Jake Gardiner

Lore & Background

Gardiner began playing organized ice hockey in Hopkins, Minnesota, wearing jersey #19 as a forward like his childhood idol Joe Sakic. He played forward until his senior season at Minnetonka High School, when his coach was advised by Minnesota State Mankato coach Troy Jutting to move him to defense. After practicing over the summer, Gardiner played for Team USA's under-18 Select team in his new position and, as a full-time defenseman in his senior year, scored a career-high and team-leading 20 goals and 28 assists. He was named the Minnesota Star Tribune's Metro Player of the Year and a top-10 finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award.

Gardiner played three seasons with the University of Wisconsin Badgers, finishing with 19 goals, 56 assists, and 75 points through 121 games. He was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team after his freshman season and served as an assistant captain in his junior year. During that season, his playing rights were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Joffrey Lupul and a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for defenseman François Beauchemin. Gardiner forfeited his final collegiate season by signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on March 15, 2011.

With the Maple Leafs, Gardiner led all NHL rookie defensemen in scoring with 30 points in his first season and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. He later signed a five-year, $20.25 million contract extension with Toronto on July 29, 2014. During the 2017–18 season, Gardiner and fellow defenseman Morgan Rielly each recorded 52 points, becoming the first two Leafs defensemen with at least 50 points in a season since Tomáš Kaberle and Bryan McCabe did it in 2006–07. On September 6, 2019, Gardiner signed a four-year, $16.2 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Reader's Guide

Jake Gardiner's significance lies in his transition from a forward to a top-tier NHL defenseman, a move that began in high school and was validated by his first-round draft selection. His collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin established him as a scoring defenseman, and he carried that offensive production into the NHL, leading all rookie defensemen in scoring with the Maple Leafs. Gardiner's tenure in Toronto was marked by consistent point production, culminating in a career-high 52 points in 2017–18, when he and Morgan Rielly became the first Leafs defensive duo in over a decade to each surpass 50 points. His signing with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019 represented a new chapter, though his time there was cut short by an undisclosed condition that ended his playing career. Gardiner's legacy includes being a key part of the Maple Leafs' resurgence in the late 2010s and a notable example of a player who successfully reinvented his position at a high level.

Did You Know?

• Gardiner was drafted 17th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008 but never played for them, as his rights were traded to the Maple Leafs in 2011.
• He played as a forward until his senior year of high school, when he was moved to defense on the advice of a college coach.
• Gardiner and Morgan Rielly became the first Maple Leafs defensemen with 50+ points in a season since 2006–07.
• His agent tweeted #FreeJakeGardiner in protest of his assignment to the AHL during the 2012–13 season.