Casey Pierro-Zabotel (born November 8, 1988) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

who is currently an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

. He most recently played for the Adirondack Thunder of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. He was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 80th overall, out of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Playing

major junior Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

with the

Vancouver Giants The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one President's Cup (now known as the Ed Chynoweth Cup) in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007 in t ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major 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 h ...

(WHL), he set franchise single-season records in 2008–09 with 79 assists and 115 points, en route to a Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's leading scorer.

Playing career

Undrafted by a WHL team, Pierro-Zabotel began his

junior hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

career with the Merritt Centennials of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in 2004–05. He produced at a near point-per-game pace in his second season with the Centennials before dominating the league in 2006–07, his draft year, with 51 goals, 65 assists and 116 points in 55 games. Going into the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Pierro-Zabotel was ranked 75th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, up from 87th in their mid-term rankings. He would be taken in the third round, 80th overall, by the

. Set to make the jump from Junior A to

college hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

for Michigan Tech in 2007–08, he was deemed ineligible to play for the first semester by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

for academic reasons. As a result, Pierro-Zabotel instead signed with the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

defending champions,

of the WHL, in November 2007. He scored his first WHL goal on November 24 against the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who play in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Divis ...

and tallied 48 points in 49 games for the Giants in his

rookie season. Beginning the 2008–09 season on the top line with

Evander Kane Evander Frank Kane (born August 2, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, and San J ...

, Pierro-Zabotel was named WHL Player of the Week on October 5 after recording 7 points in 2 games. Just 44 games into the season, he set a Giants single-season record with his 54th assist as part of a 5-point game on January 17, 2009, in a 9–3 win against the

Red Deer Rebels The Red Deer Rebels are a Western Hockey League junior ice hockey team based in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The Rebels play at the Peavey Mart Centrium. History A "Name the Team" contest ran in Red Deer from October 7 to 17, 1991. The top t ...

. The team mark was previously set by Darren Lynch, who recorded 53 assists in 70 games in 2002–03. A little over a week later, on January 25, Pierro-Zabotel tied the Giants' franchise mark for single-season points set by Gilbert Brule in 2004–05 with his 87th point of the season. He broke the record the next game against the Medicine Hat Tigers, on January 28, with an assist in a 4–3 win. His record-setting January was capped off with a WHL Player of the Month recognition after tallying 28 points in 15 games. Pierro-Zabotel completed his second WHL season with a league-high 115 points (36 goals and 79 assists) to become the first Giants recipient of the Bob Clarke Trophy. He was also named co-team MVP with captain

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 Ranc ...

and was unanimously selected to the WHL West First All-Star Team. After eliminating the Spokane Chiefs in the second round of the playoffs, Pierro-Zabotel was named the Western Conference's nominee for the

Four Broncos Memorial Trophy The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the Western Hockey League's Player of the Year. The trophy is named in honour of four members of the Swift Current Broncos who were killed on December 30, 1986 in the Swift Current Broncos b ...

as top WHL player. The award was given to Eastern Conference finalist

Brett Sonne Brett Sonne (born May 16, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He is a former prospect of the St. Louis Blues organization, having been selected by the Blues in the third round, 85th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He ...

of the Calgary Hitmen. In game two of the semifinals, he scored the game winning

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

goal to defeat the

Kelowna Rockets The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place. The R ...

4–3 and tie the series 1–1. The Giants were, however, eliminated in six games. Pierro-Zabotel completed the post-season with 17 points in 17 games. A week after Pierro-Zabotel's final WHL season ended, the Penguins signed him to a three-year, entry level contract on May 4, 2009. He was subsequently assigned to the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) to join the Pittsburgh's minor league affiliate, the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barr ...

for their 2009 playoff run. He did not, however, appear in any games. Pierro-Zabotel began the season on the Penguins'

affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers, but was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 21, 2010. At the time of his reassignment, he was second in team scoring with 33 points in 38 games. In February 2011, it was announced that he was loaned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, who are not affiliated with the Penguins. Prior to the start of the 2011-12 ECHL season, the Wheeling Nailers traded Pierro-Zabotel to the Bakersfield Condors for future considerations. After the 2011-12 season, his entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization expired. Pierro-Zabotel was not re-signed by the Condors and became a free agent on July 1, 2012. On September 27, he signed with the

Gwinnett Gladiators The Atlanta Gladiators are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Duluth, Georgia. The Gladiators play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at Gas South Arena, approximately northeast o ...

of the ECHL. On July 5, 2013, Pierro-Zabotel signed his first European contract, agreeing to a one-year deal with German second tier club, Lausitzer Füchse of the DEL2. He eventually returned to the Gwinnett Gladiators, where he had spent the majority of his 2012-13 season. On July 16, 2014, Pierro-Zabotel re-signed with the Gwinnett Gladiators but was traded at the deadline to the

Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (N ...

on March 12, 2015. On August 6, 2015, he continued his career in the ECHL, signing a one-year contract with reigning Champions, the

Allen Americans The Allen Americans are a professional ice hockey team headquartered at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, which currently plays in the ECHL. The team was founded in 2009 in the Central Hockey League (CHL) where they played f ...

. In the 2015–16 season, Pierro-Zabotel quickly transitioned to become an integral contributor to the Americans offence, posting 15 goals and 47 points in 58 regular season games. With 16 post-season points, Pierro-Zabotel helped Allen retain the ECHL Championship. As a free agent in the off-season, Pierro-Zabotel opted to join his seventh ECHL club, in agreeing to a one-year deal with the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...

on August 11, 2016. In his lone season with the Eagles, Pierro-Zabotel claimed his second consecutive Kelly Cup, posting 15 points in 24 playoff appearances. After a second stint with the Allen Americans, Pierro-Zabotel continued his tenure in the ECHL, agreeing to terms with the Adirondack Thunder on September 3, 2019.

International play

Following his second season in the BCHL, Pierro-Zabotel competed for Canada West at the inaugural

2006 World Junior A Challenge The World Junior A Challenge 2006 was an international Junior "A" ice hockey tournament hosted by Hockey Canada. The 2006 World Junior A Challenge was hosted by the Canadian City of Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Summary The final was between Canada Eas ...

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about 450 kilometres north-west of Winnipeg and 300 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. As of 2017 the census population of the ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. Playing Canada East in the final, Pierro-Zabotel scored the game-winning goal on the powerplay to win the gold medal by a 4–3 score. He finished with 9 points in 4 games, second in tournament scoring behind teammate and tournament MVP Kyle Turris. The next year, Pierro-Zabotel was named

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

for Canada West for the

2007 World Junior A Challenge The World Junior A Challenge 2007 was an international Junior "A" ice hockey tournament hosted by Hockey Canada. The 2007 World Junior A Challenge was hosted by the Canadian cities of Trail, British Columbia and Nelson, British Columbia from No ...

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He led his team past Belarus in a 7–4 quarter-final win with a

natural hat trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wi ...

in the third period, scored in just 4 minutes, en route to a second straight gold medal win against Canada East in the final. He finished with 7 points in 5 games, tied for second in team scoring behind tournament MVP Mike Connolly.

Records

franchise record; most assists, single-season - 79 in 2008–09 (surpassed Darren Lynch - 53 in 2002–03) *Vancouver Giants franchise record; most points, single-season - 115 in 2008–09 (surpassed Gilbert Brule - 87 in 2004–05)

Personal life

Pierro-Zabotel married his long-time girlfriend, Levi Gottfriedson in December 2008, and they have two children together.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

*
Casey Pierro-Zabotel's WHL ProfileCasey Pierro-Zabotel's Profile at Hockey's Future
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierro-Zabotel, Casey 1988 births Adirondack Thunder players Allen Americans players Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015) players Canadian ice hockey centres Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Colorado Eagles players Florida Everblades players Gwinnett Gladiators players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Living people Merritt Centennials players Norfolk Admirals players Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Vancouver Giants players Wheeling Nailers players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players