Dennis Gilbert (ice hockey)

Dennis Gilbert
Gilbert with the Calgary Wranglers in 2022
Born (1996-10-30) October 30, 1996
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Ottawa Senators
Belleville Senators (AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Calgary Flames
Buffalo Sabres
NHL draft 91st overall, 2015
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2018–present

Dennis Gilbert (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks, 90th overall, in the 2015 NHL entry draft, and has also played for the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, and Buffalo Sabres.

Early life

Gilbert was born on October 30, 1996,[1] to parents Dennis Sr. and Kim Gilbert.[2] Growing up, he refused to play hockey year-round to play lacrosse and football.[3] As a sophomore in high school, he was the backup quarterback to Chad Kelly.[4]

Playing career

Amateur

Gilbert played junior hockey as a defenseman with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the Ontario Junior Hockey League before graduating to the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League (USHL). In his only season in the USHL in 2014–15, he scored four goals and 23 assists for 27 points in 59 games.[5] While with the Steel, he committed to play college hockey at the University of Notre Dame.[6]

Gilbert joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, originally of the Hockey East conference, for the 2015–16 season.[7] In 37 games, he tallied two goals and ten points.[5] The Fighting Irish were knocked out of the 2016 NCAA tournament in the Midwest Regional by the Michigan Wolverines to end their season.[8] In his sophomore season with the Fighting Irish in 2016–17 he made 40 appearances, recording 22 assists.[5] Gilbert helped guide Notre Dame to the Frozen Four, losing to the Denver Pioneers.[9] He was announced as the Hockey East's Best Defensive Defenseman and a Hockey East Third Team All-Star.[2] In July 2017, Notre Dame switched conferences, joining the Big Ten conference.[10] Gilbert concluded his collegiate career following his junior season with the Fighting Irish in 2017–18, in which he played 39 games, marking four goals and ten points.[5] Notre Dame won the Big 10 championship[11] and advanced to the 2018 Frozen Four championship game, where they lost to Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.[12]

Professional

Chicago Blackhawks

Gilbert was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the third round, 90th overall, of the 2015 NHL entry draft. He turned professional after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on April 14, 2018.[13] He was assigned to Chicago's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, for the 2018–19 season.[14] He made 63 appearances with Rockford, marking five goals and 14 points.[5] At the end of the season, he was recalled by Chicago on April 3, 2019, after the Blackhawks had been eliminated from playoff contention.[15] He made his NHL debut that night in a 4–3 win over the St. Louis Blues.[16] The next day he was sent back to the AHL.[17] He split the 2019–20 season between the AHL and NHL, beginning with Rockford before bouncing between them and Chicago.[18][19][20] He recorded his first NHL point on December 12, assisting on Jonathan Toews' second period goal in a 5–2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.[21] He scored his first NHL goal on December 22 in a 5–2 victory over the New York Islanders.[22] He made 30 appearances with Rockford, scoring one goal and seven points and got into 21 games with Chicago with one goal and three points before the NHL suspended play on March 20, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][23]

Colorado Avalanche

Entering the final year of his entry-level deal on October 10, 2020, Gilbert was traded by the Blackhawks, alongside forward Brandon Saad, to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defensemen Anton Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.[24] He began the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season on the Avalanche's taxi squad, considered a member of the team's AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, but remained with the NHL team and could be called into NHL action the same day.[25] He made his Avalanche debut on January 19, 2021, replacing Ian Cole in the lineup after the latter was traded to Minnesota earlier in the day.[26] He played in only three games with Colorado having missed four weeks due to facial reconstruction surgery following a fight with Keegan Kolesar on February 16.[5][27] He was assigned to the AHL on March 16 and made 17 appearances for the Eagles, tallying one goal and eight points.[5][28] On August 16, 2021, the Avalanche re-signed Gilbert to a one-year contract.[29] Gilbert failed to make the Avalanche's roster and was placed on waivers to start the season. After going unclaimed, he was assigned to the Eagles for the 2021-22 season.[30][31] In 52 games with the Eagles, he scored six goals and 23 points.[5]

Calgary Flames

Following two seasons in Colorado, Gilbert left as an unrestricted free agent and was signed to a two-year, $1.525 million contract with the Calgary Flames on July 13, 2022.[32] After going unclaimed on waivers, he was assigned to the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, to start the 2022–23 season.[33] He was recalled by the Flames for the first time on November 6 along with Nick DeSimone.[34] He made his Flames debut on November 8 in a 3–2 loss to the New Jersey Devils.[35] He recorded his first point with the Flames on November 23, assisting on Dillon Dubé's goal in a 2–1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.[36] He spent the season split between the AHL and NHL, performing spot duty with the Flames replacing missing veterans Oliver Kylington and Michael Stone.[37] He tallied his first goal for the Flames on February 11, 2023 in a 7–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.[38] In 23 games with the Flames he marked the one goal and four points. In 26 games with the Wranglers he scored two goals and five points.[5]

In his second season with the Flames in 2023–24 season, he made the opening night roster.[39] He steadily got into the lineup until leaving the game on January 4, 2024 due to a head injury suffered after a hit by Philip Tomasino.[40] He was placed on injured reserve on January 17 and did not return to the lineup until March 2, missing ten games.[41][42] However, during the season, the Flames acquired three new defensemen in March and Gilbert saw his playing time diminish as the new players were integrated.[43] He finished the season with one goal and seven points in 34 games.[5]

Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators

After his contract with the Flames, Gilbert opted to leave as an unrestricted free agent and was signed to a one-year, $825,000 contract with hometown club, the Buffalo Sabres, on July 1, 2024.[44] He made his Sabres debut in their second game and first win of the 2024–25 season on October 12 in a 5–2 victory over the Florida Panthers. He replaced Sam Lafferty in the lineup.[45] He was scratched for lengthy periods of time, going from November 16 to December 7 without playing a game.[46] He recorded his first point with the Sabres assisting on Tyson Kozak's goal in the first period in a 5–2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on December 7.[47] With Buffalo, he marked five assists in 25 games.[5]

On March 7, 2025, Gilbert was traded to the Ottawa Senators along with forward Dylan Cozens and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft in exchange for forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.[48] He made his debut the following night on March 8 in a 4–3 victory over the New York Rangers.[49] He recorded his first point with Ottawa in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, assisting on Nick Cousins' first period goal.[50] He concluded the season with the Senators, registering one assist through just four appearances.[5]

Philadelphia Flyers and return to Senators

As a free agent from the Senators, Gilbert was signed as a free agent to a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1, 2025.[51] He made the Flyers' opening night roster, but never played a game for them before being assigned to the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, on October 13.[52][53] In six games, he recorded one assist with Lehigh Valley.[5] However, just under five months later, Gilbert was traded back to the Senators in exchange for defenseman Maxence Guenette.[54]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 St. Joseph's Collegiate USHS 27 4 5 9 2 — — — — —
2012–13 St. Joseph's Collegiate USHS 28 12 8 20 21 — — — — —
2013–14 Buffalo Jr. Sabres OJHL 35 4 13 17 36 10 0 3 3 8
2014–15 Chicago Steel USHL 59 4 23 27 89 — — — — —
2015–16 Notre Dame HE 37 2 8 10 34 — — — — —
2016–17 Notre Dame HE 40 0 22 22 22 — — — — —
2017–18 Notre Dame B1G 39 4 6 10 16 — — — — —
2018–19 Rockford IceHogs AHL 63 5 9 14 67 — — — — —
2018–19 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2019–20 Rockford IceHogs AHL 30 1 6 7 46 — — — — —
2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 21 1 2 3 38 — — — — —
2020–21 Colorado Avalanche NHL 3 0 0 0 5 — — — — —
2020–21 Colorado Eagles AHL 17 1 7 8 4 — — — — —
2021–22 Colorado Eagles AHL 52 6 17 23 41 — — — — —
2022–23 Calgary Wranglers AHL 26 2 3 5 41 — — — — —
2022–23 Calgary Flames NHL 23 1 3 4 27 — — — — —
2023–24 Calgary Flames NHL 34 1 6 7 16 — — — — —
2024–25 Buffalo Sabres NHL 25 0 5 5 50 — — — — —
2024–25 Ottawa Senators NHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2025–26 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 6 0 1 1 6 — — — — —
NHL totals 111 3 17 20 138 — — — — —

Awards and honors

Award Year
USHL
All-Rookie Team 2015
College
HE Best Defensive Defenseman 2017
HE Third All-Star Team 2017

References

  1. ^ "Dennis Gilbert". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "#4 Dennis Gilbert". University of Notre Dame. July 9, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Gleason, Bucky (April 20, 2018). "Bucky Gleason: Former St. Joe's star Dennis Gilbert gets last laugh after signing with Blackhawks". Buffalo News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Austin, Daniel (October 18, 2023). "Friendship between Flames' Dennis Gilbert and Argos' Chad Kelly dates back decades". Calgary Sun. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Dennis Gilbert". hockeydb.com. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  6. ^ Young, Andy (January 21, 2015). "McDavid, Eichel Top Scouting Report; St. Joe's Gilbert Makes List". Spectrum News. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  7. ^ Lysowski, Lance (April 3, 2019). "Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert recalled by Blackhawks, plays in first NHL game". The Buffalo News. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  8. ^ Sipple, George (March 24, 2016). "Michigan 3, Notre Dame 2 (OT): Tyler Motte lifts U-M in NCAA tourney". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  9. ^ "Dominant Denver beats Notre Dame 6-1 in Frozen Four semis". ESPN. Associated Press. April 7, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  10. ^ Mackinder, Matt (July 2, 2017). "Big Ten officially welcomes Notre Dame as seventh D-I men's hockey program". USCHO. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  11. ^ "Notre Dame clinches Big Ten Championship". National Collegiate Athletic Association. February 10, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  12. ^ "Karson Kuhlman lifts Minnesota Duluth past Notre Dame for Frozen Four title". ESPN. Associated Press. April 7, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  13. ^ "Blackhawks agree to terms with Dennis Gilbert". Chicago Blackhawks. April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018 – via NHL.com.
  14. ^ Kenney, Madeline (September 23, 2018). "Could Carl Dahlstrom be Blackhawks' seventh defenseman?". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  15. ^ Neveu, David (April 3, 2019). "Blackhawks Recall Dennis Gilbert From IceHogs". NBC Chicago. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  16. ^ King, Scott (April 4, 2019). "Blues lose to Blackhawks in shootout, fail to tie for Central lead". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  17. ^ Chicago Blackhawks [@NHLBlackhawks] (April 4, 2019). "Roster Moves: Dennis Gilbert has been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs. #Blackhawks" (Tweet). Retrieved March 16, 2026 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Costello, David (September 30, 2019). "Gilbert, Wedin Assigned to Rockford". Rockford IceHogs. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  19. ^ Costello, David (November 6, 2019). "Gilbert Reassigned to IceHogs". Rockford IceHogs. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  20. ^ Costello, David (February 3, 2019). "Blackhawks Reassign Gilbert to IceHogs". Rockford IceHogs. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  21. ^ Robinson, Alan (December 13, 2019). "Keller scores two goals, Coyotes defeat Blackhawks". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  22. ^ "Lehner makes 38 saves as Blackhawks beat Islanders 5-2". ESPN. Associated Press. December 28, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  23. ^ Young, Jabari (March 12, 2020). "NHL suspends season due to coronavirus". CNBC. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  24. ^ "Avalanche acquires Saad, Gilbert from Chicago". Colorado Avalanche. October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020 – via NHL.com.
  25. ^ "Avalanche Sets Taxi Squad". Colorado Eagles. January 13, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  26. ^ Chambers, Mike (January 19, 2021). "Nathan MacKinnon reaches 500 career points as Avalanche defeats L.A., improves to 2-1". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  27. ^ "Avalanche's Dennis Gilbert: Out 4-6 weeks". CBS Sports. February 22, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  28. ^ "Gilbert Reassigned to Colorado Eagles". Colorado Eagles. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  29. ^ "Avalanche Re-Signs Gilbert". Colorado Eagles. August 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  30. ^ "Avalanche release Anisimov from PTO". TSN. October 8, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  31. ^ Baugh, Peter (October 9, 2021). "Projecting the Avalanche opening-night roster: 3 forwards in play for 2 spots". The Athletic. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  32. ^ "Flames sign four free agents, re-sign pair of defenceman". Calgary Flames. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  33. ^ "Flames' Dennis Gilbert: On waivers Saturday". CBS Sports. October 8, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  34. ^ Calgary Flames [@NHLFlames] (November 6, 2022). ".@MFradiology Injury Update: Michael Stone has been placed on Injury Reserve" (Tweet). Retrieved March 17, 2026 – via Twitter.
  35. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (November 8, 2022). "Vanecek helps Devils defeat Flames, extend winning streak to seven". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  36. ^ Crosby, Wes (November 24, 2022). "Jarry makes 33 saves, Penguins top Flames to win fourth in row". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  37. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (February 21, 2023). "Flames depth defenceman Dennis Gilbert: 'I try to play a loud game'". Calgary Sun. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  38. ^ "Flames get hot in 2nd period for 7-2 win over Sabres". ESPN. Associated Press. February 11, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  39. ^ "Flames Announce 2023-24 Opening Night Roster". Calgary Flames. October 9, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  40. ^ "Flames' Gilbert leaves game vs. Predators with injury". Sportsnet. January 4, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  41. ^ "Flames' Dennis Gilbert: Placed on injured reserve". CBS Sports. January 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  42. ^ "Sharangovich shines as Flames rally to burn Penguins". TSN. The Canadian Press. March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  43. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (March 13, 2024). "How do Flames, now nearing a little-known franchise record, onboard new defencemen?". Calgary Herald. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  44. ^ LaBarber, Jourdan (July 1, 2024). "Buffalo native Gilbert joins Sabres". Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved July 1, 2024 – via NHL.com.
  45. ^ LaBarber, Jourdan (October 12, 2024). "'We responded well' | Sabres break through against Panthers for 1st win of 2024-25". Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved March 17, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  46. ^ Alpert, Justin (December 6, 2024). "Practice Report | Gilbert makes an impact in return to lineup". Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved March 17, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  47. ^ Engel, Heather (December 7, 2024). "Utah scores 5 straight, defeats slumping Sabres". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  48. ^ "Senators acquiring Dylan Cozens from Sabres for Josh Norris". Sportsnet. March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  49. ^ "Brady Tkachuk scores twice including in OT to give Senators 4-3 win over Rangers". ESPN. Associated Press. March 8, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  50. ^ Fraser, Callum (April 15, 2025). "Nazar scores in OT, Blackhawks defeat Senators". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  51. ^ "Flyers Agree to Terms With Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert". Philadelphia Flyers. July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025 – via NHL.com.
  52. ^ "Flyers Announce 2025-26 Opening Night Active Roster". Philadelphia Flyers. October 6, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  53. ^ "Rizzo Assigned to Reading". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. October 13, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  54. ^ "Senators acquire D Gilbert from Flyers for RFA D Guenette". TSN. November 17, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman
2016–17 		Succeeded by
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