Dustin Byfuglien

Born 	March 27, 1985 (1985-03-27) (age 25),
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Height
Weight 	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb)
Position 	Right wing/Defense
Shoots 	Right
NHL team
F. teams	Atlanta Thrashers
Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Draft 	245th overall, 2003
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career	2005–present
Dustin Byfuglien (pronounced /ˈbʌflɨn/ BUF-lin or rarely /baɪfuːɡliən/ bye-FOOG-lee-ən[1] born March 27, 1985) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted as a defenseman, he has played both forward and defense in his career, but is currently playing defense.
==Early life==
Byfuglien was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Cheryl Byfuglien and father Ricky Spencer. His mother is of Norwegian descent, and his father is African American. Cheryl moved to Roseau with Dustin to be closer to her family while Ricky stayed in Minneapolis to continue college; the two never wed. In Roseau, Byfuglien was exposed to the game of hockey where he found an instant love for the sport, which soon turned into a calling. Byfuglien's stepfather, Dale Smedsmo, played four games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1972, and 110 games in the World Hockey Association.[2][1]
Due to academic ineligibility in Roseau, Byfuglien first moved to Warrenville IL, a suburb of Chicago, to play AAA under 18 hockey for the Chicago Mission then moved to Canada in hopes of not ruining any chance he could possibly have at playing hockey. In Canada, he played major junior hockey in the WHL. The Chicago Blackhawks drafted him in 2003. He has a reputation for playing with intensity, grit and determination.[citation needed]
==Playing career==
Originally a defenseman at the start of the 2007–08 season, he was moved to a right wing position to give the team a larger body near the net, an experiment that has proven successful.
The forward excelled in his third professional season, becoming the first Rockford IceHogs player to earn the American Hockey League's Player of the Week award, when he scored one goal and had five assists in four games. Byfuglien had seven points in eight games with Rockford. Byfuglien earned a recall on November 3 to the Chicago Blackhawks and never returned to the IceHogs. He had a goal in his first shift with the Blackhawks in the 2007–08 NHL season on November 3 against the St. Louis Blues and recorded his first career hat trick (three goals in one game) against the Phoenix Coyotes on November 30. He finished tied for fifth on the team with 19 goals and 36 points in his third season with the team, all while making a transition to forward throughout the campaign.
On June 24, 2010, Byfuglien was traded by Chicago, along with Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and Akim Aliu to the Atlanta Thrashers for a 1st and 2nd round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Marty Reasoner, Joey Crabb and Jeremy Morin.[3]
==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
2001–02 	Brandon Wheat Kings 	WHL 		3 	0 	0 	0 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Brandon Wheat Kings 	WHL 		8 	1 	1 	2 	4 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Prince George Cougars	WHL 		48 	9 	28 	37 	74 		5 	1 	3 	4 	12
2003–04 	Prince George Cougars	WHL 		66 	16 	29 	45 	137 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2004–05 	Prince George Cougars	WHL 		64 	22 	36 	58 	184 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2005–06 	Norfolk Admirals 	AHL 		53 	8 	15 	23 	75 		4 	1 	2 	3 	4
2005–06 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		25 	3 	2 	5 	24 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Norfolk Admirals 	AHL 		63 	16 	28 	44 	146 		6 	0 	2 	2 	18
2006–07 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		9 	1 	2 	3 	10 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2007–08 	Rockford IceHogs 	AHL 		8 	2 	5 	7 	25 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2007–08 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		67 	19 	17 	36 	59 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2008–09 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		77 	15 	16 	31 	81 		17 	3 	6 	9 	26
2009–10 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		82 	17 	17 	34 	94 		22 	11 	5 	16 	20
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		260 	55 	54 	109 	268 		39 	14 	11 	25 	46
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
Category:Atlanta Thrashers players