Meet The Leafs : Luke Schenn

Born November 2, 1989 (1989-11-02) (age 20),
Saskatoon, SK, CAN
Height
Weight 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
235 lb (107 kg; 16 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team Toronto Maple Leafs
Ntl. team Canada
NHL Draft 5th overall, 2008
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 2008–present


Minor
Schenn played minor hockey in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His first minor hockey team was the Saskatoon Red Wings, where he was coached by his father, Jeff.[1] In 2004–05, he played 'AAA' Midget Hockey for the Saskatoon Contacts, winning the Telus Cup as Canada's national midget hockey champions.[2] While playing with the Contacts, Schenn was selected in the first round (20th overall) of the 2004 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft by the Kelowna Rockets.[3]

[edit] Junior
Schenn made his on-ice debut for the Rockets during the 2005–06 WHL season. Prior to suiting up for the Rockets, Schenn joined the team during their Memorial Cup run at the end of the 2004–05 season. During this time, the team arranged for Schenn to room with then Rockets captain Shea Weber in an attempt to impress upon him what he needed to do to improve. Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton said "That was the most important thing we ever did in getting him [Schenn] to understand from Weber what he's got to do."[4] After his rookie season in the WHL, Schenn was named the Rockets Rookie of the Year.[5] He served as an alternate captain for the team during the 2007–08 season.[2] Also during the 2007–08 season, Schenn was named to the WHL's roster for the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.[2][5] He also participated in the annual CHL Top Prospects Game, where he served as a team captain and scored a goal.[6] Schenn was named to the WHL's Second All-Star Team after the 2007–08 season.[7] While playing in Kelowna, Schenn was often paired with Tyler Myers.[4]

Schenn was a highly touted prospect for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.[4] Heading into the draft, Schenn was the 5th ranked North American skater by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, an improvement from his mid-season ranking of 7th.[7] Some scouts saw him as a mix between Dion Phaneuf and Adam Foote.[4] E.J. McGuire, director of the Central Scouting Bureau compared him to Ed Jovanovski.[7]


Schenn with the Maple Leafs in 2008.At the 2008 Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who originally held the 7th overall pick traded up to the 5th overall slot (originally held by the New York Islanders) to select Schenn.[8]

[edit] Professional
Schenn attended training camp with the Maple Leafs, with early reports indicating he was likely to be returned to his junior club for the 2008–09 season.[1] On October 7, 2008, Schenn signed an entry level contract with the Maple Leafs.[6][9] After an impressive training camp with the Maple Leafs, Schenn made the team for the start of the 2008–09 season.[10] He made his NHL debut on October 9, 2008 against the Detroit Red Wings.[11] He recorded his first NHL point, an assist, on October 29, 2008 against the New Jersey Devils.[11] He scored his first goal on February 7, 2009 against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens.[11] Also during his rookie season Schenn played for the Rookie YoungStars team in the 2008–09 NHL YoungStars Game.[12] On March 14, 2009, Schenn recorded his first multi-point (2 assists) game in a 8–6 win against the Calgary Flames.[11] On June 18, 2009 Schenn was awarded a spot on defence on the NHL's 2008–09 All-Rookie Team alongside Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings.[13] Schenn led all NHL rookies in blocked shots, and all rookie defensemen in hits.[13]

After his strong rookie season, expectations were high for Schenn heading into the 2009–10 NHL season. Early in training camp, Maple Leafs head coach Wilson named him as one of the team's top four defensemen.[14] Schenn's play was disappointing, and he was a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs once in October[15] and again for a three-game stretch in December.[14] Along with several other young Maple Leafs, Schenn picked up his game at the end of the season.[16][17] During the season, Schenn recorded his first two-goal game against the Ottawa Senators. He also finished the season with new career highs in goals and points.[11]

[edit] International
Medal record
Competitor for Canada
Men's ice hockey
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold 2006 Czech Republic
World Junior Championships
Gold 2008 Czech Republic
IIHF World Championship
Silver 2009 Switzerland
Schenn has represented his country at a number of events. His first experience with Hockey Canada was as a member of Team West at the 2006 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which was held in Regina, Saskatchewan, where they finished 7th.[2] Schenn played for Canada twice at the Under-18 level. At the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, he was a member of the gold medal winning club, and in 2007 he participated in the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships, where Canada finished fourth.[2] Schenn scored 3 goals during this tournament.[5]

Schenn was a member of the Canadian junior team that played an eight game series (2007 Super Series) against a Russian junior team to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series. Canada went undefeated in these 8 games, with 7 wins and 1 tie. Schenn did not record a point during the series, but registered 24 penalty minutes.[2][5]

During the 2007–08 season, Schenn was named to Team Canada's selection camp roster for the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[18] Schenn was named to the team on December 13, 2007 and was paired with Thomas Hickey to form the top shutdown duo for the team.[19] Canada won the gold medal and Schenn finished the tournament with a team high +/- rating of +5.[2] At these international tournaments, Schenn caught the eye of hockey analyst Pierre McGuire who dubbed him "the human eraser".[20]

After his rookie season in the NHL, Schenn was named to Canada's roster for the 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.[2] He played all 9 games for Canada, but did not see large amounts of ice time, averaging just under 7 minutes per game.[21] He recorded one assist in the tournament[21] as Canada took home the silver medal after a 2–1 loss to Russia in the gold medal game.[22]

[edit] Personal
Schenn was born on November 2, 1989 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His parents are Jeff and Rita Schenn.[5] His younger brother Brayden was picked fifth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings.[23] They also have two younger sisters: Madison and Macy.[5] Both the Schenn brothers attended St. Joseph High School in Saskatoon, the same school which produced fellow NHL players Colby and Riley Armstrong, along with Jarret Stoll.[1] In February, 2010 DeWalt Power Tools announced a partnership with Schenn and teammate Dion Phaneuf.[24]

Source: wikipedia