Aaron Gagnon
Canadian centre who played for Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.
Aaron Gagnon is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets. He was born on April 24, 1986, in Quesnel, British Columbia, and grew up in Armstrong, British Columbia.
Gagnon’s parents are Kelly and Barry Gagnon. He has a sister, Jillian, and a brother, Bryn, who also played hockey—first for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the B.C. Hockey League and later for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Trojans in the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference.
In the 2001 WHL Bantam Draft, the Seattle Thunderbirds selected Gagnon in the fifth round, 83rd overall. The season after that draft, he played just two games for the Thunderbirds, spending most of the year with his North Okanagan Midget AA team, where he scored 59 goals and 118 points in 41 games to lead the team in scoring. The following season, his rookie year in Seattle, he put up 18 points in 60 regular-season games and added five points in 15 playoff games. His sophomore season was a big step forward: he doubled his point total to 36 in 63 games and led the Thunderbirds in plus/minus at plus-18.
In his third WHL season, Gagnon set new career highs with 31 goals, 34 assists, and 65 points in 72 games. He was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team and was the Western Conference nominee for the Brad Hornung Trophy as the league’s most sportsmanlike player, though he lost to Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers. On September 22, 2005, just before his fourth full season, he was named captain of the Thunderbirds.
His final season with Seattle was arguably his best. Again serving as captain, he posted career highs of 42 goals, 38 assists, and 80 points in just 59 games. He was twice named the Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week and was the Husky WHL Player of the Month for December. At season’s end, he was again named to the WHL West First All-Star Team and was the Western Conference nominee for both the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL MVP) and the Brad Hornung Trophy. He lost the MVP award to Kris Russell once more, but he did win the Brad Hornung Trophy.
The Phoenix Coyotes drafted Gagnon in the eighth round, 240th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. On February 2, 2007, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars.
Quick Facts
- Height
- 5 ft 11 in
- Weight
- 189 lb
- Born
- 24 April 1986
- Birthplace
- Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada
- Position
- Centre
- Shoots
- Right
- Played for
- Dallas Stars; Winnipeg Jets; HV71; Lukko; SC Bern; SCL Tigers
- Draft
- 240th overall
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Gagnon played junior hockey for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he was drafted in the 5th round, 83rd overall in the 2001 WHL Bantam Draft. He spent most of his first season after the draft with his North Okanagan Midget AA team, scoring 59 goals and 118 points in 41 games. In his rookie WHL season, he recorded 18 points in 60 games, then improved to 36 points in 63 games in his sophomore year, leading the Thunderbirds in plus/minus at plus-18. His third season saw career highs in goals (31), assists (34), and points (65) in 72 games, earning him a spot on the WHL West First All-Star Team and a nomination for the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player. On September 22, 2005, he was named captain of the Thunderbirds. In his final WHL season, he set new career highs with 42 goals, 38 assists, and 80 points in 59 games, was twice named Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week and Husky WHL Player of the Month for December, and again made the WHL West First All-Star Team. He was the Western Conference nomination for both the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL MVP) and the Brad Hornung Trophy, winning the latter after losing it to Kris Russell the previous year.
Reader's Guide
Gagnon's professional career began after being drafted in the eighth round, 240th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2004 NHL entry draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on February 2, 2007. On July 1, 2011, he signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Winnipeg Jets. After five professional seasons in North America, he moved to Europe in early August 2013, signing a two-year deal with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League. He appeared in only 9 games with HV71 before transferring to Lukko Rauma of the Finnish Liiga. He stayed at Lukko until January 25, 2017, then joined SC Bern of the National League (NL) for the remainder of the 2016-17 season. After three seasons with the SCL Tigers, he played his final professional season in 2020-21 with Modo Hockey of the Swedish Allsvenskan. Gagnon also represented Canada at the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships in Minsk, Belarus, having been named to the roster on April 1, 2004.
Did You Know?
- Gagnon was named captain of the Seattle Thunderbirds on September 22, 2005.
- He won the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player in his final junior season.
- Gagnon scored 59 goals and 118 points in 41 games with his North Okanagan Midget AA team in the season after his WHL draft.
- He played for teams in the NHL, Swedish Hockey League, Finnish Liiga, National League, and Swedish Allsvenskan.
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