Anders Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anders Lee |
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Lee playing for the New York Islanders in March 2018
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| Born | July 3, 1990 Edina, Minnesota, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 231 lb (105 kg; 16 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team | New York Islanders | ||
| National team |  United States |
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| NHL Draft | 152nd overall, 2009 New York Islanders |
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| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Anders Marcus Lee (born July 3, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey player. He is a winger and the captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL). Before becoming a pro, Lee played hockey for the University of Notre Dame. The Islanders chose him in the 2009 NHL entry draft.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Lee was born in Edina, Minnesota. From a young age, he was a talented athlete who was great at football, ice hockey, and baseball.
A Star Athlete in Two Sports
Lee went to two different high schools, Saint Thomas Academy and Edina High School. At both schools, he was a star player in hockey and football.
As a quarterback in football, he was named the 2008 Minnesota Gatorade Football Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for Minnesota's "Mr. Football" award. He once set a state record by gaining 581 total yards in a single game.
In hockey, Lee was also one of the best players in the state. During his senior year, he scored 25 goals and had 59 assists in 31 games. He was a finalist for the "Mr. Hockey" award, which is given to the best high school hockey player in Minnesota.
Many colleges wanted Lee to play for them, some for football and others for hockey. He decided to focus on hockey and chose to attend the University of Notre Dame.
Playing Career
College and Junior Hockey
Before college, the New York Islanders selected Lee in the 2009 NHL entry draft. However, many teams were worried he might choose a career in football instead of hockey, which is why he was chosen in a later round.
For the 2009–10 season, Lee played for the Green Bay Gamblers in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He was the team's top scorer and was named the league's "Rookie of the Year."
After his time with the Gamblers, Lee played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey team. In his first year, he was the team's top goal scorer with 24 goals. He helped the team reach the "Frozen Four," which is the final tournament in college hockey. He continued to be a top scorer for Notre Dame for two more seasons.
New York Islanders
Making it to the NHL
On April 1, 2013, Lee signed a contract with the New York Islanders. Just one day later, he played in his first NHL game. In that game, he scored his first goal on his very first shot.
For the next couple of seasons, Lee split his time between the Islanders and their minor league team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He played so well that he was called up to the NHL for good. During the 2014–15 season, he played on a line with other young players like Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson. This line was nicknamed the "Kid Line." Lee scored 25 goals that season and was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for February 2015.
Becoming a Team Leader
Lee quickly became an important player for the Islanders. In the 2016–17 season, he scored a career-high 34 goals. For his hard work and dedication, he won the Bob Nystrom Award, which is given to the Islanders player who shows the most leadership and hustle.
The next season, 2017–18, was even better. Lee scored 40 goals, which was one of the highest totals in the entire NHL.
Captain of the Islanders
In 2018, after team captain John Tavares left, Anders Lee was named the new captain of the New York Islanders. Being captain is a big honor and means the player is the main leader of the team.
In 2019, he signed a new seven-year contract to stay with the Islanders. He continued to be a key player, but in March 2021, he had a serious knee injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season.
Lee returned from his injury and had a great moment on March 10, 2022, when he scored his first NHL hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a 6–0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Personal Life
Lee is very involved in charity work. He partners with an organization called Jam Kancer in the Kan, which raises money to fight childhood cancer. He has hosted events that have raised over $300,000. He also created a scholarship in memory of a young cancer patient named Fenov Pierre-Louis.
Lee graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Management Consulting.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | Saint Thomas Academy | HS-MN | 31 | 24 | 17 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007–08 | Edina High School | HS-MN | 25 | 25 | 18 | 43 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 11 | |||
| 2008–09 | Edina High School | HS-MN | 25 | 20 | 46 | 66 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 8 | ||
| 2009–10 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 59 | 35 | 31 | 66 | 54 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 13 | ||
| 2010–11 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | CCHA | 44 | 24 | 20 | 44 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | CCHA | 40 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | CCHA | 41 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | New York Islanders | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 54 | 22 | 19 | 41 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | New York Islanders | NHL | 22 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | New York Islanders | NHL | 76 | 25 | 16 | 41 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2015–16 | New York Islanders | NHL | 80 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | New York Islanders | NHL | 81 | 34 | 18 | 52 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 40 | 22 | 62 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 28 | 23 | 51 | 58 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | New York Islanders | NHL | 68 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 47 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 15 | ||
| 2020–21 | New York Islanders | NHL | 27 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | New York Islanders | NHL | 76 | 28 | 18 | 46 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 28 | 22 | 50 | 50 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2023–24 | New York Islanders | NHL | 81 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 68 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 841 | 289 | 218 | 507 | 502 | 46 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 48 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United States |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2015 Czech Republic | |
| Bronze | 2018 Denmark | |
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | United States | WC |  |
10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2017 | United States | WC | 5th | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 | |
| 2018 | United States | WC | |
10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| Senior totals | 28 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 16 | ||||
Awards and Honors
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| USHL First All-Star Team | 2010 | |
| USHL Rookie of the Year | 2010 | |
| USHL Clark Cup MVP | 2010 | |
| College | ||
| All-CCHA Rookie Team | 2011 | |
| All-CCHA Second Team | 2011 | |
| All-CCHA First Team | 2013 | |
| AHCA West Second-Team All-American | 2013 | |
| NHL | ||
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy | 2024 | |
| New York Islanders | ||
| Bob Nystrom Award | 2017 | |
