Paul Edward Postma (born February 22, 1989) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who is currently playing for

Düsseldorfer EG Düsseldorfer Eislauf-Gemeinschaft or Düsseldorfer EG (short DEG) is a German professional ice hockey team in Düsseldorf. It was Germany's most successful hockey club for a long time and had many international players. The famous Eisstadion at th ...

of the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

(DEL). He was drafted 205th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL sea ...

. During his major junior career with the

Swift Current Broncos The Swift Current Broncos are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1967, the Broncos relocated to Lethbridge, Alberta in 1974, and were known as the Lethbridge Broncos, before returning to S ...

and

Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL), hosting their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a prof ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL), Postma won the

WHL Plus-Minus Award The Plus-Minus Award is given annually to the player who finishes with the top plus/minus in the Western Hockey League. It has been awarded since 1987. List of winners See also *AutoPro Plaque - Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec ...

and was a WHL East First Team All-Star in 2009.

Playing career

Postma has played

major junior Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's nationa ...

in the WHL for the

and

. After a 24-point season in 2006–07, he was drafted in the 7th round, 205th overall, by the

in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The next season, he was traded to the Calgary Hitmen, where he recorded 14 goals and 42 points. In 2008–09, Postma emerged with a 23-goal, 84-point campaign, first among league defencemen, setting team records for single-season goals (surpassed Kenton Smith's 19 goals in 1998–99) and points (tied with

Matt Kinch Matt Kinch (born February 17, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman playing in Germany for the EV Ravensburg of the 2nd Bundesliga. He played major junior in the Western Hockey League (WHL) before also playing pro in the Ameri ...

) by a defenceman. Paul Postma - Winnipeg Jets

He earned WHL East First Team All-Star honours, along with teammates

Brandon Kozun Brandon Scott Kozun (born March 8, 1990) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing with ERC Ingolstadt in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was drafted in the sixth round, 179th overall, in the 2009 ...

and Brett Sonne and a nomination for the

Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy The Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the defenceman of the year in the Western Hockey League (WHL). It is named after one of the league's founders, Bill Hunter, who was the driving force behind the creation of the WHL. Hunter ser ...

as the league's top defenceman, opposite

Jonathon Blum Jonathon Gregory Blum (born January 30, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman, currently playing with EHC Red Bull München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Blum was born in Long Beach, California and grew up in Rancho S ...

of the

Vancouver Giants The Vancouver Giants are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team playing based in Langley, British Columbia, and playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Founded in 2001, the Giants won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions in 2006 and th ...

. With a league-high +67 plus-minus rating, he won the

. During the second round of the subsequent 2009 playoffs, Postma was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Thrashers. He finished the 2009 playoffs with 13 points in 18 games, as the Hitmen were defeated in the finals by the

Kelowna Rockets The Kelowna Rockets are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. The team plays in the B.C Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference, playing their home games at Prospera Place. The Rockets a ...

. While playing for the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

, Postma scored his first NHL goal on February 1, 2013, against

Anders Lindbäck Anders Lindbäck (born 3 May 1988) is a Sweden, Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for Färjestad BK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has previously played for the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dalla ...

of the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

. In 2013–14, Postma missed most of the season due to injury, including a blood clot that had him sidelined for 47 games. Postma played a total of 42 games for the Jets during the 2014–15 season, but was sidelined in March, due to a lower-body injury. On July 10, 2015, Postma signed a two-year, $1,775,000 contract extension with the Jets. After spending his first eight professional seasons with the Thrashers/Jets franchise, Postma left as a free agent in agreeing to terms with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

on a one-year, $775,000 contract on July 1, 2017. He split the 2017–18 season between Boston and AHL affiliate, the

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Providence, Rhode Island. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Hi ...

. As a free agent from the Bruins, Postma opted to halt his North American career, agreeing to a one-year contract with Russian champions,

Ak Bars Kazan Hockey Club Ak Bars (, , ), also known as Ak Bars Kazan, is a professional ice hockey club based in Kazan, Russia. It is a member of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). History Founded as Mashstroy Kazan in 1956, the n ...

of the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...

(KHL), on August 15, 2018. In the 2018–19 season, Postma regained his scoring touch in the KHL, posting 8 goals and 28 points through 57 regular season games. On May 1, 2019, Postma left Ak Bars as a free agent to sign a one-year contract with Russian outfit,

Metallurg Magnitogorsk Metallurg Magnitogorsk () is a professional ice hockey club based in Magnitogorsk, Russia. It is a member of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The club also competed in the Champions Hockey League (2008–09), Champion ...

. He made just 10 appearances with Magnitogorsk to open the 2019–20 season before opting to leave the KHL on October 6, 2019. Moving to continue his career in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, after a successful tryout, Postma joined

HC Lugano Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships. History The founding of HC Lugano took ...

of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

(NL) on a one-year deal on November 6, 2019. On December 8, 2020, Postma belatedly joined Austrian club, EC KAC of the ICEHL, as a free agent on an initial one-year contract.

Personal life

Postma attended Gateway Christian School and Notre Dame High School in

Red Deer, Alberta Red Deer is a city in Alberta, Canada, located midway on the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Red Deer serves central Alberta, and its key industries include health care, retail trade, construction, oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing and educati ...

. He is the son of John and Janet Postma and has three sisters, Alissa, Jamie-Lea and Sharlene. Alissa is married to former NHL defenceman Noah Welch, and Sharlene is married to former NHL forward Rhett Rakhshani. Paul married Brooke Sutter, daughter of

Brent Sutter Brent Colin Sutter (born June 10, 1962) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) player and former head coach of the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames. Selected by the New York Islanders 17th overall at the 1980 NHL entry draft, Sut ...

, during the summer of 2023.

Records

team record; single-season points by a defenceman - 84 in 2008–09 (tied with

- 2000–01)

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Postma, Paul 1989 births Living people Canadian people of Dutch descent Ak Bars Kazan players Atlanta Thrashers draft picks Atlanta Thrashers players Boston Bruins players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Calgary Hitmen players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Chicago Wolves players Düsseldorfer EG players EC KAC players HC Lugano players Manitoba Moose players Metallurg Magnitogorsk players Providence Bruins players Ice hockey people from Red Deer, Alberta St. John's IceCaps players Swift Current Broncos players Winnipeg Jets players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen