Danny Groulx (born June 23, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the American Hockey League and Liiga. In 2018, Groulx was inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame and named the head coach of Riverains du collège Charles-Lemoyne Midget AAA team.

Danny Groulx
Born (1981-06-23) June 23, 1981 (age 43)
LaSalle, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for AHL
Worcester Sharks
Rockford IceHogs
Manitoba Moose
Hamilton Bulldogs
Grand Rapids Griffins
KHL
Dinamo Minsk
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
Khanty-Mansiysk Yugra
DEL
Kassel Huskies
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2002–2016

Playing career

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Groulx was drafted 11th overall by the Val-d'Or Foreurs in the 1997 QMJHL Draft. After winning the 1998 President Cup, Groulx joined the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and later the Victoriaville Tigres. At the conclusion of his major junior career, he racked up 332 points in 341 games and won three Memorial Cups.[1] Groulx holds the distinction for most career points for a defenseman in the QMJHL.[1]

On August 12, 2002, Groulx was signed as a free agent for the Detroit Red Wings.[2] Groulx then played with Red Wings affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL for the next three seasons before he was loaned to the Manitoba Moose for the completion of the 2004–05 season.

Groulx was invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp on September 13, 2006.[3] He was reassigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL for the 2006–07 season, where he helped the Bulldogs capture the Calder Cup.

Groulx signed a one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs on September 4, 2008,[4] and was later invited to the Chicago Blackhawks training camp on September 16, 2008. However, he was reassigned to the IceHogs for the 2008–09 season,[5] where he posted 40 points in 80 games.

On July 16, 2009, Groulx signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.[6] While with the Sharks American Hockey League affiliate, he was named to the AHL All-Star Classic and won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's best defenseman. He signed a one-year contract with the Sharks on July 2, 2012.[7] On March 22, 2013 Groulx was assigned to the Chicago Wolves by the Sharks while Chicago defenceman Derek Joslin was assigned to the Worcester by the Vancouver Canucks as part of an AHL trade.[8]

Groulx retired from professional hockey after the 2014–15 season which he spent in France with the Dragons de Rouen.[9]

In 2018, Groulx was inducted into QMJHL Hall of Fame.[1] He was later named the new head coach for the Midget AAA Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains.[10]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1996–97 Collège Charles-Lemoyne QMAAA 40 2 26 28 15 3 15 18
1997–98 Val-d'Or Foreurs QMJHL 63 4 16 20 61 19 1 4 5 18
1998–99 Val-d'Or Foreurs QMJHL 36 3 26 29 55
1998–99 Acadie-Bathurst Titan QMJHL 36 2 15 17 51 18 0 2 2 6
1999–2000 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 66 12 55 67 131 6 0 4 4 14
2000–01 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 72 16 71 87 164 13 2 19 21 46
2001–02 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 68 29 83 112 165 22 9 30 39 68
2002–03 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 71 3 7 10 52 7 0 1 1 7
2003–04 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 79 8 13 21 93 3 0 0 0 0
2004–05 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 53 1 11 12 90
2004–05 Manitoba Moose AHL 16 2 5 7 16 13 1 3 4 14
2005–06 Kassel Huskies DEL 51 2 11 13 93
2006–07 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 58 0 16 16 62 22 6 6 12 14
2007–08 Manitoba Moose AHL 58 4 20 24 32 6 2 1 3 12
2008–09 Rockford IceHogs AHL 77 6 34 40 58 4 0 2 2 2
2009–10 Worcester Sharks AHL 80 14 52 66 80 10 1 6 7 6
2010–11 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod KHL 38 2 23 25 50
2011–12 Dinamo Minsk KHL 4 0 0 0 2
2011–12 Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk KHL 20 0 2 2 20
2012–13 Worcester Sharks AHL 33 4 12 16 24
2012–13 Chicago Wolves AHL 13 2 4 6 4
2013–14 Assat Liiga 14 1 1 2 12
2014–15 Dragons de Rouen FRA 13 1 9 10 16 4 1 3 4 6
AHL totals 541 44 175 219 481 65 10 19 29 511

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Danny Groulx: the most prolific defenseman of all time". qmjhl.ca. April 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "Offseason NHL transactions". cbc.ca. October 2, 2002. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  3. ^ "Habs announce training camp invitees". NHL.com. September 13, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  4. ^ "ICEHOGS INK FORMER CALDER CUP CHAMPION GROULX". theahl.com. September 4, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  5. ^ "Blackhawks Trim Training Camp Roster To 42". icehogs.com. September 24, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "Sharks sign four players, re-sign Vesce". San Jose Sharks. 2009-07-16. Archived from the original on 2009-07-18. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  7. ^ "Sharks Sign Defenseman Danny Groulx". NHL.com. July 2, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  8. ^ "Sharks notes: Clowe out Saturday, talks trade rumors, etc". Comcast. 2013-03-22. Archived from the original on 2013-03-25. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  9. ^ Joelle Bergeron (February 24, 2016). "Danny Groulx annonce sa retraite". lereflet.qc.ca (in French). Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  10. ^ Joelle Bergeron (April 9, 2018). "Un ancien Riverain succède à Guillaume Latendresse à la barre de l'équipe". lereflet.qc.ca (in French). Retrieved February 9, 2019.
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