Background
Size: 5’9, 182 lbs (team listing)
Size: 5’9, 182 lbs (team listing)
Undrafted, Stapleton played for two seasons with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Stapleton then represented the University of Minnesota Duluth for four seasons, where he led the team in scoring as a freshman and had back-to-back 40 point seasons.
After a brief stint with the Portland Pirates of the AHL, he signed with Jokerit of the Finnish SM-liiga, completing a tryout which led to a one-year contract. During his first Jokerit season, Stapleton won the SM-liiga silver medal and finished second in playoff scoring.
On June 6, 2008, Stapleton signed as a free agent to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2008–09 season. Stapleton was assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League on September 26, 2008.
On 26 February 2009, Stapleton played his first career NHL game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring the shootout winner. In his next game Stapleton was credited with his first NHL goal against the Ottawa Senators, goaltender Brian Elliott on February 28, 2009.
On July 1, 2009, Stapleton was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers with Pavel Kubina for Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart. After signing with the Thrashers, Stapleton was then assigned to affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, for the 2009-10 season.
For the 2010-2011 season, Stapleton signed a Professional Try-out agreement with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. On November 30, 2010, Stapleton was signed to a 2-year contract by the Atlanta Thrashers.
On February 27, 2011, Stapleton scored his first goal since April 16, 2010. It was against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was invited and accepted an invitation to join the USA hockey team for the 2011 IIHF tournament.
On April 10, 2011, Stapleton scored a goal in the 3rd period against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was the last game of the season for the Thrashers and would be the last goal in their history. The following season, the Thrashers, including Stapleton, moved to Canada to become the Winnipeg Jets. For the first time Stapleton remained at the NHL level for an entire season, often playing the point on the power play despite playing his even-strength minutes as a third- or fourth-line forward; partly because of this, he logged career highs (and more than doubled his career NHL totals) in games played, goals, assists and points.
Despite this performance, Stapleton was not re-signed by the Jets when his contract expired the following summer. On July 10, 2012, it was announced that Stapleton had agreed to terms with HC Dinamo Minsk of the KHL
Despite being born and raised in the Chicago area, Stapleton is not related to 1970s Chicago Blackhawks star defenseman Pat Stapleton.
[edit]Career statistics
Shoots: Right
Strengths
Stapleton is a player who has uncanny vision in the offensive zone. He has great instincts on the attack, and shows great anticipation for where the puck is going, and where his teammates will be. He is a very good passer, a fine skater, and owns a very accurate wrist shot.
Weaknesses
Stapleton is small compared to most North American players in the pro game (I have seen him listed anywhere from 5’7 to 5’9, and 170 – 182 lbs, depending on the source), and he is not a particularly physical player. As a result, he can be overmatched at times by larger forwards, especially in the corners and in front of the net. He will have to develop a nastier edge to his game to avoid getting tagged as a perimeter player. He has not scored nearly as many goals in the North American pros as he did in Europe, largely due to the far more physical nature of the North American game, where players have much less puck control time in the offensive zone.
