Justin Falk

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Not to be confused with Justin Faulk.

Justin Falk
Falk with the Minnesota Wild in 2010
Born (1988-10-11) October 11, 1988 (age 35)
Snowflake, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Minnesota Wild
New York Rangers
Columbus Blue Jackets
Buffalo Sabres
Ottawa Senators
Coached for Winkler Flyers
NHL Draft 110th overall, 2007
Minnesota Wild
Playing career 2008–2019
Coaching career 2021–present

Justin Falk (born October 11, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He last played with the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL). He made his National Hockey League debut in the 2009–10 season with the Minnesota Wild, and has since played for the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Buffalo Sabres. Justin is the current General Manager and Head Coach for the Winkler Flyers in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Playing career[edit]

Falk was a member of the Spokane Chiefs team that won both the Western Hockey League championship and the Memorial Cup in 2008, and was named to the tournament all-star team.[1] He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 110th overall.

Falk began his professional career in 2008 with the Houston Aeros. Falk made his NHL debut in the 2009–10 season, appearing in three games with the Wild.[2] He scored his first NHL goal against J-S Giguere of the Colorado Avalanche on January 24, 2012.[3]

On June 30, 2013, Falk was traded by the Wild to the New York Rangers in exchange for Benn Ferriero and a 2014 sixth round draft pick.[4]

After spending one season with the Rangers, Falk returned to the Minnesota Wild as a free agent on August 1, 2014, signing a one-year, two-way contract.[5] In the 2014–15 season, Falk was unable to secure a regular role on the Blueline and was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild for the majority of the season. On March 2, 2015, Falk was traded on request along with a fifth round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jordan Leopold.[6]

On July 1, 2016, Falk signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Buffalo Sabres.[7] On February 6, 2017, the Sabres signed Falk to a one-year, $650,000 extension.[8] In his tenure with the Sabres, Falk carved out his position on the roster as the club's depth defenceman in a rotating role. In the 2017–18 season, he played in 46 games for the cellar dwelling Sabres recording a goal and an assist while logging 16 minutes per night in ice time, his highest ATOI since 2011–12.[9]

As a free agent from the Sabres, Falk went un-signed over the summer. With limited offers, he accepted a professional try-out contract to attend the Calgary Flames training camp, citing familiarity with former junior now Flames head coach Bill Peters.[10] After attending camp and participating in pre-season, Falk was later released from his tryout without a contract from the Flames. With the 2018–19 season underway, Falk agreed to a professional try-out contract with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, affiliate to the Colorado Avalanche, on October 29, 2018.[11] On November 30, 2018, Falk signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators.[12] On January 21, 2019, Falk was placed on waivers by the Ottawa Senators and assigned to their Belleville Senators affiliate.

Career statistics[edit]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Swan Valley Stampeders MJHL 58 0 8 8 46 — — — — —
2004–05 Calgary Hitmen WHL 4 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 0
2005–06 Calgary Hitmen WHL 5 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
2005–06 Spokane Chiefs WHL 48 0 8 8 35 — — — — —
2006–07 Spokane Chiefs WHL 62 3 12 15 88 6 0 0 0 8
2007–08 Spokane Chiefs WHL 72 4 22 26 98 21 1 4 5 12
2008–09 Houston Aeros AHL 65 0 3 3 44 20 0 2 2 4
2009–10 Houston Aeros AHL 69 3 6 9 87 — — — — —
2009–10 Minnesota Wild NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2010–11 Minnesota Wild NHL 22 0 3 3 6 — — — — —
2010–11 Houston Aeros AHL 55 3 11 14 41 24 0 5 5 33
2011–12 Minnesota Wild NHL 47 1 8 9 54 — — — — —
2012–13 Minnesota Wild NHL 36 0 3 3 40 4 0 0 0 2
2013–14 New York Rangers NHL 21 0 2 2 20 — — — — —
2014–15 Iowa Wild AHL 39 1 6 7 34 — — — — —
2014–15 Minnesota Wild NHL 13 0 0 0 7 — — — — —
2014–15 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 5 1 1 2 7 — — — — —
2015–16 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 32 2 7 9 43 17 0 4 4 8
2015–16 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 24 0 4 4 17 — — — — —
2016–17 Rochester Americans AHL 10 0 0 0 11 — — — — —
2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 52 0 8 8 29 — — — — —
2017–18 Buffalo Sabres NHL 46 1 1 2 28 — — — — —
2018–19 Colorado Eagles AHL 8 1 1 2 6 — — — — —
2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 10 0 0 0 11 — — — — —
2018–19 Belleville Senators AHL 18 1 4 5 10 — — — — —
NHL totals 279 3 30 33 219 4 0 0 0 2

Awards and honors[edit]

Awards Year
CHL
Memorial Cup 2008
Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2008
AHL
Calder Cup (Lake Erie Monsters) 2016 [13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Spokane Chiefs win Memorial Cup". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 26, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  2. ^ "Justin Falk player card". Minnesota Wild Hockey Club. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  3. ^ "Wild end road slide by beating Avs 3-2". National Hockey League. January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  4. ^ "Wild send Justin Falk to Rangers for Benn Ferriero, pick". prohockeytalk.com. June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  5. ^ "Wild Ink Falk To One-Year Deal". Minnesota Wild. August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "Wild acquires Chris Stewart, Jordan Leopold". Minnesota Star Tribune. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  7. ^ "Sabres sign defenseman Justin Falk". Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  8. ^ LaBarber, Jourdon (January 6, 2017). "Hard work pays off for Falk with mid-season extension". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  9. ^ "Flames to invite Justin Falk and Zach O'Brien to training camp". prohockeyrumors.com. September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  10. ^ "Experienced Falk vying for spot on Flames blueline". Calgary Sun. September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  11. ^ "Eagles add experienced defenseman Justin Falk, Ottenbreit reassigned". Colorado Eagles. October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  12. ^ "Senators sign defenceman Justin Falk to a one-year, two-way contract". Ottawa Senators. November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  13. ^ Brown, Tony (June 12, 2016). "Bjorkstrand's OT goal clinches Monsters' first-ever Calder Cup championship". Columbus Blue Jackets. Retrieved June 12, 2016.

External links[edit]

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