Adam Hall

Playing career

Adam Hall got his start with the U.S. National Development Team and skated for his country at the World Juniors in 1999 and 2000. The Nashville Predators picked him 52nd overall in the second round of the 1999 draft. He spent four seasons at Michigan State, earning a spot on the CCHA Second All-Star Team in 2000. After college, he made his NHL debut with Nashville in 2001–02. His rookie year, 2002–03, saw him put up 16 goals and 12 assists. After four years in Nashville, the Predators traded him to the New York Rangers for Dominic Moore before the 2006–07 season. He lasted just half a season on Broadway before being shipped to the Minnesota Wild for Pascal Dupuis in February 2007.

In October 2007, Hall signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He helped them reach the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell to the Detroit Red Wings in six games. He then left Pittsburgh for a three-year, $1.8-million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Most of the 2009–10 season was spent with Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. The following season, under new coach Guy Boucher, Hall played all 82 games, notching seven goals and 18 points. He led the Lightning in face-off percentage at 55 percent and ranked fourth on the team with 360 face-off wins. He also topped the squad with 152 hits and was third among forwards with 59 blocked shots. His comeback earned him Tampa Bay’s nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. He was one of just four Bolts to appear in every regular-season game that year. At age 30, he played all 18 playoff games as the Lightning came within one win of the Stanley Cup Finals, recording a goal and five points. On June 29, the team re-signed him to a one-year, one-way contract.

During the 2012 NHL lockout, Hall signed a temporary deal with EV Ravensburg Tower Stars of the German 2nd Bundesliga, his second European club. He led the team with 15 points in 17 games before returning to the Lightning for the shortened 2012–13 season. Twenty games into that season, he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes on March 16, 2013.