Daniel Cleary

Did You Know?

• Cleary's first international experience for Canada was at the 1995 U18 Tournament, where he scored four goals and four assists over five games.
• He played for Canada at the 2002 IIHF World Championship, scoring two goals and three points in a sixth-place finish.

Playing career

Daniel Cleary came into the world in Carbonear, Newfoundland, which housed the only hospital in the area, and grew up in the Riverhead section of Harbour Grace. He started his hockey journey playing minor hockey in Harbour Grace before leaving home at 15 to join the Kingston Voyageurs in the Metro Junior Hockey League (OHA). In 41 games that season, he notched 46 points, leading to his selection 11th overall by the Belleville Bulls in the 1994 OHL Priority Selection. Cleary played his entire junior career with Belleville. Following his first season in 1994–95, he earned spots on the CHL All-Rookie Team and the OHL First All-Rookie Team. The next year, he finished second in the league with 115 points, landing on the OHL First All-Star Team and the CHL Second All-Star Team. In 1996–97, Cleary served as the Bulls’ captain. Even though his offensive numbers dipped, he still made the OHL First All-Star Team and was taken 13th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1997 NHL entry draft. He played one more year of major junior hockey in 1997–98, leading the OHL playoffs in assists (17) and points (23). A year after leaving junior hockey, Chicago traded him to the Edmonton Oilers as part of a deal that brought Boris Mironov to the Blackhawks. Cleary spent parts of four seasons in Edmonton. In the summer of 2003, the Oilers bought out his $1 million contract. He then signed a much cheaper deal with the Phoenix Coyotes. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he played for Mora IK in Elitserien alongside former Edmonton teammate and friend Shawn Horcoff. After the lockout, Phoenix chose not to offer him a qualifying contract. Cleary got an invitation to the Detroit Red Wings training camp, made the team, and signed a one-year contract on October 4, 2005. In the 2005–06 season, he built a reputation as a reliable defensive forward and role player. The following season, with a bigger role, he posted a career-high 20 goals in 71 games. In the 2006–07 playoff quarterfinals against Calgary, Cleary scored on a shorthanded penalty shot, marking the first time a Detroit player had done that in the playoffs.