John Albert (ice hockey)

For other uses, see John Albert.

John Albert
Albert with the Manitoba Moose during the 2015-16 season
Born (1989-01-19) January 19, 1989 (age 35)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
team
Former teams		 Free agent
Winnipeg Jets
Oulun Kärpät
NHL draft 175th overall, 2007
Atlanta Thrashers
Playing career 2011–present

John Albert (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played as captain for the Toledo Walleye in the ECHL. He was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 6th round (175th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and has formerly played with the Winnipeg Jets. Albert was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but grew up in Concord Township, Ohio.

Playing career

Before turning professional, Albert played NCAA college hockey with Ohio State University.

Albert scoring his only NHL goal in his only NHL game at Madison Square Garden

On July 20, 2011, Albert signed with the St. John's IceCaps of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the 2011–12 AHL season.[1] On December 2, 2013, one day after being recalled by the Winnipeg Jets, Albert scored his first NHL goal on his first shot on goal in the league, beating goalie Cam Talbot of the New York Rangers in Winnipeg's 5–2 victory at Madison Square Gardens.[2]

On June 29, 2015, the Jets gave Albert a qualifying offer to retain his negotiation rights.[3] Albert later signed an AHL contract with the Jets' new affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on September 16, 2015.[4] After attending the Jets training camp on a try-out, he joined the Manitoba Moose and was named team captain.[5]

On July 3, 2016, Albert ended his long tenure within the Thrashers/Jets organization, joining Oulun Kärpät of the Finnish Liiga.[6] In the 2016–17 season, Albert made a seamless transition to European hockey and contributed with 12 goals and 24 points in 42 games for Kärpät.

On July 3, 2017, after a year's absence, Albert returned to the NHL in securing a one-year, two-way contract with the Washington Capitals.[7] During the 2017–18 season, on February 9, 2018, the Capitals traded Albert to the New York Rangers organization.[8] He was directly assigned to the Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, for the remainder of the season.

As a free agent from the Rangers, Albert returned to Europe in agreeing to a one-year deal with German club, Grizzlys Wolfsburg, of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga on July 3, 2018.[9] During preparation with the Grizzlys for the 2018–19 campaign, Albert suffered a long-term injury, forcing him out for the entirety of the season.[10]

Returning to North America, Albert resumed his professional career in the 2019–20 season after signing a contract with the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, a secondary affiliate to the Winnipeg Jets, on October 3, 2019.[11] In the 2019–20 season, Albert collected 29 points through 44 regular season games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a free agent into the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, Albert belatedly joined the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL on January 22, 2021.[12] He split the season between the Thunder and the Rapid City Rush, finishing with a combined 11 points in 30 games.

Albert continued his career in the ECHL, agreeing to return for a fourth season in the league by joining the Toledo Walleye as a free agent on September 29, 2021.[13]

In November 2022, John Albert was named the captain of the Toledo Walleye. [14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Cleveland Jr. Barons NAHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2005–06 U.S. National Development Team NAHL 36 8 15 23 23 — — — — —
2006–07 U.S. National Development Team NAHL 15 4 9 13 4 — — — — —
2007–08 Ohio State University CCHA 41 4 17 21 10 — — — — —
2008–09 Ohio State University CCHA 42 11 28 39 20 — — — — —
2009–10 Ohio State University CCHA 39 6 24 30 20 — — — — —
2010–11 Ohio State University CCHA 37 12 22 34 18 — — — — —
2011–12 St. John's IceCaps AHL 64 9 18 27 28 15 3 2 5 8
2012–13 St. John's IceCaps AHL 24 3 2 5 10 — — — — —
2013–14 St. John's IceCaps AHL 63 28 17 45 20 21 1 6 7 18
2013–14 Winnipeg Jets NHL 9 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
2014–15 St. John's IceCaps AHL 66 16 26 42 26 — — — — —
2015–16 Manitoba Moose AHL 66 12 24 36 20 — — — — —
2016–17 Kärpät SM-l 42 12 12 24 16 2 1 1 2 0
2017–18 Hershey Bears AHL 33 3 8 11 10 — — — — —
2017–18 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 23 1 3 4 8 — — — — —
2019–20 Jacksonville Icemen ECHL 44 8 21 29 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Wichita Thunder ECHL 18 4 5 9 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Rapid City Rush ECHL 12 1 1 2 6 — — — — —
2021–22 Toledo Walleye ECHL 51 24 24 48 2 21 10 7 17 6
2022–23 Toledo Walleye ECHL 47 5 14 19 14 9 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 9 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
IIHF World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2007 Tampere
World U-17 Hockey Challenge
Silver medal – second place 2006 Saskatchewan

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2006 United States U17 6 1 4 5 2
2007 United States U18 7 1 2 3 2
Junior totals 13 2 6 8 4

References

  1. ^ "Jets agree to terms with seven on AHL contracts". Winnipeg Jets. July 20, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  2. ^ "Superb debut for Winnipeg Jets John Albert". Winnipeg Sun. November 2, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "Jets Make Qualifying Offers to 4 Players". CJOB.com. June 29, 2015.
  4. ^ "Moose sign Albert and Walker". Manitoba Moose. September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  5. ^ "Moose name Albert captain, give Cormier and MacWilliam an 'A'". Winnipeg Free Press. October 8, 2015.
  6. ^ "Karpat reach agreement with American John Albert" (in Finnish). Oulun Kärpät. July 3, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Capitals sign Smith-Pelly and Albert". japersrink.com. July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  8. ^ "Rangers Acquire John Albert and Hubert Labrie". NHL.com. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "American John Albert signs for Wolfsburg" (in German). Grizzlys Wolfsburg. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  10. ^ "Jason Jaspers signs with Wolfsburg". Grizzlys Wolfsburg. October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  11. ^ "Icemen add NHL and AHL experience with veteran John Albert". Jacksonville Icemen. October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "Thunder signs veteran forward John Albert". Wichita Thunder. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "Walleye add veteran Albert". ECHL. September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  14. ^ "Albert looks to lead Walleye after being named captain". www.toledoblade.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.