Cédric Paquette
Cédric Paquette (born August 13, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Paquette was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round, 101st overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Paquette won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning in 2020. Playing career. As a youth, Paquette played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Chandler, Quebec. Junior. Paquette  played major junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Montreal Juniors and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, scoring 58 goals and 73 assists for 131 points, with 193 penalty minutes, in 130 games played. Professional. Tampa Bay Lightning. On May 3, 2013, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed Paquette to a three-year, entry-level professional contract, assigning him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, to start the 2013–14 season. On April 11, 2014, after posting 20 goals and 22 assists, with 153 penalty minutes, in 70 games played with the Crunch, the Lighting recalled  Paquette. On November 4, 2014, during the 2014–15 season the Lightning recalled Paquette from Syracuse, his second recall of the season after having previously appeared in four games with the team. Two nights later, on November 6, Paquette scored his first two NHL goals in Tampa Bay's victory over the Calgary Flames, 5–2. On January 29, 2015, Paquette scored his first career NHL hat-trick in a 5–1 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings. On April 27, he scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal in a 5–2 Lightning win over the Red Wings in the Eastern  Conference Quarter-finals. On June 24, 2016, the Lightning announced that it had re-signed Paquette to a two-year contract extension. Paquette appeared in 56 games with the team last season, registering six goals, eleven points, and 51 penalty minutes. His 51 penalty minutes were good for fourth on the team during the regular season. He was also one of five Lightning players to score a shorthanded goal last season. Paquette also played in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the team, posting one assist and 24 penalty minutes. Paquette has played in 122 NHL games, all with the  Lightning, over the past three seasons. During that span he has recorded 18 goals and 31 points to go along with 102 penalty minutes. On November 30, 2017, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Paquette had been suspended for one game for boarding Boston Bruins' defenseman Torey Krug on November 29, 2017, at TD Garden. On July 5, 2019, the Lighting signed Paquette to a two-year, $3.3 million contract extension. Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes. On December 27, 2020, Paquette's seven-season tenure with the Lightning ended as he was traded along with Braydon Coburn  and a second round pick in 2022 to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Marian Gaborik and Anders Nilsson. After attending the Senators training camp for the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Paquette made his Senators debut on the club's fourth line in a 5–3 opening night victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 15, 2021. On February 13, 2021, after a very brief stint with the Senators, Paquette was traded along with Alex Galchenyuk to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Ryan Dzingel. He played out the remainder of his contract with the contending Hurricanes, collecting 3 goals  and 7 points through 38 regular season games. Montreal Canadiens. As a free agent from the Hurricanes, Paquette joined his fourth club in short succession by agreeing to a one-year, $950,000 contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 28, 2021. Personal life. Paquette's cousin, Christopher Paquette, was also drafted by the Lightning in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. His cousin was taken in the fifth round with the 148th overall pick.