Edmonton Oiler's Jason Strudwick and His Hockey Career

Jason Strudwick comes from a hockey family, his cousins are actually professional hockey players, Rob and Scott Niedermayer of the Anaheim Ducks. Jason Strudwick was born in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada on July 17, 1975 making him thirty-three years old. Jason Strudwick is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 225 pounds. Strudwick can play both left wing and defense. Jason Strudwick's career starts in the WHL (Western Hockey League) with the Kamloops Blazers in the 1993-1994 season. The WHL is one of the three leagues that makes up the CHL (Canadian Hockey League) and the CHL is the best junior hockey league in the country.

In 1994, Jason Strudwick entered the NHL draft and was chosen by the New York Islanders, 63rd overall. Despite being drafted in 1994, Strudwick spent one more season in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers. For the 1995-1996 season, Jason Strudwick played the majority of the season with the Worcester IceCats in the AHL (American Hockey League). The AHL serves primarily as a developmental league for players that have been drafted, but are not quite ready for the NHL yet. Towards the end of the 1995-1996 season, Strudwick was called up by the New York Islanders, but only played one game with them.

Despite ending the season with the New York Islanders, Jason Strudwick was sent back down to the AHL to play with the Kentucky Thoroughblades in the 1996-1997 season. Strudwick also began the 1997-1998 season with the Kentucky Thoroughblades, and played thirty-nine games with them before being called up by the New York Islanders. He played seventeen games with the New York Islanders that season, but Strudwick was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, where he played eleven games before the season ended. The Vancouver Canucks suited Jason Strudwick well, once he started playing with them, he was never sent back down to the AHL. Strudwick remained with the Vancouver Canucks until the end of the 2001-2002 season.

Jason Strudwick moved on to the Chicago Blackhawks at the beginning of the 2002-2003 season. Strudwick played with the Blackhawks until the end of the 2003-2004 season. The 2004-2005 season was the year of the NHL Lockout, so Strudwick headed over seasons to play with the Ferencvarosi TC in the Hungarian OB 1 league in Hungary. Once the lockout was over, Jason Strudwick returned to the United States but not back to the Blackhawks. Jason Strudwick chose to sign with the New York Rangers for the 2005-2006 season.

At the beginning of the 2006-2007 season, Jason Strudwick decided to head overseas again, this time playing for the HC Lugano in the NLA (National League A), which is the professional hockey league of Sweden. Strudwick played thirty-four games with the HC Lugano, but ended up signing a contract to play with the New York Rangers again. He was only able to play eight games with the Rangers because he signed with them after the trade deadline, making him ineligible for playoffs. Strudwick remained with the New York Rangers throughout the 2007-2008 season. In the 2008-2009 season, Jason Strudwick signed with the Edmonton Oilers and played for his hometown.

ref-www.nhl.com