Bryan Lerg

Bryan Lerg (born January 20, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the San Jose Sharks.

Bryan Lerg
Born (1986-01-20) January 20, 1986
Livonia, Michigan, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Genève-Servette HC
San Jose Sharks
Rögle BK
HC Ambrì-Piotta
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2008–2019

Lerg made his NHL debut after spending 7 years in the American Hockey League (AHL). Lerg played college hockey with Michigan State University where he helped the Spartans win a national championship in 2007.

Playing career

As a youth, Lerg played in the 2000 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Honeybaked minor ice hockey team.[1]

Undrafted and much like his cousin Jeff, Lerg was of a small physique as a junior. A solid checker he played a strong, gritty game for his small stature. Opting to play collegiate hockey, in his freshman season with the Michigan State Spartans, Lerg accumulated 15 points (10 goals, 5 assists). By his Sophomore season, he had 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) and in his junior season was given the honor of alternate captain and scored 36 points (23 goals, 13 assists), leading the Spartans to a national championship, in which he scored 8 game-winning goals to lead the NCAA. He was elected captain of the Spartans by team vote for the 2007-08 season and accumulated 39 points (20 goals, 19 assists) to be named the Spartans Offensive player of the year for a second time.

At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Lerg was signed to a two-year entry level contract with the Edmonton Oilers on April 1, 2008.[2] He immediately made his professional debut at the end of the 2007–08 season with affiliate, the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.

After attending his first Oilers training camp, Lerg was reassigned to the Falcons to begin the 2008–09 season.[3] Despite injury, Lerg scored 17 points in 42 games with the Falcons while also spending time in the ECHL with the Stockton Thunder. In the following season, Lerg suffered another injury and with a loss of form, struggled to cement his place within the Oilers farm team, scoring 7 points in 36 contests.

Unable to earn another contract with the Oilers, and with a lack of NHL interest, Lerg signed a try-out contract with Swiss team, Genève-Servette HC, of the Nationalliga A. Appearing in just a single game for Genève-Servette in the 2010–11 season, he returned to North America and the AHL, signing a one-year contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on December 8, 2010. Lerg made an immediate contribution with the Penguins and posted 32 points in 65 games to earn a one-year contract extension on July 13, 2011.[4]

Prior to the 2011–12 season with Wilkes-Barre, Lerg was invited and attended the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp.[5] After he was returned to their affiliate, Lerg produced a team leading and career high 27 goals to finish second on the team with 53 points.

On July 1, 2012, Lerg was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche.[6] With the 2012 NHL lockout in effect, Lerg was directly assigned to American League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, to start the 2012–13 campaign. Shortly after the resumption of the season, he was announced as team captain on October 30, 2012.[7] In the midst of a productive campaign with the Monsters in scoring 9 goals in 28 games, Lerg's season was cut short after he suffered a season-ending torn Anterior cruciate ligament injury which required surgery.[8]

On April 22, 2013, Lerg agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche. He scored 27 points in 35 games before he was again struck by injury, sidelining himself for the majority of the season.

After two seasons within the Avalanche organization, Lerg left as a free agent to sign a one-year, two way contract with the San Jose Sharks on July 10, 2014.[9] After participating in his first Sharks training camp, Lerg was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks to begin the 2014–15 season. For the third successive season, Lerg was selected as an AHL team captain. While leading Worcester in scoring and after 8 professional seasons, Lerg's perseverance was rewarded on April 6, 2015, in receiving his first NHL call up to the San Jose Sharks as they approached the final games of the regular season. On April 9, 2015, Lerg made his NHL debut against his original NHL club, the Edmonton Oilers. Lerg impressed in scoring his first NHL goal, the game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory.[10]

On May 4, 2016, he left the Sharks organization as an impending free agent to sign with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[11]

Personal information

He is the cousin of former college teammate Jeff Lerg.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2002–03 U.S. NTDP U18 NAHL 4610122232 —————
2003–04 U.S. NTDP U18 NAHL 11571210 —————
2004–05 Michigan State University CCHA 411051514 —————
2005–06 Michigan State University CCHA 4515233826 —————
2006–07 Michigan State University CCHA 4123133621 —————
2007–08 Michigan State University CCHA 4220193918 —————
2007–08 Springfield Falcons AHL 40222 —————
2008–09 Springfield Falcons AHL 42981724 —————
2008–09 Stockton Thunder ECHL 728104 —————
2009–10 Springfield Falcons AHL 3643711 —————
2010–11 Genève–Servette HC NLA 10000 —————
2010–11 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 6415163121 91234
2011–12 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 7027265332 120224
2012–13 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 2897166 —————
2013–14 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 351215274 —————
2014–15 Worcester Sharks AHL 6813284110 40110
2014–15 San Jose Sharks NHL 21010 —————
2015–16 San Jose Barracuda AHL 6421305137 41010
2015–16 San Jose Sharks NHL 60000 —————
2016–17 Rögle BK SHL 5220133344 —————
2017–18 Rögle BK SHL 5219113024 —————
2018–19 HC Ambrì–Piotta NL 175054 —————
AHL totals 412110136246147 292578
NHL totals 81010 —————
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
IIHF U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place2004 Minsk

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2004 United States WJC18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 2 6 8 2
Junior totals 6 2 6 8 2

References
  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  2. "Oilers sign Bryan Lerg". Edmonton Oilers. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  3. "Chorney's journey comes to Camrose". Edmonton Oilers. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  4. "WBS Penguins extend Bryan Lerg". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  5. "Penguins reduce training camp roster by three players". Pittsburgh Penguins. 2011-09-23. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  6. "Avalanche signs six players". Colorado Avalanche. 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
  7. "Lerg named Captain, Alternates also announced". Lake Erie Monsters. 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
  8. "Sutherby named new Monsters Captain". Lake Erie Monsters. 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  9. "Sharks sign forward Bryan Lerg". San Jose Sharks. 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
  10. "Sharks rally to defeat Oilers". National Hockey League. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  11. "NHL center Bryan Lerg signs for Rögle". Rögle BK (in Swedish). 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
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