David Savard

Savard was born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. As a youth, he played in the 2003 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Collège Antoine-Girouard, and in the 2004 event with the Richelieu Éclaireurs.[1]

Savard was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round, 94th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft after his second season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he played as reliable defenceman with strong defensive skills.

With Columbus in 2013

The following season, by demand from the team that had drafted him, Savard started to support the offence a little more aiming to become a more complete player. Consequently, he was awarded many trophies at the end of his third junior season, such as the Émile Bouchard Trophy rewarding the best QMJHL Defensive defenceman and the Kevin Lowe Trophy awarded to the best QMJHL defenceman, while finishing first league scorer among defencemen, establishing a league record for assists as a defenceman.

In the same year, he was selected to participate to the Subway Super Series, wearing a Quebec jersey in the tournament. He was named the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) best defenceman, recognizing his remarkable season with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL in 2009–10.

The next year, while still being eligible to play for a junior team, the Columbus Blue Jackets assigned him to play with the Springfield Falcons, the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. After an excellent pro training camp, the Blue Jackets decided Savard would progress faster at the AHL, following his high marks in junior hockey the former year.

Savard then donned the Springfield Falcons colours in the American Hockey League during the 2010–11 season where he finished as the team's top scoring defenceman, and second among the league's rookie defencemen.

Savard scored his first career NHL goal on February 7, 2012, against Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Bäckström. After playing 31 games during the 2011–12 season at the age of 21, he was slowed by an injury suffered in December 2012, shortly before the 2012–13 NHL lock-out's resolvement. At the Blue Jackets' camp, he was not able to do justice at the beginning of a season that was going to be shortened, but still managed to be in the line-up for four of the team's 48 games. He spent the majority of the 2012–13 season with Springfield.

On July 15, 2013, as a restricted free agent, Savard re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Blue Jackets.[2]

Savard was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2015 World Championships, where they won the title for the first time since 2007 with a perfect 10-0 record.[3]

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