Eastern Conference Eye Candy: Johnny Oduya (Winnipeg Jets)

HOCKEY FACTOR
Johnny Oduya has the honor of being OUR FIRST (of MANY, I'm sure!) Winnipeg Jet ECEC (GO Jets!)!

Oduya is considered a "defensive defenseman" and he's hard-hitting on the blue line, but isn't flashy.  He's great for the team inside the locker room.

He first played organized [professional] hockey in his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden for the Hammarby IF Hockey playing as a junior (as of 2008, the club no longer exists due to financial difficulties).  In 2000, he moved to the US to join the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) dividing his time between two teams - Victoriaville Tigres and Moncton Wildcats - for a single season before returning to Stockholm (2000-01) to play two more seasons with the Hammarby IF Hockey (2001-02, 2002-03).  In the 2003-04 season, he signed on with Djurgårdens IF Hockey which was part of the Swedish Elitserien (Elite league).

During this time, he became the 25th pick of the Washington Capitals in the 7th round of the 2001 NHL Entry draft (221st overall).  Prior to the 2005-06 season, the Capitals released Oduya so he returned to the Elite league joining the Frölunda Hockey Club (also known as the Frölunda Indians) back in Sweden.

On July 17, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils making his NHL debut in the season opener on October 6, 2006 against the Carolina Hurricanes (at Carolina).  Scored his first NHL goal on December 19, 2006 against the Atlanta Thrashers.  He also played in his 300th career NHL game on April 10, 2010 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  He was a role player among New Jersey's core and helped them to maintain a consistent level of play.

After four seasons with the Devils (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10), Oduya was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers (who no longer exist and have been replaced by the Winnipeg Jets) where he has played for two seasons (2009-10, 2010-11).  This past season, he played in all 81 games for the Thrashers and ranked second on the team with 149 blocked shots and fourth in average ice time with 20:47.

Oduya also has some experience with international play.  He was on Teams Sweden for both the 2009 World Championship and 2010 Olympics.

HOTNESS FACTOR

Johnny has a diverse family background with his father, George, being from Kenya and his mother, Birgitta, being Swedish.  This makes him one of a small number of African American players in the NHL (past and present).


He has an older brother, Fredrik, who also plays hockey and was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the 1993 NHL Entry draft (154th overall); he was eventually traded to the Calgary Flames in 1999, but never actually played in the NHL (a back injury forced him to retired in 2000).

His full given name is David Johnny Oduya and his nickname is "Johnny O."

His first job was at the age 16 landscaping at a cemetary.

What's on his iPod?  He says there's not many songs, "The most that I have on there is '90's hip hop, a little bit of '80's stuff and some dance music from Europe."  What famous actress would he date?  Jessica Biel.  And what are his favorite websites? "My homepage is a Swedish news Web site because that is my Swedish update. I also like YouTube because you can find anything on there."  To read more like this on Johnny, visit "Chillin' with ... Johnny Oduya" on nhl.com.

FAVORITES:
Movie - "The Jury"
TV Show - "Entourage"



That's one BEAUTIFUL MAN right there!!



Information found in this post obtained from the following sites:

Johnny Oduya's Winnipeg Jets Player Profile page
Johnny Oduya's New Jersey Devils Player Profile page
Johnny Oduya Wikipedia
Chillin' with ... Johnny Oduya