Brandon Bollig (born January 31, 1987 in St. Charles, Missouri) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing as a forward for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing Career[]
Bollig played three seasons of junior hockey with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL) between 2005 and 2008. He appeared in 173 games for the Stars and recorded 37 goals and 36 assists in that time, as well as 593 penalty minutes.
He finished second in the USHL in penalties in both 2006–07 and 2007–08 with 207 and 211 PIM respectively. Bollig then attended St. Lawrence University where he played two seasons of college hockey with the Saints.
After recording 13 points as a freshman in 2008–09, Bollig finished fourth in team scoring with 25 points and led the team with 83 PIM.
The Chicago Blackhawks lured Bollig out of university following his sophomore season and signed him to a professional contract in 2010. The Blackhawks assigned him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs to complete the 2009–10 season.
On April 6, 2010, he made his professional debut on April 6, 2010, and scored his first professional goal four nights later against the San Antonio Rampage. Bollig played the entire 2010–11 AHL season with the IceHogs and remained in Rockford for the majority of the following campaign.
Late in the 2011-12 NHL season, the Blackhawks recalled Bollig late in the 2011–12 NHL season to serve as a replacement for enforcer John Scott who was traded to the New York Rangers.
On February 29, 2012, Bollig made his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs; he also recorded his first fight against Luke Schenn. He appeared in 18 regular season games with the Blackhawks. He was held pointless, but he recorded 58 PIM.
In the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bollig appeared in four games in the team's first round match-up against the Phoenix Coyotes. On April 14, 2012, he scored his first NHL goal which was a game-tying marker against goaltender Mike Smith in the second game of the series.
Bollig returned to Rockford to begin the 2012–13 AHL season. He appeared in 35 games and recorded 9 points for the IceHogs before earning a recall to Chicago, and his 157 PIM was second in the AHL at that time. He played 25 games with Chicago, again held pointless, and led the team with 51 PIM.
Bollig appeared in only five post-season games, but was a member of the team when it defeated the Boston Bruins to claim the 2013 Stanley Cup championship. He was the first native of the St. Louis region to win the Cup.
On October 1, 2013, Bollig scored his first NHL career goal in the Blackhawks' 2013-14 season opener against Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals.
In his first full season in the NHL, he appeared in all 82 games for Chicago, scored 7 goals and added 7 assists.
The season was a transitional one for Bollig as he expanded on his a role as a pure enforcer and placed added focus on becoming a defensive forward on Chicago's fourth line.
Late in the 2013-14 NHL season, the Blackhawks signed Bollig to a three-year contract extension worth $1.25 million per year late in the season, but the Blackhawks were forced to make deals in order to remain compliant with the NHL salary cap during the off-season.
On June 28, 2014, Bollig was traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a third round selection at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 58 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 175 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2006–07 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 57 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 207 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2007–08 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 58 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 211 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 40 | ||
| 2008–09 | St. Lawrence University | ECAC | 36 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | St. Lawrence University | ECAC | 42 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 55 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 115 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 53 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 163 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 2012–13 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 35 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 157 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 92 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 2014–15 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 62 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 88 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 38 | ||
| 2015–16 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 54 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 241 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 392 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 75 | ||||