Brandon Saad
| Birthday: 1992-10-27 | Position: LW |
| Eligible for draft: 2011 | Shoots: Left |
| Drafted: 2011 | Height: 6-2 |
| Acquired: 2nd round (43rd overall), 2011 | Weight: 211 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- B
History
2007-08: Brandon Saad played for the Pittsburgh Hornets Midget team, appearing in 76 games for that squad. He scored 43 goals and 51 assists for 94 points. Saad was chosen in the first round, , of the 2008 OHL Priority Selection by the Saginaw Spirit.
2008-09: Saad played most of the season for the Mahoning Valley Phantoms of the NAHL. In 47 games, he scored 29 goals and added 18 assists for 47 points. Saad was named to the NAHL's First Team All-Star Team, All-Rookie Team, and he was named that league's Rookie of the Year. Saad also played for the U.S. NTDP program's Under-17 squad, scoring 6 goals and adding 5 assists for 11 points in 7 games.
2009-10: Saad spent the season playing in the NTDP program. In 63 games for the National Under-18 squad, he scored 29 goals and added 29 assists for 58 points. His goal total and point total were tops for that team. In 24 games for the NTDP team that played in the USHL, Saad scored 12 goals and added 14 assists for 26 points. Saad played for the USA's gold medal-winning team at the 2010 Under-18 World Junior Championship, scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists for 6 point sin 7 games.
2010-11: In Saad's OHL rookie season, he played in 59 games for the Saginaw Spirit. He scored 27 goals and added 28 assists for a total of 55 points. In 12 playoff games for the Spirit, Saad scored 3 goals and added 8 assists for 11 points. Saad played for Team Orr at the 2011 CHL Home Hardware Top Prospects Game.
2011-12: Saad made his NHL debut as an 18-year-old – appearing in two October games with Chicago before being returned to the OHL's Saginaw Spirt. He represented the USA at the 2012 U20 World Junior championship and later appeared in two playoff games for the Blackhawks following Saginaw's season. Saad averaged just under 14 minutes of ice time in his two games with Chicago and had no points or penalty minutes before returning to juniors. In two playoff games in the series with Phoenix he had 1 assist and was plus-two. Saad missed several games at the beginning of the season due to injury and again during the WJC tournament but was the third-leading scorer for the Spirit despite skating in only 44 games. He scored 34 goals with 42 assists and was a team-leading plus-35 with 38 penalty minutes. Saginaw finished third in the West Division and reached the second round of the playoffs. In 12 playoff games, Saad was plus-three, leading the Spirit in scoring with 8 goals and 9 assists. He was a team-leading plus-eight for the USA squad, scoring 1 goal with five assists and 6 penalty minutes. The USA finished seventh in the ten-team tournament.
2012-13: Saad was immediately inserted onto Chicago's top line as a 20-year-old rookie and played a key role for the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. After skating for Chicago's AHL affiliate Rochester during the NHL lockout, he played alongside veterans Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa for most of the season. Numbers-wise, Saad got off to a slow start with four points in his first 19 games but he finished with a flourish – scoring 3 goals with 12 assists in one 14-game stretch and finishing the year with 10 goals and 17 assists in 46 games. Chicago had the league's best record before rolling to its second Stanley Cup in four seasons. Saad scored 1 goal with 5 assists and was -1 with 4 penalty minutes in 23 playoff games. In 31 AHL games with Rockford he scored 8 goals with 12 assists and was +1 with 10 penalty minutes. Saad finished third in HockeyFuture's Calder Cup poll.
Talent Analysis
At his best, Saad is a power forward with the strength and scoring touch to wreak havoc in front of the net. He is strong and solidly built at 6'1 and 203 pounds, but does not always use his size as much as he should. Good hockey sense and able to create space for himself as well as linemates. Responsible in his own zone and anticipates the play well. Potential top six power forward, but needs to play with more consistency.
Future
Saad was a Calder finalist in 2012-13, spending most of his time on the Blackhawks' top line and skating in all situations. During the playoffs, he settled into a third line role but was still able to make an impact by driving the net. He has secured at least a top-nine role going into the 2013-14 season, and considering how much Joel Quenneville tends to shake up the lines, he is likely to see more time skating with the Blackhawks top players.
