| John-Michael Liles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Liles with theToronto Maple Leafs in 2012 | |||
| Born | (1980-11-25)November 25, 1980 (age 45) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Colorado Avalanche Toronto Maple Leafs Carolina Hurricanes Boston Bruins | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 159th overall,2000 Colorado Avalanche | ||
| Playing career | 2003–2017 | ||
John-Michael Liles (born November 25, 1980) is anAmerican former professionalice hockeydefenseman. He played in theNational Hockey League (NHL) for theColorado Avalanche,Toronto Maple Leafs,Carolina Hurricanes andBoston Bruins. In addition to his playing career, Liles is a minority owner of theIndiana Ice of theUnited States Hockey League (USHL).[1]
Liles was born on November 25, 1980, inIndianapolis,Indiana, to parents John Jr. and Janie.[2] While he was born in Indianapolis, Liles grew up inZionsville.[3] Neither of his parents playedice hockey but were active in other sports. His younger siblings Jessie and Joe played ice hockey as youths.[4] Growing up, Liles attended Eagle Creek and Deer Run elementary schools.[5] He became interested in hockey after watching theIndianapolis Checkers in theInternational Hockey League.[6]
Growing up in Indiana, Liles played for the Indy Wingsminor ice hockey team[4] and competed in the 1994Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.[7] He enrolled atCulver Academies in 1995 and remained there for two years.[5] In his freshman year, Liles received the Col. George T. Gunston Medal as his class's best member of the artillery battalion.[8] At the age of 16, Liles left Culver and joined theUSA Hockey National Team Development Program inAnn Arbor, Michigan.[5] While participating in the program, Liles signed an NCAA Division I letter of intent to playcollegiate hockey atMichigan State University (MSU).[9]
Liles played college ice hockey with theMichigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team from 1999 to 2003[10] while majoring in finance.[11] As a freshman, Liles quickly became a mainstay in the Spartans' lineup and power play unit. He began the1999–2000 season with four goals and three assists through his first 13 games.[12] While he began the season paired with Jon Insana, head coachRon Mason matched Liles with fellow freshmanBrad Fast on November 27, 1999, and they remained together for the rest of the season.[13] Although Liles was chosen to represent Team USA at the2000 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he suffered a shoulder injury in an exhibition game.[14] He missed over three weeks to recover from the injury but returned to the Spartans lineup in early January. At the time of the injury, Liles ranked second in scoring among allCentral Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) rookies with 14 points.[15] Liles finished his freshman season with eight goals and 20 assists through 40 games[16] and was named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team.[17]
Ahead of the2000 NHL Entry Draft, Liles was ranked 103rd overall by theNHL Central Scouting Bureau and was projected to be drafted in the fourth or fifth round.[16] He was eventually drafted in the fifth round, 159th overall, by theColorado Avalanche.[18] Liles returned to MSU for his sophomore season.[19] He finished the2000–01 season with 25 points through 42 games and was named to theAll-CCHA Second Team.[20]
In the 2001–02 season, Liles led the entire Spartans team in scoring with 35 points, earning him a selection to the All-CCHA First Team and Second All-American Team.[21] On October 6, 2001, Liles also took part in the famousCold War outdoor game, which at that time held the attendance record for an ice hockey game, against theUniversity of Michigan.[22]
During his senior season with the Spartans, Liles again led the team in scoring, registering 50 points in just 39 games while helping Michigan State to a 23–14–2 record.[21] Earning the CCHA Best Offensive Defensemen Award for the second consecutive year, he scored an average of 1.28 points per game for Michigan State and was also a finalist for theHobey Baker Award.[23]
After completing his collegiate career, Liles signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche on March 29, 2003.[24] Signing an amateur try-out contract the following day with Colorado'sAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theHershey Bears, Liles made his professional debut against theGrand Rapids Griffins on March 30 and played in ten games to end the2002–03 season.
In the2003–04 season, Liles made the Avalanche roster out of college and scored his first NHL goal and point, a game-winner, against theMinnesota Wild on October 16, 2003.[25] He led all rookie defensemen with ten goals and 34 points in 79 games to be named to the NHL All-Rookie Team while also becoming the highest point-scoring rookie defenseman in Avalanche history, and second in franchise history sinceBruce Bell's 37 with theQuebec Nordiques in1984–85.[26]
During theNHL lockout the next season, Liles enjoyed a brief stint in the GermanDeutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) for theIserlohn Roosters, playing in 17 contests and scoring 11 points. He then returned to the Avalanche for the2005–06 season and established himself within the Avalanche defensive corps, appearing in all 82 regular season games and finishing tied in first in goals scored by a defenseman withRob Blake, with 14. Improving his offensive numbers in every category, Liles also set a new team record among defensemen with 14 points scored in the month of October. Following another impressive season, he then signed a two-year contract extension on July 12, 2006.[27]
With the arrival of rookiePaul Stastny surprisingly making the team in2006–07, Liles relinquished his number 26 jersey, worn by formerQuebec Nordiques greatPeter Šťastný, for Paul Stastny to wear in honor of his father.[28] With the change to the number 4 jersey, Liles led the Avalanche defense in scoring with 14 goals and 44 points, placing tenth in the NHL. In reaching his tenth goal against theDallas Stars on December 27, 2006, Liles became the first defensemen in the NHL sinceSteve Duchesne in1987–88 to score at least ten goals in his first three NHL seasons.[29]
After suffering the disappointment of failing to qualify for theStanley Cup playoffs for the first time in Avalanche History, Liles helped lead the team return to the post-season in2007–08. On December 17, 2007, he recorded two helpers against theLos Angeles Kings to surpass 100 career assists in the NHL.[30] Despite leading the defense in scoring for a second consecutive year, he recorded a career-low six goals for 32 points in 81 games. On the eve of the beginning of the free agency period, on July 1, Liles was re-signed to a new four-year contract with the Avalanche on June 30, 2008.[31]
In the2008–09 season, Liles rebounded offensively to again top all Avalanche defensemen in goals with 12, and ranked fourth on the team in points with 39 as the struggling Avalanche finished 27th in the NHL, its worst-ever finish under the Avalanche name.[32] Transitioning into a senior role for the Colorado defense, Liles scored his 50th career goal against theToronto Maple Leafs on January 29, 2009, to become only the fifth defender in Quebec/Colorado history to achieve the feat.[33]
Hampered by a re-occurring shoulder injury midway through the2009–10 season, Liles also struggled with returning to form and was a healthy scratch for a brief period for the first time in his NHL career.[34] Despite playing in a career-low 59 regular season games for 31 points, he still led the resurgent youth-laden Avalanche team in defenseman scoring for a fourth consecutive season.
To begin the2010–11 season, Liles made NHL and franchise history when he recorded an assist in a 4–3 overtime loss to theVancouver Canucks on October 26, 2010, giving him assists in nine consecutive games to open the season.[35] Despite the Avalanche failing to qualify for the2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, Liles accumulated a career-high 40 assists in 76 games played.
On June 24, 2011, Liles was traded by the Avalanche to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a second-round pick in the2012 NHL Entry Draft.[36] He scored his first goal as a Maple Leaf in a game against theColumbus Blue Jackets. On January 25, 2012, Liles signed a four-year, $15.5 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs.[37] On October 1, 2013, after being waived by the Maple Leafs, he was assigned to the team's AHL affiliate, theToronto Marlies.[38] He was later recalled to the NHL on October 28, sent back on November 15, and then recalled again on December 6.
On January 1, 2014, Liles was traded to theCarolina Hurricanes, along with Toronto prospect Dennis Robertson, in exchange for defensemanTim Gleason.[39]
On February 29, 2016, Liles was traded to theBoston Bruins in exchange forAnthony Camara, a2016 third-round pick and a2017 fifth-round pick.[40]
On July 1, 2016, he re-signed a one-year deal, worth $2 million with the Bruins. In his second season with the Bruins in2016-17, restricted by injury and also reassigned to a depth role, Liles appeared in just 36 games with the Bruins totalling 5 assists.
Due to a concussion in his final year with Boston, Liles opted to end his 14-year professional career, returning to Colorado with his family and accepting a part-time role as a studio analyst forAltitude Sports in covering the Colorado Avalanche.[41] He appears on the network live during Avalanche game intermissions from his home in Vail, Colorado.[42]
Initially, Liles was selected to play forTeam USA in the2000 World Junior Championships inUmeå, Sweden, but suffered an injured shoulder in the last minute of the last exhibition game to rule him out of the tournament.[14] During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Liles made his international debut when he was recalled prior to his European stint with the DEL's Islerhohn Roosters as an injury replacement forHal Gill for the2004 World Cup.[43] After scoring in his first exhibition game againstRussia, Liles played in two games during the World Cup.[44]
Liles' place was retained within Team USA when he was named, alongside future teammateJordan Leopold, as a part of the young core of the squad to appear at the2005 World Championships.[45] Liles, however, went pointless in seven games before the U.S. finished in sixth place after elimination in the quarter-finals to the tournament's eventual gold medalists, theCzech Republic.
During the 2005–06 season, Liles was named to Team USA for the2006 Winter Olympics inTurin, Italy.[46] He appeared in all six games for the underwhelming U.S. team, recording two assists before suffering elimination in a quarter-final loss toFinland, 4–3.[47]
Three years later, Liles returned to Team USA when he was added to the team's roster for the2009 World Championships following Colorado's cellar-dwelling season in 2008–09.[48] He finished the tournament with the most points on the team, as well as second-most overall amongst tournament defenseman, scoring nine points from nine games. Team USA ended up fourth overall, losing thebronze medal game toSweden.[49]
Liles married fiancée Erin Johnson in 2013.[50] Together they have two daughters.[51]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995–96 | Culver Academies | HS-Prep | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Culver Academies | HS-Prep | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 15 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | U.S. NTDP U18 | NAHL | 42 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 40 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 46 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | U.S. NTDP U18 | NAHL | 13 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Michigan State University | CCHA | 40 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Michigan State University | CCHA | 42 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Michigan State University | CCHA | 41 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Michigan State University | CCHA | 39 | 16 | 34 | 50 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 79 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05 | Iserlohn Roosters | DEL | 17 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 82 | 14 | 35 | 49 | 44 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 71 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 81 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 75 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 59 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 76 | 6 | 40 | 46 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 32 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 16 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 35 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 57 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 64 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 17 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 36 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 836 | 87 | 283 | 370 | 286 | 46 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 18 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | United States | WCH | 4th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005 | United States | WC | 6th | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | United States | OG | 8th | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2009 | United States | WC | 4th | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 24 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 4 | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-CCHASecond Team | 2001 | |
| All-CCHAFirst Team | 2002,2003 | |
| CCHABest Offensive Defenseman | 2002, 2003 | |
| AHCAWest Second-Team All-American | 2002 | |
| AHCAWest First-Team All-American | 2003 | |
| NHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2004 | |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman 2001–02 2002–03 | Succeeded by |