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Brett Kulak

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Brett Kulak
Kulak with the Abbotsford Heat in 2014
Born (1994-01-06) January 6, 1994 (age 30)
Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
Montreal Canadiens
NHL draft 105th overall, 2012
Calgary Flames
Playing career 2013–present

Brett Kulak (born January 6, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 105th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Kulak has also previously played for the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing career

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Junior

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He was drafted 197th overall in the WHL Bantam Draft by the Vancouver Giants and played four seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) between 2010 and 2014.[1] In 216 games with the Giants, he scored 35 goals and added 93 assists.[2] The Calgary Flames selected Kulak with their fourth round pick, 105th overall, at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.[2] Following the conclusion of his WHL seasons in both 2012–13 and 2013–14, Kulak joined the Flames' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, on amateur try-out agreements; he played four and six games in each respective season.[3]

Professional

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On March 18, 2014, the Flames signed Kulak to a three-year, entry-level contract.[4] He began the 2014–15 season with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles before earning a promotion to the AHL's Adirondack Flames. Kulak was then recalled to Calgary and made his NHL debut on April 11, 2015, in the Flames' final regular season game, a 5–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.[5]

On October 18, 2016, against the Buffalo Sabres, Kulak recorded his first career point, assisting on Michael Frolík's first period goal. The Flames won the game 4-3.[6] Kulak finished the 2016–17 season with 3 assists in 21 games.

On August 28, 2017, the Flames re-signed Kulak (who was a restricted free agent) to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000.[7]

On October 1, 2018, the Flames traded Kulak to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev. Kulak was subsequently assigned to the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.[8] On November 22, he was called up by the Canadiens after an injury to defenseman Noah Juulsen. He was immediately put into the line-up. A few games later, star defenseman Shea Weber was activated from injury reserve and the Canadiens sacrificed veteran defenseman Karl Alzner before Kulak by putting him on waivers.[9] On December 29, 2018, Kulak scored his first goal for Montreal in a 5-6 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning.[10] He scored his first game-winning goal in a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on January 12, 2019.[11]

On May 25, 2019, the Canadiens signed Kulak to a three-year, $5.55 million contract extension with an annual average of $1.85 million.[12] Over the following seasons, Kulak typically played on the team's third pairing, notably participating in the Canadiens' deep run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. In the final season of his contract, Kulak assumed an increasingly important role in the team's defence group, as a result of departures and injuries to other key players. With the Canadiens entering a period of team restructuring under the new management of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes there was some speculation as to whether the team would seek to re-sign Kulak or explore trading him.[13] On March 19, 2022, he played what would prove to be his final game as a Canadien, scoring a goal in a 5–1 rout of the Ottawa Senators.[14] In advance of the March 21 trade deadline, Kulak was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers.[15]

Kulak registered 2 goals and 6 assists in 18 regular season games with the Oilers to close out the 2021–22 season, before the team entered the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Kulak's contributions were well-received on the team, and he played primarily as a pair with defenceman Tyson Barrie, credited with boosting Barrie's effectiveness.[16][17] Kulak missed the morning practice the day of the pivotal Game 7 in the Oilers' first round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings, as he was attending the birth of his daughter, but was able to participate in the game itself that saw the Oilers advance to the second round against the Calgary Flames.[18][17] The Oilers reached the Western Conference Final, losing to the Colorado Avalanche in four games.[19] Following the end of the season, Kulak signed a new four-year, $11 million contract with the Oilers.[20]

Personal life

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Kulak grew up on a farm near Stony Plain, Alberta, with his parents Gil and Laura and older brothers Tyson and Kyle, playing with the Stony Plain and Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association.[1]

His first child was born on May 13, 2022.[18]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 Vancouver Giants WHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2011–12 Vancouver Giants WHL 72 9 15 24 28 6 0 4 4 2
2012–13 Vancouver Giants WHL 72 12 32 44 34 — — — — —
2012–13 Abbotsford Heat AHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Vancouver Giants WHL 69 14 46 60 51 4 1 2 3 7
2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 6 1 2 3 2 4 0 0 0 2
2014–15 Adirondack Flames AHL 26 4 9 13 27 — — — — —
2014–15 Colorado Eagles ECHL 39 9 21 30 15 — — — — —
2014–15 Calgary Flames NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2015–16 Calgary Flames NHL 8 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2015–16 Stockton Heat AHL 59 3 14 17 36 — — — — —
2016–17 Calgary Flames NHL 21 0 3 3 12 — — — — —
2016–17 Stockton Heat AHL 22 2 8 10 14 5 0 4 4 4
2017–18 Calgary Flames NHL 71 2 6 8 27 — — — — —
2018–19 Laval Rocket AHL 19 3 8 11 4 — — — — —
2018–19 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 6 11 17 31 — — — — —
2019–20 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 0 7 7 12 10 0 3 3 0
2020–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL 46 2 6 8 20 13 0 1 1 4
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 3 10 13 33 — — — — —
2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 18 2 6 8 12 16 0 5 5 12
2022–23 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 3 17 20 41 12 1 1 2 9
2023–24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 3 13 16 30 25 1 7 8 14
NHL totals 498 21 79 100 220 76 2 17 19 39

Awards and honours

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Award Year
WHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2012 [21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sorokan, Keenan (December 29, 2017). "Brett Kulak and the path less travelled". The Stony Plain Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean; Buer, Greger, eds. (2014). 2014–15 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames. p. 117.
  3. ^ "Brett Kulak player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  4. ^ "Calgary Flames sign prospect Brett Kulak to entry-level contract". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, ON. March 18, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  5. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (April 12, 2015). "Kulak no coaster". Calgary Sun. p. S2.
  6. ^ "Buffalo Sabres at Calgary Flames Box Score — October 18, 2016".
  7. ^ "Flames re-sign Brett Kulak to one-year, two-way deal". Sportsnet.ca. August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  8. ^ "Canadiens acquire defenseman Brett Kulak from Calgary". NHL.com. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  9. ^ "Canadiens recall defenseman Brett Kulak".
  10. ^ Hickey, Pat (December 30, 2018). "Canadiens hang tight with potent Lightning, but drop 6-5 decision". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  11. ^ Hickey, Pat (January 13, 2019). "Canadiens pour it on in the third to post 3-0 win over Avalanche". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  12. ^ "Three-year contract for defenseman Brett Kulak". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  13. ^ Engels, Eric (March 6, 2022). "Understated Kulak making case for new contract with Canadiens". Sportsnet. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  14. ^ Hickey, Pat (March 19, 2022). "Canadiens uncork offence and Allen holds fort in solid win against Senators". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "Oilers add defenceman Brett Kulak in trade with Canadiens". Sportsnet. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Allan (April 21, 2022). "Should Oilers re-sign Brett Kulak based on early results?". The Athletic. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Luszczyszyn, Dom; Goldman, Shayna (May 17, 2022). "2022 NHL playoff preview: Flames vs. Oilers". The Athletic. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Matheson, Jim (May 17, 2022). "Oilers' Draisaitl showed guts last series, in for even bigger battle". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  19. ^ Spector, Mark (June 7, 2022). "Despite disappointing exit, Oilers learn valuable lessons from Avalanche". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  20. ^ "Oilers re-sign deadline acquisition Brett Kulak to four-year, $11-million deal". Sportsnet. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  21. ^ Giants d-man Brett Kulak goes from pond hockey to strutting stuff at CHL Top Prospects game | The Province Archived September 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
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