It is a common misconception that a player must be drafted to play in the NHL. But there are many paths you can take to reach your dream. I’m just a hair under 5′ 9″ and never weighed more than 185 pounds, small for a defensive defenceman. I never played juniors, but I spent 15 years in pro hockey, 13 of them (633 regular-season games) in the NHL. And … I was undrafted.

Mike Weaver has announced his retirement from the National Hockey League (NHL) after 11 seasons.

Weaver played in a total of 633 career NHL games with six teams: the Atlanta Thrashers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens. The 5’10”, 183-pound defenceman scored eight goals and 89 assists for 97 points in his NHL career. Weaver also played in 28 playoff games and helped the Canadiens reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2014.

WEAVER - JACK & JONES EVENT

Affable and approachable, Weaver has many fans who respect his self-sacrifice on the ice and enjoy his delightfully warped sense of humor. 

But Weaver and his wife, Rhianna, appreciate what life has given them and they understand that this offers them the ability to touch others.

 

Mike Weaver has done all right for a player who was never selected at the National Hockey League draft. Not bad for a guy who has only scored eight goals in 602 career NHL games. So it should come as no surprise that Weaver operates the Defence First Hockey School during the summer.