Luke Schenn

Schenn's first minor hockey team was the Saskatoon Red Wings, where he was coached by his father, Jeff.[1] In 2004–05, Schenn played AAA midget hockey for the Saskatoon Contacts, who won the Telus Cup as Canada's national midget hockey champions.[2] While playing with the Contacts, Schenn was selected in the first round, 20th overall, of the 2004 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft by the Kelowna Rockets.[3]

The Kelowna Rockets arranged for Schenn to join the team during their Memorial Cup run at the end of the 2004–05 season. He roomed with defenceman Shea Weber as the team wanted him to learn about his future role.[4] Schenn debuted with the Rockets during the 2005–06 season, and was named the team's Rookie of the Year.[5] He served as an alternate captain for the team during the 2007–08 season.[2] Later in that same season, Schenn was named to the WHL's roster for the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge[2][5] and participated in the annual Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game, where he served as a team captain and scored a goal.[6] While playing in Kelowna, he was often paired with current Vancouver Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers, former winner of the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy.[4] Schenn was named to the WHL's Second All-Star Team after the 2007–08 season.[7]

Leading up to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Schenn was a highly regarded prospect,[4] ranked fifth among draft-eligible North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[7] Some scouts saw him as a mix between Calder Trophy and Norris Trophy nominee Dion Phaneuf and two-time Stanley Cup champion Adam Foote.[4] E. J. McGuire, then-director of the Central Scouting Bureau, compared him to former first overall selection Ed Jovanovski.[7] At the Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded with the New York Islanders for a higher draft pick, which they ultimately used to select Schenn.[8]

Schenn during his rookie season with the Maple Leafs

Early reports from the Maple Leafs training camp in September 2008 indicated Schenn was likely to be returned to his junior club for the 2008–09 season.[1] On October 7, 2008, he signed a contract with the Maple Leafs with a base salary of $850,000 per season and performance bonuses that could raise the value as high as $1.25 million per season.[6][9] After training camp, Schenn was chosen for the team roster at the start of the 2008–09 season,[10] making his NHL debut on October 9 against the Detroit Red Wings.[11] On October 29, Schenn recorded an assist for his first career NHL point against the New Jersey Devils. Later in the season, he scored his first goal against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price.[11] In January 2009, Schenn missed 12 games with a lower-body injury, the only games he missed during his rookie season.[12] Schenn played for the Rookie YoungStars team in the 2008–09 NHL YoungStars Game.[13] On March 14, 2009, he recorded his first multi-point (two assists) game in an 8–6 win against the Calgary Flames.[11] The NHL named Schenn to the 2008–09 All-Rookie Team on June 18, 2009, along with fellow 2008 draftee Drew Doughty. The award acknowledged Schenn's defensive prowess and physical play, as he led all NHL rookies in blocked shots and all rookie defencemen in hits.[14] Schenn finished his first season in the NHL with two goals and 12 assists in 70 games played.[12]

Expectations for Schenn were high heading into the 2009–10 season. During training camp, Toronto Head Coach Ron Wilson named him as one of the team's top four defencemen.[15] However, as the season progressed, Schenn's play was disappointing, and Wilson kept him out of the line-up for a game in October[16] and again for a three-game stretch in December.[15] Towards the end of the season, Schenn and some of his younger teammates improved their play.[17][18] In a game against the Ottawa Senators, Schenn posted his first career two-goal game, helping him finish the season with new career-highs in goals (5) and points (17) in 79 games played.[11]

Schenn had a strong start to the 2010–11 season, playing with veteran Tomáš Kaberle. Prior to a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Wilson described Schenn's play as "great".[19] When Kaberle was traded to the Boston Bruins in February 2011, Schenn was briefly named an alternate captain in his place,[20] until Colby Armstrong returned to the line-up after an injury.[21] Wilson felt that Schenn had made significant strides in his third NHL season: "He's learned a lot...He's not on the ice for as many goals against any more."[22] At the end of the season, Schenn had tied his career-high for goals with five and set new personal records for assists (17) and total points (22) while playing in all 82 games for the Maple Leafs.[11]

On June 23, 2012, Schenn was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for James van Riemsdyk.[23] With the Flyers, Schenn was given the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother Brayden, saying, "It’s going to be exciting to play with my brother, that's for sure. I can't describe how cool this is."[24] On June 28, 2012, it was announced that Schenn was going to wear number 22 for the Flyers, as his usual number 2 was retired from the team in honour of defenceman Mark Howe.[25]

During the 2015–16 season, Schenn appeared in 29 games for 5 points before he was traded (alongside Vincent Lecavalier) to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a third-round pick in 2016 and prospect Jordan Weal on January 6, 2016.[26] On July 23, 2016, Schenn signed a two-year, $2.5 million deal with the Arizona Coyotes.[27] On July 1, 2018, following the conclusion of his contract with the Coyotes, Schenn left the club as a free agent and agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Anaheim Ducks.[28]

On November 17, 2018, Schenn was placed on waivers by the Ducks after playing in eight games during the 2018–19 season but recording no points.[29] Assigned to American Hockey League (AHL) for the first time in his career, Schenn joined the Ducks' affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, and contributed with 10 points in 22 games before he was traded (along with a seventh-round pick in 2020) to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Del Zotto on January 16, 2019.[30] He was immediately assigned to continue in the AHL, joining the Canucks' affiliate, the Utica Comets.

On July 1, 2019, Schenn agreed as a free agent to a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he has been a healthy scratch, including being placed on waivers, and being reassigned to Tampa's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.[31] He was a member of the 2019-2020 team who won the Stanley Cup. Following their Stanley Cup win, Schenn signed a one-year contract to remain with the Lightning on October 29, 2020.[32]

Statistics source[11]

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006	Canada Western	U17	7th		5	1	0	1	10
2006	Canada	IH18			4	0	0	0	10
2007	Canada	SS			8	0	0	0	20
2007	Canada	WJC18	4th		6	3	0	3	4
2008	Canada	WJC			5	0	0	0	4
2009	Canada	WC			9	0	1	1	0
2011	Canada	WC	5th		7	0	1	1	0
2012	Canada	WC	5th		8	0	1	1	25
2013	Canada	WC	5th		7	1	1	2	27
Junior totals					28	4	0	4	48
Senior totals					31	1	4	5	52

Statistics source[2]