Daniel Cleary
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Daniel Cleary (born 18 December, 1978 in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador) is a professional ice hockey winger. He was selected in the first round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, 13th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Cleary had a phenomenal junior career with the Belleville Bulls of the OHL, although his performance tailed off in his draft year. Nevertheless, Chicago still selected him midway through the first round. Just one year removed from junior, Cleary was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers as part of a package that landed Boris Mironov in Chicago.
Cleary played parts of four seasons in Edmonton, seeing quality first line ice-time with players such as Doug Weight, Bill Guerin and Ryan Smyth. Despite quality linemates, Cleary was unable to produce top line numbers, totalling 14 goals and 35 points in his best season. Cleary was soon relegated to a checking role, and his 1 million dollar contract was bought out by the Oilers in the summer of 2003. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to a much cheaper contract by the Phoenix Coyotes. He played in Sweden during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Following the lockout, Phoenix failed to qualify Cleary at the league minimum salary of 450,000 dollars, indicating that a third team has given up on the underachieving former first-round pick. Cleary was, however, invited to the Detroit Red Wings training camp, and to the surprise of many, made the team.
Transactions
- 21 July, 1997 - Drafted by Chicago.
- 20 March, 1999 - Cleary is traded by Chicago to Edmonton, along with Ethan Moreau, Chad Kilger and Christian Laflamme for Boris Mironov, Dean McAmmond and Jonas Elofsson.
- 15 July, 2003 - Cleary is signed by Phoenix
External links
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