Chris Breen (born June 29, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. An undrafted player, Breen originally joined the Calgary Flames organization in 2010 and made his NHL debut with the team in 2013. He was later signed by the Boston Bruins as a free agent on July 1, 2014.

Chris Breen
Breen with the Boston Bruins in a 2015 pre-season game
Born (1989-06-29) June 29, 1989 (age 35)
Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Weight 224 lb (102 kg; 16 st 0 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Calgary Flames
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2010–2020

Playing career

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Breen with the Flames in 2013

Breen played five Ontario Hockey League (OHL) seasons between 2005 and 2010 with the Saginaw Spirit, Erie Otters and Peterborough Petes. A late-bloomer, he was not an OHL regular until his 18-year-old season and went unselected at the NHL Entry Draft. Noting his height – six feet, seven inches tall – the Calgary Flames took an interest in Breen and brought him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, on a try-out when his junior season with Peterborough ended.[1]

Though he played only one game at the end of the 2009–10 AHL season and recorded an assist, the Flames signed him to a contract.[2] Assigned to the Heat for the 2010–11 season, Breen played 74 games, scored four goals and seven assists, and established himself as a prospect in the Flames organization.[1] He spent the following two seasons in Abbotsford, scoring seven points in 70 games in 2011–12 and seven points in 60 games in 2012–13. Breen missed the last 11 games of the latter campaign after suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair.[3]

While recovered from the injury, the Flames signed Breen to a one-year, two-way contract extension for 2013–14.[4] He began the season on a conditioning assignment with Abbotsford, but was recalled to the Flames on October 21, 2013.[5] Breen made his NHL debut one night later in a 4–2 loss against the Phoenix Coyotes.[6]

On July 1, 2014, Breen was signed as a free agent to a one-year two-way contract with the Boston Bruins.[7] On July 2, 2015, Breen was re-signed by the Bruins to a one-year two-way contract.[8] On July 6, 2016, Breen was re-signed by the Bruins to a one-year two-way contract.[9]

During the 2017–18 season, while in his fourth season with the Providence Bruins, Breen was signed to a one-year, two-way NHL contract with parent club, Boston on February 25, 2018; he was then placed on waivers by the parent club and re-assigned to Providence.[10] He completed the season, scoring 13 points in 62 games from the blueline.

On June 30, 2018, agreed to return for a fifth season with Providence, accepting another one-year AHL contract.[11] In July 2019, after scoring 11 points in the 2018–19 AHL season and becoming the fifth longest tenured player for Providence up to that time, Breen signed what would prove to be his last, one-year, contract with Providence.[12]

Career statistics

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Mississauga Chargers OPJHL 33 1 6 7 10
2005–06 Saginaw Spirit OHL 25 0 0 0 10
2006–07 Saginaw Spirit OHL 39 1 2 3 32 2 0 0 0 2
2007–08 Saginaw Spirit OHL 55 0 6 6 67 4 0 1 1 0
2008–09 Saginaw Spirit OHL 6 0 1 1 9
2008–09 Erie Otters OHL 59 0 12 12 31 5 0 1 1 7
2009–10 Erie Otters OHL 12 0 2 2 11
2009–10 Peterborough Petes OHL 53 4 8 12 36 4 1 0 1 5
2009–10 Abbotsford Heat AHL 1 0 1 1 4
2010–11 Abbotsford Heat AHL 73 4 7 11 47
2011–12 Abbotsford Heat AHL 70 1 6 7 37 8 1 0 1 0
2012–13 Abbotsford Heat AHL 60 3 4 7 55
2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 41 1 3 4 29 4 0 2 2 2
2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 9 0 2 2 5
2014–15 Providence Bruins AHL 52 2 8 10 33 5 0 1 1 0
2015–16 Providence Bruins AHL 66 1 11 12 38 3 1 0 1 0
2016–17 Providence Bruins AHL 37 1 2 3 38 17 0 3 3 6
2017–18 Providence Bruins AHL 62 1 12 13 46 4 0 1 1 2
2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 47 2 9 11 38 4 1 0 1 7
2019–20 Providence Bruins AHL 14 0 2 2 25
NHL totals 9 0 2 2 5

References

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  1. ^ a b Pinder, Ryan (September 13, 2011). "Late-bloomer Breen impressing Flames". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 23, 2013.[dead link]
  2. ^ Sportak, Randy (May 31, 2010). "Flames eye draft". The London Free Press. QMI Agency. Retrieved October 23, 2013.[dead link]
  3. ^ Kinvig, Dan (July 18, 2013). "Heat blueliner Breen back in the fold, signs new one-year deal". The Abbotsford News. Retrieved October 22, 2013.[dead link]
  4. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (July 18, 2013). "Breen on board". Calgary Sun. p. S9.
  5. ^ "Flames recall Breen, Horak". Calgary Flames Hockey Club. October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.[dead link]
  6. ^ Cruickshank, Scott (October 23, 2013). "'Too little, too late' in Flames loss". Calgary Herald. p. F1.
  7. ^ "B's sign D Chris Breen" (Press release). Boston Bruins. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.[dead link]
  8. ^ "Bruins Sign Defenseman Chris Breen To One-Year, Two-Way Contract". NESN. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  9. ^ "Bruins Sign Defenseman Chris Breen To One-Year, Two-Way Contract". NESN. July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Bruins Sign Chris Breen To One-Year, Two-Way Contract" (Press release). Boston Bruins. February 25, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Divver, Mark [@MarkDivver] (June 30, 2018). "As expected, Chris Breen re-signs with @AHLBruins. AHL deal. Has worn 'A' for last 3 seasons. Important veteran in young lineup" (Tweet). Retrieved July 7, 2024 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Providence signs six". American Hockey League. July 8, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
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