Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of the NHL
- Name: Nathan Saunders
- Position: D
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 6-3
- Weight: 220 lbs
- Birthdate: 1985-04-25
- Eligible for Draft: 2003
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- Acquired: Drafted 119th overall (4th round) in the 2003 Entry Draft
- Playing In: Pro
Nathan Saunders
Prospect Grade: 5.0 C (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: Kevin Forbes
History
The Ducks acquired a fourth round pick (119th overall) from Nashville (who previously acquired the pick from Chicago) in exchange for Anaheim's fourth and fifth round selections in the 2004 Entry Draft. Anaheim used the pick to select the 6'4, 210-pound defenseman out of Moncton in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Saunders scored 14 points with 241 penalty minutes in 2002-03. He added 5 points in six postseason games. Saunders was a teammate of Anaheim's 2002 ninth round selection (261st overall) Francois Caron.
Named to Team QMJHL for the RE/MAX Canada/Russia Challenge in 2003.
2004-05: Saunders was the jack of all trades in Moncton this year, serving as their leader on the blue line as well as being top on the team in plus/minus and penalty minutes. He posted 28 points in 70 games, down slightly from the previous year, due to a more controlled style of play from a young Moncton defense.
After four years with the Moncton Wildcats, Saunders is graduating to the pro leagues. He signed a three-year deal this summer and will play in Portland this year.
2005-06: Playing for the Portland Pirates, Nathan Saunders missed significant time from injury, appearing in just 20 games with a single goal for his AHL rookie campaign. During the postseason, Saunders saw only nine games of action and was held without a single point.
2006-07: Played with the Augusta Lynx to aid in his recovery from a shoulder injury suffered in the previous season. In 59 games with the Lynx, he scored a goal and had 14 points with 107 penalty minutes. He saw time in 16 AHL games with Portland, contributing three assists.
Traded to the Boston Bruins in September 2007
Talent Analysis
Saunders is a big, physical, defensive defenseman. He plays a very good, simple, game and relies on his positioning and strength to interrupt the oppositions offense. His character and determination are top quality and he’s the type of defender that is willing to do whatever it takes to win, including dropping the gloves to stand up for his teammates or challenge anyone who took a run at his goaltender. Offensively he has played on the Moncton powerplay, but this is not his strength despite possessing a good hard shot from the point. Although he is big and strong, Saunders is not a huge bodychecker. He typically will use his strength to stand players up as they try to deke past him or he will pin them against the boards to allow his teammates to recover the puck. Saunders skating needs some work and he sometimes fights the puck when trying to control it, or keep it in at the blueline. However, as a defensive specialist, this is not a huge concern.
Future
Saunders is never going to be star player, and most likely won’t find himself on the top two pairings of an NHL team. However, he is the type of player which every team could use anywhere as a No. 5-7 defenseman.
Stats
Stats Coming Soon...
Profile Last Updated: October, 1st 2007
HF Quick Navigation
