Alex Goligoski Biography

Alexander Marcus Flint Goligoski (born July 30, 1985) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for and is an alternate captain of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). During his NHL career, he has also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the organization that drafted him in the second round, 61st overall, in 2004.

Playing career

Amateur

Goligoski was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round from Grand Rapids High School (ThunderHawks), 61st overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted, Goligoski completed three years of college ice hockey at the University of Minnesota, where he was assistant captain with Kellen Briggs.

Professional

He began his professional career with the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2007. Goligoski was then recalled by Pittsburgh on February 5, 2008, and played his first NHL game against the Boston Bruins on February 13. After being returned to Wilkes-Barre, he again later recalled by Pittsburgh, registering his first point, an assist, on March 1 against the Ottawa Senators.

Due to injuries to Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, Goligoski began the 2008-09 season on the roster for Pittsburgh. He scored his first NHL goal in his first game that season against Alex Auld of the Ottawa Senators. On November 13, Goligoski scored on his first shootout attempt of his career; the goal won the game for the Penguins. He was a member of the 2009 Stanley Cup-winning Penguins team.

On June 15, 2009, Goligoski signed a three-year, $5.5 million extension with the Penguins.

On February 21, 2011, Goligoski was traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for left winger James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen. In 2011, Goligoski was invited to play for the United States at the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. He declined, however, because he had not had much off-time in the past few seasons.

On January 23, 2012, Goligoski signed a four-year, $18.4 million contract extension with Dallas.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2002-03	River City Lancers	USHL		10	0	1	1	0		1	0	0	0	0
2003-04	Sioux Falls Stampede	USHL		10	0	2	2	6		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2004-05	University of Minnesota	WCHA		32	5	15	20	44		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2005-06	University of Minnesota	WCHA		41	11	28	39	63		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2006-07	University of Minnesota	WCHA		44	9	30	39	51		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2007-08	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		70	10	28	38	53		23	4	24	28	18
2007-08	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		3	0	2	2	2		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2008-09	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		45	6	14	20	16		2	0	1	1	0
2008-09	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		26	2	16	18	16		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2009-10	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		69	8	29	37	22		13	2	7	9	2
2010-11	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		60	9	22	31	28		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2010-11	Dallas Stars	NHL		23	5	10	15	12		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2011-12	Dallas Stars	NHL		71	9	21	30	16		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2012-13	Dallas Stars	NHL		47	3	24	27	18		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
2013-14	Dallas Stars	NHL		81	6	36	42	28		6	1	2	3	8
2014-15	Dallas Stars	NHL		81	4	32	36	24		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
NHL totals				480	50	190	240	166		21	3	10	13	10

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005	United States	WJC	4th		7	0	1	1	2
2012	United States	WC	7th		8	1	4	5	2
Junior totals					7	0	1	1	2
Senior totals					8	1	4	5	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-WCHA Rookie Team	2004-05
All-WCHA Second Team	2005-06
All-WCHA First Team	2006-07
AHCA West First-Team All-American	2006-07
Stanley Cup Champion	2009