Bill Sweatt

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Bill Sweatt
Sweatt with the Chicago Wolves in 2012
Born (1988-09-21) September 21, 1988 (age 37)
Elburn, Illinois, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Vancouver Canucks
Brynäs IF
Luleå HF
HV71
NHL draft 38th overall, 2007
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2010–2018

William Joseph Sweatt (born September 21, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks before playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Sweatt played junior hockey with the United States National Development Program and college hockey with the Colorado College Tigers. Selected 38th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, he became a free agent after going unsigned by the club. In 2010, he signed with the Canucks. As a roller hockey player, Sweatt has competed internationally with Team USA, winning a gold medal at the 2006 World InLine Championships.[1] His older brother Lee Sweatt is a former hockey player; the two played with each other with the Colorado College Tigers and the Manitoba Moose.

Early life

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Sweatt was born in Elburn, Illinois, a village west of Chicago. He played minor ice hockey with his older brother Lee, in Highland Park, Illinois.[citation needed] As a youth, he played in the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Chicago Young Americans team.[2] His father was a former football player, while his mother was a hockey fan. Growing up, the family lived in the country and had a paved basement, where the brothers played roller hockey.[3]

Playing career

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Sweatt joined the U.S. National Under-18 Team in 2004–05. After two seasons with the program, he joined the college ranks with the Colorado College Tigers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). During his freshman year, Sweatt skated alongside Lee, who was finishing up his college career with Colorado as a senior defenceman. Following a 26-point effort over 30 games, Sweatt was selected 38th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He returned to Colorado to complete his NCAA career, which culminated in a college career-high 15 goals, 18 assists, and 33 points over 39 games as a senior in 2009–10.

Sweatt playing for the Chicago Wolves.

In the off-season, Sweatt was traded from the Blackhawks to the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 30, 2010, along with forward Kris Versteeg. Opting not to sign with Toronto, he became a free agent on August 16, 2010. Three days later, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks worth US$2.7 million, plus performance bonuses.[4] Sweatt joined his brother Lee in the Canucks organization, who had been signed by the team three months prior.[5]

Following the pre-season, the Canucks assigned both Sweatt brothers to their American Hockey League(AHL) affiliate the Manitoba Moose.[6] Together, they became the first pair of brothers to play at the same time for the franchise.[3] Moose head coach Claude Noel described Sweatt in his professional rookie season as a physical player who can forecheck quickly and make plays.[3] Sweatt recorded 46 points (19 goals and 27 assists) over 80 games, ranking second in team-scoring (12 behind winger Sergei Shirokov),[7] as well as ninth among league rookies.[8] During the off-season, Lee was left unsigned by the Canucks organization, splitting the brothers up. Despite signing with the Ottawa Senators, Lee announced his retirement shortly thereafter.

During the Canucks' 2011 training camp, Sweatt was injured during a prospects tournament in Penticton, British Columbia, causing him to miss the team's first two preseason games in September.[9] After being assigned to the Chicago Wolves, the Canucks' new AHL affiliate, to start the season, he received his first NHL call-up on December 7, 2011. Making his NHL debut the following night against the Montreal Canadiens, he registered two shots on goal and one hit in six minutes and eighteen seconds of ice time; Vancouver won the game 4–3.[10] On March 31, 2013, Sweatt and Nicklas Jensen were recalled from the Wolves by the Canucks.

On July 9, 2013, with his rights still owned by the Canucks, Sweatt signed his first European contract on a one-year contract in Sweden with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[11]

Sweatt played the next five seasons in the SHL, opting to end his eight-year professional career and return to North America, following the 2017–18 season with HV71.[12]

International play

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Medal record
Representing United States United States
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Sweden
IIHF World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Sweden
InLine Hockey World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2006 Hungary

Sweatt was named Top Forward at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships in 2006,[4] where the United States won gold. He also participated in the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for the US, coming home with a bronze medal. While playing roller hockey, Sweatt won a gold medal at the 2006 World InLine Championships.[1]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 U.S. National Under-18 Team NAHL 41 7 9 16 12 — — — — —
2005–06 U.S. National Under-18 Team NAHL 17 10 15 25 4 — — — — —
2006–07 Colorado College WCHA 30 9 17 26 18 — — — — —
2007–08 Colorado College WCHA 37 10 17 27 38 — — — — —
2008–09 Colorado College WCHA 37 12 11 23 28 — — — — —
2009–10 Colorado College WCHA 39 15 18 33 18 — — — — —
2010–11 Manitoba Moose AHL 80 19 27 46 28 14 1 5 6 2
2011–12 Chicago Wolves AHL 71 16 18 34 24 5 1 1 2 0
2011–12 Vancouver Canucks NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2012–13 Chicago Wolves AHL 66 15 21 36 12 — — — — —
2012–13 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Brynäs IF SHL 55 16 13 29 26 5 1 1 2 2
2014–15 Brynäs IF SHL 54 19 22 41 36 7 0 4 4 4
2015–16 Luleå HF SHL 24 4 2 6 49 — — — — —
2016–17 Luleå HF SHL 49 15 7 22 43 2 1 1 2 0
2017–18 HV71 SHL 30 8 7 15 12 2 1 0 1 0
NHL totals 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
SHL totals 212 62 51 113 166 16 3 6 9 6

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2005 United States U17 5th 5 2 2 4 8
2006 United States WJC18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 5 2 7 4
2007 United States WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 1 1 2 0
2008 United States WJC 4th 6 0 1 1 0
Junior totals 24 8 6 14 12

References

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