David Booth David Booth ( born November 24 , 1984 ) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Following his sophomore year with the Michigan State Spartans , he was selected 53rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft . He played a full four - year college hockey career before turning professional within the Panthers organization in 2006 – 07 . During his sixth season with the team , Booth was traded to the Canucks in October 2011 . Known as an offensive forward and a fast skater , he has reached the 30 - goal plateau once in his NHL career . Playing career . Amateur career . After playing minor hockey with Detroit Honeybaked of the Midwest Elite Hockey League , Booth moved on to the Junior A level with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors of the North American Hockey League ( NAHL ) . He recorded 30 points ( 17 goals and 13 assists ) over 42 games in 2000 – 01 , earning him NAHL All - Rookie Team and Rookie of the Year honours . The following season , he joined the United States National Team Development Program and competed for their junior and under - 18 teams in the United States Hockey League and NAHL , respectively . During his time with the development program , he committed to the Michigan State Spartans of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association ( CCHA ) . Joining the Spartans in 2002 – 03 , he recorded 36 points ( 17 goals and 19 assists ) over 39 games , ranking 4th in team scoring and 13th in the CCHA overall . His freshman year included two CCHA Rookie of the Week distinctions and a hat trick , recorded on January 10 , 2003 , in a 5 – 2 win against the Alaska Nanooks . His efforts as a freshman earned him Spartans Rookie of the Year and CCHA All - Rookie Team honours . Although Booth was eligible for the 2003 NHL Entry Draft , NCAA rules stipulated that players under the age of 19 could not opt into the draft without foregoing their college eligibility . Early the following season , Booth sustained a knee injury that force him out of the lineup . He finished his sophomore year with 18 points ( 8 goals and 10 assists ) over 30 games . Despite decreased production in his draft - year for the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , he remained highly - ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ( CSB ) at the end of the season . He was listed at 27th among skaters playing in North America by the CSB , while " The Hockey News " ranked him 33rd overall . During the 2004 NHL Entry Draft , Booth was selected in the second round , 53rd overall , by the Florida Panthers . He was scouted as a player with size and toughness , while a " USA Today " article declared that he " would have gone mch higher if he opted into the draft [ the previous ] season . " Following his draft , Booth returned to Michigan State to complete his four - year tenure with the school . During his junior year , he and teammate Bryan Lerg set a Spartans record for the fastest two goals scored in a game ( five seconds apart ) . Their goals came in a 6 – 5 overtime loss to the Alaska Nanooks in February 2005 and surpassed the previous record by one second . Later that month , Booth was sustained a cracked rib and was sidelined for several games . He finished the 2004 – 05 season with 16 points ( 7 goals and 9 assists ) over 29 games . In the first month of his senior year , Booth played in his 100th career college game against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux on October 16 , 2005 , a contest in which he recorded a shorthanded goal in a 3 – 0 win . Booth later missed some playing time due to injury before returning to the lineup in late - November 2005 . After struggling to score in the first half of the 2005 – 06 season ( he recorded nine points in the first three months ) , Booth finished with 35 points ( 13 goals and 22 assists ) over 37 games . His production included an 11 - game point - scoring streak that was broken on the last regular season game against the Miami RedHawks . In the CCHA playoffs , Booth helped the Spartans to a Mason Cup championship . Moving on to the 2006 NCAA Tournament , they were eliminated in the regional final by the Maine Black Bears . Over four years with the Spartans , Booth finished his college career with 105 points in 134 games . Florida Panthers ( 2006 – 11 ) . On July 20 , 2006 , Booth signed with the Panthers . Joining the organization for the subsequent season , he was assigned to the Panthers ' American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Rochester Americans , to start 2006 – 07 . Within two months , he was called up to the Panthers on November 20 , making his NHL debut that night against the Boston Bruins . After being returned to the AHL six days later , he received another call - up the following month and recorded his first NHL point on December 12 against the Anaheim Ducks . Several games later , he scored his first NHL goal on January 4 , 2007 against the Calgary Flames . He also recorded his first multi - point NHL game ( two assists ) on March 17 against the New York Islanders . In the final month of the campaign , he registered his first game - winning goal on April 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning . Booth completed his rookie NHL season with 10 points over 48 games , while also recording 14 points over 25 AHL games . Early in the 2007 – 08 season , Booth was injured after receiving a check from behind during a game against the Ottawa Senators on October 20 , 2007 . While playing the puck , he was bodychecked by Senators defenceman Anton Volchenkov , causing his head to hit the end boards . Volchenkov received a five - minute major penalty and a game misconduct on the play , while Booth was taken off the ice in a stretcher . He was brought to an Ottawa hospital for precautionary measurses and was returned home the same night with a sore neck . While suspension for Volchenkov was suggested in the media following the game , the league chose not to hold a hearing regarding the incident . Senators head coach John Paddock was quick to dismiss the notion of suspension , as well , asserting that Booth turned into Volchenkov , as opposed to the Senators defenceman forcefully initiating contact . Booth missed one game due to the injury . Later in the campaign , he missed eight games with a knee injury . Missing nine games total , he recorded 40 points over 73 contests . The following season , Booth recorded his first career NHL hat trick against the Anaheim Ducks on November 9 , 2008 . He recorded another hat trick against the St . Louis Blues on March 1 , 2009 . Booth improved to 31 goals and 60 points , while missing 10 games with injury in his third NHL season . During the first month of the 2009 – 10 season , Booth sustained a concussion after being hit by Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards during a game on October 24 , 2009 . Skating up to the Flyers ' blueline , Booth had shot the puck into the offensive zone when Richards hit him with his shoulder in the head . Rendered unconscious , Booth was taken off the ice on a stretcher and brought to a Philadelphia hospital . In addition to his concussion , he sustained a cut above one eye that required stitches ; he was released the next day . While Richards received a five - minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for intent to injure , he was not suspended for the play . The decision not to further penalize Richards proved to be a highly contentious issue . Panthers general manager Randy Sexton and defenceman Keith Ballard voiced their opinion that Richards ' s hit was directed at the head while knowing Booth was in a vulnerable position . The Flyers captain expressed concern for Booth ' s health both in the media and to Panthers head coach Peter DeBoer personally , but asserted that he was not intending to hurt him . Another concern was the timing of Richards ' hit , as Booth had already release the puck . In response , NHL vice president Bill Daly explained that the hit was not late enough to warrant suspension . Booth returned to the lineup in January 2010 after missing 45 games with the head injury . During his absence , the Panthers and Flyers played each other on December 21 , 2009 , for the first time since Richards ' hit . The game included four fights , including one between Panthers defenceman and captain Bryan McCabe and Richards . The teams met again with Booth in the lineup on March 3 , 2010 . After fighting Richards in the first period ( one of four fights in the game and Booth ' s first in the NHL ) , Booth scored a goal and three assists ( completing a Gordie Howe hat trick ) to help the Panthers to a 7 – 4 win . Although the league had not suspended Richards for his actions against Booth , the incident was instrumental in the league ' s newfound efforts to eliminate hits to the head , particularly against unsuspecting players ( as was the case with Booth ) . Several months after Booth ' s October 2009 concussion , Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard was hit by Matt Cooke in a similar fashion on March 7 . Later that month , on March 25 , the NHL Board of Governors and NHL Players Association ' s executive board voted in favour of a rule penalizing " blindside hits " ( bodychecking a player after having skated laterally towards him in his " blind spot " . That same night , Booth suffered his concussion in five months during a game against the Montreal Canadiens . While reaching back to retrieve a loose puck , Booth was hit in the head by opposing defenceman Jaroslav Spacek ' s shoulder . No penalty was called on the play , while Booth was helped off the ice and taken to hospital . The hit did not receive suspension and did not spark controversy as Booth ' s previous concussion had . Following the game , Panthers forward Nathan Horton asserted that " It wasn ' t a dirty hit " ; Spacek expressed concern for Booth , but explained that " when he turned I was standing right there and basically he just ran at me . " Sidelined for the remaining nine games of the season , he finished the campaign with 16 points ( 8 goals and 8 assists ) over 28 games . While Booth ' s hockey - playing future was in doubt following his second concussion , he returned for the 2010 – 11 season and played all 82 games . Averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game , he recorded 40 points ( 23 goals and 17 assists ) . With 280 shots , including a 14 - shot effort against the Bruins on November 18 , 2010 , he led all Panthers ' players and ranked 12th in the NHL overall . As a team , the Panthers continued to struggle and began trading away many of their veteran players towards the end of the season ; they finished with the worst record in the East . Vancouver Canucks ( from 2011 ) . Less than a month into the 2011 – 12 season , Booth was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on October 22 , 2011 . The Panthers sent him , along with forward Steven Reinprecht and a third round pick in the 2013 draft , to Vancouver in exchange for forwards Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm . Booth was admittedly surprised at the trade , while reports out of Florida suggested that Booth was made expendable by Florida in part to his slow start to the season ; he registered one assist over the first six games while being demoted to the third line . Booth had also been reportedly sought after by Vancouver for six months prior ; the team conferred with alternate captain Ryan Kesler regarding Booth ' s character on and off the ice ( the two grew up playing minor and junior hockey together ) . Joining Vancouver , he switched his jersey number from 10 to 7 , in honour of his younger sister , Rachael , who also wears the number as a hockey player . Playing on the second line with countrymen Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins , the scoring unit was immediately nicknamed the " American Express " line . Within several games , however , Higgins was replaced by Canadian Cody Hodgson . He scored his first goal as a Canuck 15 days after the trade , opening the scoring in a 6 – 2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks . Playing style . At 6 feet ( 1 . 83 metres ) and 212 pounds ( 96 kilograms ) , Booth ' s size enables him to play in the style of a power forward . Along with his physical stature , he is a fast skater , both of which allow him to retain the puck and contribute to his offensive skills . Personal life . Booth was born in Detroit , Michigan , and grew up in the nearby Washington Township of Macomb County . His father ' s name is Mike . Booth has two brothers and one sister , Rachael . He watched the Detroit Red Wings growing up , as his family owned season tickets . His favourite player has been listed as Keith Tkachuk . During Booth ' s minor hockey career , he was linemates with fellow Michigan - native Ryan Kesler for two years , beginning at age 12 . The two went on to become teammates with the U . S . National Development Team Program , the U . S . national junior team and the Vancouver Canucks . Booth earned his secondary education at Lutheran High School North in Macomb and Huron High School in Ann Arbor , Michigan . He moved to and graduated from the latter to facilitate his participation with the United States National Development Program , which was based out of Ann Arbor . During Booth ' s career with the Panthers , he lived with his younger brother in Florida .