Jonathan Huberdeau
Calgary Flames winger and former Calder Trophy winner.
Jonathan Huberdeau is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected third overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2011 NHL entry draft and set the franchise record for points in a single season before being traded to the Flames in a blockbuster deal.
Huberdeau was born on June 4, 1993, in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, to Alain and Josee Huberdeau. French is his first language, but he attended an English-language high school to prepare for an NHL career. Because his family took their RV to Florida each winter, he grew up watching more Panthers games than Montreal Canadiens games.
In his youth, Huberdeau played Midget AAA hockey for the Ste. Eustache Vikings in the Quebec Midget League, leading the league in scoring in 2008–09. He was drafted 18th overall in the 2009 QMJHL Midget draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs and scored a goal in his first QMJHL game. As a 16-year-old in 2009–10, he led all QMJHL players of that age in scoring and converted all six of his shootout attempts. He was named the league’s scholastic player of the month in January 2010, and the Sea Dogs reached the QMJHL finals that season.
Before the 2010–11 season, Huberdeau was one of 33 prospects invited to the NHL’s Research, Development and Orientation Camp, where they tested potential rule changes and received briefings on professionalism and security. That season, he scored 43 goals and 62 assists in 67 games for the Sea Dogs. NHL Central Scouting ranked him third among North American skaters by season’s end. The Russian club Vityaz Chekhov selected him fifth overall in the 2011 KHL Junior Draft, but Huberdeau stated he had no interest in playing there. The Sea Dogs won the 2011 QMJHL championship and advanced to the Memorial Cup final, where Huberdeau had a goal and an assist in a 3–1 win over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. He was named tournament MVP and earned a spot on the All-Star Team. He was nominated for three QMJHL awards—MVP, top professional prospect, and personality of the year—but did not win any; he was named to the league’s First All-Star Team.
Huberdeau made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2013 after the lockout ended. In his first game, he scored on his first shot against Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes and added two assists, earning first-star honors.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1993-06-04
- Birth Place
- Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 1
- Weight Lb
- 200
- Position
- Winger
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Calgary Flames
- Former Teams
- Florida Panthers
- Ntl Team
- Canada
- Draft
- 3rd overall
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Huberdeau was born and raised in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, to Alain and Josee Huberdeau. His first language is French, but he attended an anglophone high school to prepare for the NHL. Because his family took their RV to Florida each winter, he attended more Florida Panthers games than Montreal Canadiens games as a youth. He played Midget AAA hockey with the Ste. Eustache Vikings, leading the league in scoring in 2008–09, and was drafted 18th overall in the 2009 QMJHL Midget draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs. He scored a goal in his first QMJHL game and was the leading scorer among 16-year-olds in the league for the 2009–10 season. The Sea Dogs won the 2011 QMJHL championship and the Memorial Cup, where Huberdeau was named tournament MVP. He was selected third overall by the Panthers in the 2011 NHL entry draft and made his NHL debut in 2013, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. After ten seasons with Florida, he was traded to the Calgary Flames in July 2022 along with MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a conditional first-round pick for Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round pick. He signed an eight-year, $84 million extension with the Flames, the largest contract in franchise history. His point production dropped significantly in his first season with Calgary, setting an NHL record for the biggest point drop-off between seasons, from 115 points to 55 points. In February 2026, the Flames announced he needed hip surgery and would miss the remainder of the 2025–26 season.
Reader's Guide
Jonathan Huberdeau's career is defined by a dramatic arc: he rose from a top junior prospect in the QMJHL to an NHL rookie of the year, then became the Florida Panthers' all-time assists leader and the first Panther to reach 100 points in a season. His 71 assists in 2021–22 broke an NHL record for most assists by a left-winger in a single season. That performance made him a central piece in a blockbuster trade that sent him to the Calgary Flames, where he signed the largest contract in franchise history. However, his production fell sharply in Calgary, setting an NHL record for the biggest single-season point drop-off. His output continued to decline before a modest increase in 2024–25, then was interrupted by hip surgery in 2026. Huberdeau's legacy includes his Calder Trophy, his franchise records with Florida, and his role in one of the NHL's most notable trades. Off the ice, he has been an ambassador for a hospital foundation, hosted charity golf tournaments, donated memorabilia for COVID-19 relief, and pledged to donate his brain for brain injury research.
Did You Know?
- Huberdeau scored on all six of his shootout attempts in his rookie QMJHL season.
- He was selected fifth overall in the 2011 KHL Junior Draft by Vityaz Chekhov but said he did not want to go there.
- He surpassed Joé Juneau's NHL record for most assists in a single season by a left-winger (71) in 2021–22.
- He pledged to donate his brain to Project Enlist Canada for research on brain injuries.
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