Denis Hamel

Denis Jean Hamel (born May 10, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who is currently playing for the Adirondack Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL). A former star in junior, Hamel has not been able to translate his scoring success in junior to the National Hockey League (NHL), although he has had success at the AHL level, being named an AHL All-Star 3 times. After a serious knee injury in 2000, Hamel's skating speed was diminished and has limited his ability to contribute in the NHL. He is known as a fan favourite with the Senators, and is known for his contributions to the community, for which he won the 2008 AHL Man of the Year award.
==Playing career==
Hamel was drafted 153rd overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Before he graduated from junior hockey, the Blues traded his rights to the Buffalo Sabres. After 3 seasons with the Sabres' AHL team, the Rochester Americans, he played two full seasons with the Sabres in 2000–01 and 2001–02. During the 2000–01 season, he suffered a serious knee injury which limited his play to 41 games and affected his skating speed. He split the 2003–04 season between Buffalo and Rochester. For the 2003–04 season, Hamel signed with the Ottawa Senators organization and played a majority of his games with Binghamton Senators, Ottawa's AHL affiliate. In the 2005–2006 season, Hamel set the Binghamton team record for most goals in a season with 56. In addition, he was the captain of Binghamton Senators for the 2005–2006 season.
In 2006–07 he returned to the NHL as a regular forward with the Ottawa Senators, and played 43 games with the club. After the Senators suffered injuries to Mike Fisher and Jason Spezza, the club traded for Mike Comrie who would take Hamel's place after the injured players returned. On February 10, 2007, the Atlanta Thrashers claimed Hamel off waivers after Ottawa wanted to assign Hamel to Binghamton. After playing three games for Atlanta, he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers on February 27, 2007, where he finished the season. 
On July 6, 2007, Hamel returned to the Senators organization, signing a three-year American Hockey League contract with the Binghamton Senators. He chose to sign with Binghamton, as he intended to have stability in his career. He played the entire 2007–08 season with Binghamton, scoring 32 goals in 67 games. He played there through the 2008-09 and 2009-10 season before being released as a UFA in the 2010 offseason. He was signed by the Adirondack Phantoms on October 30, 2010, one month into the AHL season.
==Awards==
*1995 QMJHL All-Rookie Team
*2004 AHL First All-Star Team
*2006 Willie Marshall Award (AHL top goal scorer) - tied with Don MacLean
* 2008 AHL Man of the Year Award
==Records==
Holds the following Binghamton Senators franchise records:
*Most goals in a single season (56 in 2005–06)
*Most career goals and points in franchise history (124 and 236)
==Career statistics==
  	  	  	 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	 	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1994–95 	Chicoutimi Saguenéens	QMJHL 	 	66 	15 	12 	27 	155 	 	13 	2 	0 	2 	29
1995–96 	Chicoutimi Saguenéens	QMJHL 	 	65 	40 	49 	89 	199 	 	17 	10 	14 	24 	64
1996–97 	Chicoutimi Saguenéens	QMJHL 	 	70 	50 	50 	100 	339 	 	20 	15 	10 	25 	65
1997–98 	Rochester Americans 	AHL 	 	74 	10 	15 	25 	98 	 	4 	1 	2 	3 	0
1998–99 	Rochester Americans 	AHL 	 	74 	16 	17 	33 	121 	 	20 	3 	4 	7 	10
1999–00 	Rochester Americans 	AHL 	 	76 	34 	24 	58 	122 	 	21 	6 	7 	13 	49
1999–00 	Buffalo Sabres 	NHL 	 	3 	1 	0 	1 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Buffalo Sabres 	NHL 	 	41 	8 	3 	11 	22 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2001–02 	Buffalo Sabres 	NHL 	 	61 	2 	6 	8 	28 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Rochester Americans 	AHL 	 	48 	27 	20 	47 	64 	 	3 	3 	2 	5 	4
2002–03 	Buffalo Sabres 	NHL 	 	25 	2 	0 	2 	17 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Binghamton Senators 	AHL 	 	78 	29 	38 	67 	116 	 	2 	0 	0 	0 	2
2003–04 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	 	5 	0 	0 	0 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2004–05 	Binghamton Senators 	AHL 	 	80 	39 	39 	78 	75 	 	5 	1 	0 	1 	4
2005–06 	Binghamton Senators 	AHL 	 	77 	56 	35 	91 	65 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2005–06 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	 	4 	1 	0 	1 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	 	43 	4 	3 	7 	10 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Atlanta Thrashers 	NHL 	 	3 	1 	0 	1 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 	 	7 	0 	0 	0 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2007–08 	Binghamton Senators 	AHL 	 	67 	32 	23 	55 	60 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2008–09 	Binghamton Senators 	AHL 	 	63 	25 	25 	50 	36 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	Binghamton Senators 	AHL 	 	73 	22 	29 	51 	45 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2010–11 	Adirondack Phantoms 	AHL 	 	66 	25 	25 	50 	50 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
NHL totals 	NHL totals 	NHL totals 	 	192 	19 	12 	31 	77 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
AHL totals 	AHL totals 	AHL totals 	 	776 	315 	290 	605 	852 	 	55 	14 	15 	29 	69
QMJHL totals	QMJHL totals 	QMJHL totals	 	201 	105 	111 	216 	701 	 	49 	27 	24 	51 	199
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
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*
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*Denis Hamel's page at Binghamton Senators website
Category:Born in 1977
Category:Adirondack Phantoms players
Category:Atlanta Thrashers players
Category:Binghamton Senators players
Category:Buffalo Sabres players
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Chicoutimi Sagueneens alumni
Category:Ottawa Senators players
Category:Philadelphia Flyers players
Category:Rochester Americans players
Category:St. Louis Blues draft picks