Robbie Earl Robert " Robbie " Wayne Earl ( born June 2 , 1985 ) is an American professional ice hockey forward . He plays for Salzburg Red Bulls of the Erste Bank Hockey League . Playing career . Early . He played two years as a forward with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under - 18 and Under - 17 Programs . He ranked third on the under - 18 team in 2002 – 03 with 33 points and 20 goals in 53 games , finishing fourth at the 2003 IIHF World Under - 18 Championship in Yaroslavl , Russia . He was the game - winning goal scorer in the championship game of the 2002 World Under - 17 Hockey Challenge in Stonewell , Manitoba and was fourth in scoring for the NTDP Under - 17 Team with 22 goals and 16 assists in 58 games during 2001 – 02 . He played for future Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves at the NTDP . Collegiate . In Earl ' s first season with the Badgers , he scored 27 points playing in a career high 42 games . As a Freshman he led the Badgers in points that season . He also managed to be nominated to the All - Rookie Team , tallying six power - play goals and three game winning goals that year . His career first hat trick came in overtime against then league - leading North Dakota . During his freshman season , Earl was awarded with " Insidecollegehockey . com " ’ s National Player of the Week award and the WCHA Rookie of the Week award . He was the Toronto Maple Leafs ’ fourth choice , 187th overall , in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft . The next year he improved his point total , enough to make the roster for the Second - Team All - WCHA . The successful year led him to a team - best 20 goals , eighth total ranked eighth in the WCHA . Earl also tied the team lead with five - game - winning goals , sharing second in the WCHA where his second career hat trick came against the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on November 19 . He also won the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week in that same time span , the first for the University of Wisconsin – Madison since the 2000 – 01 season . Earl ranked third in the plus / minus department , with a rating of + 17 . Additionally , he started the year with a seven - game scoring streak then broke the record the same year , with eight , from January 14 to February 12 . During his Junior season with Wisconsin , Earl scored a goal in the final of the 2006 Frozen Four tournament against the Boston College Eagles , helping the Badgers win the NCAA Men ' s Hockey Championship . He also scored twice against the University of Maine Black Bears in the Frozen Four semifinal . As a result , Earl was selected to the Frozen Four All - Tournament team and named the Most Outstanding player . After saying he would return to the Badgers for his senior season at the school ' s rally for the men ' s and women ' s Frozen Four Champions , two days later he announced that he decided to join the Maple Leafs instead . Professional . Following claiming the National Title , Earl joined the Toronto Marlies , the Maple Leafs ' American Hockey League affiliate and saw action in the team ' s first round North Division semifinal series against the Grand Rapids Griffins in for the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs . The following year , he scored 12 goals and 18 assists and racked up 50 penalty minutes in 67 games . During the 2007 – 08 season , Earl made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 2 , 2008 against the Ottawa Senators , recording one assist . In the following season , on January 21 , 2009 he was traded by the Leafs to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Ryan Hamilton and was assigned to their AHL affiliate , the Houston Aeros . In the 2009 – 10 season , he was recalled to Minnesota and scored his first NHL goal on November 15 , 2009 against Michael Leighton of the Carolina Hurricanes . Personal . The Badgers ' official site lists his grandparents as Tom and Pat McCusker . He also has two sisters , Brianne and Erin . He attended Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor , Michigan , as part of the USA Hockey National Development Team . Before that he spent ninth grade at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach , California . He was majoring in consumer science at Wisconsin before leaving early for the NHL .