Mike Hedden (born December 27, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Mike Hedden
Born (1984-12-27) December 27, 1984 (age 39)
Dunnville, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Left
Played for Grand Rapids Griffins
Rockford IceHogs
Rochester Americans
Texas Stars
KHL Medveščak Zagreb
Ässät
Straubing Tigers
Cardiff Devils
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2009–2021

Playing career

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Prior to turning professional, Hedden played college hockey at Neumann University.[1] Hedden made his professional debut in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye in the 2009–10 season.

After impressing with the Walleye, Hedden earned a try-out contract with American Hockey League clubs, Grand Rapids Griffins, Rockford IceHogs and the Rochester Americans. In the following 2011–12 season, he signed a one-year contract with the Texas Stars.[2]

Hedden established himself alongside the Stars top offensive players, culminating in capturing the Calder Cup in his third and final season with the club in the 2013–14 season.

On June 20, 2014, Hedden signed his first European contract, agreeing to a one-year deal with Croatian club, KHL Medveščak Zagreb of the Kontinental Hockey League.[3] In the 2014–15 season, Hedden struggled to transition with Zagreb going scoreless in 12 games before he was released from his contract. On October 30, Hedden moved to the Finnish Liiga, signing for the remainder of the season with Ässät Pori.[4]

On May 25, 2015, Hedden left Finland as a free agent, continuing his European career in Germany, signing an initial one-year deal with the Straubing Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.[5]

After three seasons in the DEL with Straubing, Hedden left as a free agent to sign a one-year deal with the Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League on July 8, 2018.[6]

Following five European seasons abroad, Hedden returned to North America as a free agent and agreed to play in the ECHL in signing a one-year deal with the Allen Americans on July 9, 2019.[7] He began the 2019–20 season by appearing in 4 games with the Americans before he was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Icemen on October 29, 2019.[8]

On August 6, 2020, Hedden continued in the ECHL, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Rapid City Rush.[9] After he was named in the Rush training camp roster, Hedden opted to end his 11-year professional career announcing his retirement on December 1, 2020.[10] A little over a month later, Hedden reversed his decision to retire, returning the Rapid City Rush on January 10, 2021.[11]

In 2021, he was named an assistant coach of the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League.[12]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Neumann University ECAC-W 25 18 14 32 36
2006–07 Neumann University ECAC-W 26 31 21 52 20
2007–08 Neumann University ECAC-W 26 30 12 42 14
2008–09 Neumann University ECAC-W 31 17 20 37 39
2009–10 Toledo Walleye ECHL 66 18 14 32 58 4 0 3 3 6
2010–11 Toledo Walleye ECHL 57 32 20 52 94
2010–11 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 3 0 1 1 2
2010–11 Rockford IceHogs AHL 1 0 0 0 0
2010–11 Rochester Americans AHL 2 1 1 2 15
2011–12 Texas Stars AHL 69 19 15 34 55
2012–13 Texas Stars AHL 61 13 22 35 38 9 1 3 4 4
2013–14 Texas Stars AHL 74 23 32 55 43 21 9 10 19 20
2014–15 KHL Medveščak Zagreb KHL 12 0 0 0 9
2014–15 Ässät Liiga 39 10 9 19 51 2 0 0 0 4
2015–16 Straubing Tigers DEL 52 17 17 34 14 7 0 2 2 2
2016–17 Straubing Tigers DEL 51 18 26 44 52 2 0 0 0 2
2017–18 Straubing Tigers DEL 52 11 20 31 56
2018–19 Cardiff Devils EIHL 59 20 42 62 20 4 1 3 4 0
2019–20 Allen Americans ECHL 4 1 0 1 2
2019–20 Jacksonville Icemen ECHL 44 16 26 42 21
2020–21 Rapid City Rush ECHL 42 9 9 18 10
AHL totals 210 56 71 127 153 30 10 13 23 24

Awards and honours

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Award Year
AHL
Calder Cup (Texas Stars) 2014 [13]

References

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  1. ^ "Mike Hedden makes headway in the professional ranks". Neumann University. 2011-01-22. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  2. ^ "Texas Stars add Mike Hedden". Texas Stars. 2011-07-01. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  3. ^ "Another Calder Cup winner in Medvescaks' offense". KHL Medveščak Zagreb. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  4. ^ "Mike Hedden to Assat" (in Finnish). Ässät Pori. 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  5. ^ "Straubing Tigers sign Canadian Mike Hedden" (in German). Straubing Tigers. 2015-05-25. Archived from the original on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  6. ^ "Devils welcome Mike Hedden". Cardiff Devils. 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
  7. ^ "Americans sign top-six forward from Europe". Allen Americans. July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  8. ^ "Hedden acquired by the Icemen". ECHL. October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  9. ^ "New player signing: Mike Hedden". Rapid City Rush. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  10. ^ "Mike Hedden retires from pro hockey". ECHL. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  11. ^ ECHL (January 10, 2021). "Hedden signs with Rapid City". Twitter. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Generals Welcome New Coaching Staff". OurSports Central. 6 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Dallas Stars' affiliate wins AHL Calder Cup". Dallas Stars. 2014-06-18. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
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