Curtis Lazar
Canadian forward drafted 17th overall by Ottawa in 2013.
Curtis Lazar, a Canadian professional ice hockey forward, is currently an unrestricted free agent, having last played for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. The Ottawa Senators picked him 17th overall in the first round of the 2013 NHL entry draft.
Born on February 2, 1995, in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Lazar grew up in Vernon as one of four children of Dave and Karen Lazar. To get to his youth hockey games with the Vancouver Selects, he often took a Greyhound bus to the Lower Mainland. As a kid, he cheered for the Vancouver Canucks, admired Joe Sakic, and considered Ryan Getzlaf his favorite NHL player.
Lazar played junior hockey for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL. He captained the team to a Memorial Cup victory in 2014. Before that, he attended Pursuit of Excellence Prep, where as captain in 2009–10 he scored 57 goals and 115 points in 51 games. At the 2010 John Reid Memorial Tournament, he notched nine goals and 15 points in five games, earning MVP, Top Forward, and All-Star honors, and later received the 2010 Hockey Now/BC Hockey Hall of Fame Minor Hockey Player Achievement Award. The next season, at Okanagan Hockey Academy, he put up 58 points in 45 under-18 games and nine points in six CSSHL contests. He also captained Team British Columbia at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, leading them to a gold medal with 12 goals and 17 points—including back-to-back hat-tricks—surpassing Steven Stamkos’s goals record and Sidney Crosby’s points record.
The Edmonton Oil Kings selected Lazar second overall in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. Because he was just 15, he could only play five games for them before returning to Okanagan. Called up on December 7, 2010, he appeared in two games against Calgary and Kelowna, then was sent back after four more games. His first WHL point came in the regular-season finale, an assist on T. J. Foster’s goal against Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. The Rebels swept Edmonton in the first playoff round, but Lazar scored his first junior goal in the elimination game, a 5–1 loss.
In 2011–12, his full rookie season, Lazar had 10 goals by the holiday break and finished the regular season with 20 goals and 31 points in 63 games. He added seven points in his first four playoff games as the Oil Kings swept Kootenay, their first postseason series win in the modern era.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1995-02-02
- Birth Place
- Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 0
- Weight Lb
- 203
- Position
- Forward
- Shoots
- Right
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Free agent
- Prospect League
- AHL
- Former Teams
- Ottawa Senators / Calgary Flames / Buffalo Sabres / Boston Bruins / Vancouver Canucks / New Jersey Devils / Edmonton Oilers
- Draft
- 17th overall
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Lazar played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he was team captain when they won the Memorial Cup in 2014. He was selected second overall in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft by the Oil Kings. During his junior career, he led the Oil Kings in scoring in the 2012–13 season with 38 goals and 23 assists, and in 2013–14 he recorded a team-leading 41 goals and 76 points in 58 regular season games. He received the George Parsons Trophy for the most sportsmanlike player at the 2014 Memorial Cup.
Lazar made his NHL debut with the Ottawa Senators on October 9, 2014, at age 19, playing on a line with fellow rookies Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone, known as the 'Kids Line'. He scored his first NHL goal on December 15, 2014. In his sophomore season, he struggled offensively, breaking a 26-game scoring drought on January 13. He contracted mononucleosis before the 2016 training camp and began the 2016–17 season with the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League.
Reader's Guide
Curtis Lazar's career is notable for his junior hockey achievements, particularly as captain of the Edmonton Oil Kings when they won the 2014 Memorial Cup. His performance at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, where he captained Team British Columbia to a gold medal with 12 goals and 17 points, surpassed Steven Stamkos's goals record and Sidney Crosby's points record. Drafted 17th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2013, he made the NHL as a teenager and debuted on the 'Kids Line' with Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone. However, his NHL production did not match his junior output; after six goals and 20 points in 76 games in his second season, he faced a scoring drought and illness. His versatility allowed him to play all 12 forward slots within the first 14 games of the 2015–16 season. As of his most recent stint, he played for the Edmonton Oilers and is currently an unrestricted free agent, reflecting a career that peaked in junior hockey but saw limited sustained impact at the NHL level.
Did You Know?
- Lazar was raised in Vernon, British Columbia, and took Greyhound buses to the Lower Mainland for youth hockey games.
- He scored a natural hat-trick in a 3–0 shutout win over the Medicine Hat Tigers on January 13, 2013.
- His triple-overtime goal against Val-d'Or Foreurs in the 2014 Memorial Cup semifinals ended the longest game in tournament history.
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