Nathan Lawson (ice hockey)

Nathan Lawson (born September 29, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. A goaltender, Lawson is currently playing with HPK in the Finnish top-flight Liiga. Lawson has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators.

Nathan Lawson
Lawson with the Vienna Capitals in 2016
Born (1983-09-29) September 29, 1983 (age 41)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
Liiga team
Former teams
HPK
New York Islanders
Ottawa Senators
Dornbirner EC
Vienna Capitals
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2007–present

Playing career

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Lawson started his career as a hockey player at the Olds Grizzlys, where he was active from 2001 to 2004 in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He then spent three years at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and played in parallel for their hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association play. In the 2007–08 season the goalkeeper made his debut in professional hockey, initially for the Phoenix RoadRunners and then for the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL.

From the 2008–09 season through 2010–11, Lawson was goaltender for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the American Hockey League (AHL), the affiliate of the New York Islanders of the NHL. Lawson made his NHL debut with the Islanders on December 18, 2010, in a 4–3 shootout loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, and played a total of ten games for the Islanders in the 2010–11 season.

On July 5, 2011, Lawson signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens. He spent the season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, playing 57 games and recording five shutouts. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with Ottawa on July 16, 2012.[1]

On October 2, 2014, Lawson as a free agent ventured abroad to sign an initial try-out contract with Austrian club, Dornbirner EC of the EBEL.[2] Lawson secured the starting position with the Bulldogs, and appeared in 37 games in the 2014–15 season, recording 19 wins.

On May 30, 2015, Lawson opted to continue in the EBEL, signing a one-year contract with fellow Austrian club, the Vienna Capitals.[3] He made 44 EBEL appearances for the Vienna team during the 2015–16 season. He left the club after the season to move to Finland, where he penned a deal with HPK of the country's top-tier Liiga.[4]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2002–03 Olds Grizzlys AJHL 56
2003–04 Olds Grizzlys AJHL 54
2004–05 University of Alaska Anchorage WCHA 27 7 15 3 1482 82 1 3.32 .914
2005–06 University of Alaska Anchorage WCHA 21 4 11 3 1063 61 1 3.44 .908
2006–07 University of Alaska Anchorage WCHA 27 10 15 2 1523 77 0 3.03 .893
2007–08 Phoenix Roadrunners ECHL 5 3 2 0 279 14 1 3.01 .910
2007–08 Utah Grizzlies ECHL 24 14 7 1 1390 67 1 2.89 .906 10 5 4 543 26 2 2.87 .905
2008–09 Utah Grizzlies ECHL 3 2 0 0 158 6 0 2.28 .918
2008–09 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 31 19 9 2 1723 62 2 2.16 .927 2 0 2 123 8 0 3.89 .833
2009–10 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 36 16 16 3 2121 89 1 2.52 .922 1 0 0 46 2 0 2.63 .938
2010–11 New York Islanders NHL 10 1 4 2 384 26 0 4.06 .893
2010–11 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 16 6 5 4 953 46 0 2.90 .913
2011–12 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 44 19 17 4 2402 103 5 2.57 .914
2012–13 Binghamton Senators AHL 23 12 6 2 1258 46 2 2.19 .938 3 0 3 165 8 0 2.60 .905
2012–13 Elmira Jackals ECHL 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .941
2013–14 Binghamton Senators AHL 30 15 8 1 1571 80 0 3.05 .908
2013–14 Ottawa Senators NHL 1 0 0 0 12 2 0 10.00 .800
2014–15 Dornbirner EC EBEL 37 19 15 0 2044 98 1 2.88 .920
2015–16 Vienna Capitals EBEL 40 2336 88 0 2.26 .924 4 1 3 271 11 0 2.43 .917
NHL totals 11 1 4 0 396 28 0 4.24 .889

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref.
All-WCHA Rookie Team 2004–05
AHL All-Rookie Team 2008–09 [5]

References

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  1. ^ "Bulletin: Senators sign goaltender Nathan Lawson to a one-year, two-way contract" (Press release). Ottawa Senators. July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  2. ^ "Dornbirn sign Nathan Lawson on try-out basis". Dornbirner EC. October 2, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "Nathan Lawson future keeper for the Caps" (in German). Vienna Capitals. May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  4. ^ "HPK:n ensi kauden joukkue". HPK. April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  5. ^ "Nathan Lawson profile". The Hockey News. October 2, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
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