Star Weekend in Montreal, where he also won the “Fastest Skater” competition in the SuperSkills event

BIOGRAPHY:

• Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on June 14, 1987
• Drafted in the 1st round, 25th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft
• Has never missed a game in the span of his four-year NHL career
• Attended the University of Michigan on a hockey scholarship from 2005 to 2007, where he was among the team leaders in scoring both years
• Represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in both 2006 and 2007, capturing a gold medal on both occasions