Get to Know a Hockey Player: Claude Giroux

Some of my favorite players get the career retrospective treatment here at TDZ, however I'm adding a new category to highlight the top prospects that have caught my discerning eye. Earning the first ever TDZ futurespective and "Get to Know a Hockey Player" segment is Philadelphia Flyers star Claude Giroux.

Full disclosure: I am a big time ginger.

It's time to get learned about this burgeoning superstar that's taking the league by storm.

Giroux facts!

• Drafted 22nd overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Flyers.
• Won the Guy Lafleur trophy for scoring 17 goals and 34 assists in just 19 playoff games en route to winning the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) championship with his team, the Gatineau Olympiques.
• Scored at a point-per-game pace for the Philadelphia Phantoms in the AHL before getting called up for good during the 2008-2009 season.
• Assumed a prominent scoring role during the 2009-2010 playoffs, in which the Flyers infamously ousted the Bruins after being down 3 games to none to reach the Stanley Cup finals.
• Signed a 3 year, $11.25 million extension just over a year ago.
• Notched career highs in goals (25), assists (51) and penalty minutes (47) as he led the Flyers in scoring last year.
• Lauded by new teammate Jaromir Jagr as "a little Mario Lemieux."
• Winner of the coveted Puck Daddy greatest Movember mustache for 2011.

I enjoy venison, and a nice glass of bourbon. I have many fine beaver and caribou furs. My lodge smells of rich maple syrup.

So there you have the past, but what about the present, and future?

Well, Giroux has ascended to become perhaps the best two-way forward in the league this year. He leads the entire NHL in scoring this year with 43 points in just 29 games, edging out Evgeni Malkin for most points per game. His Flyers are also #1 in the league in goals scored per game, and Giroux is entirely the reason why. Take a look at this melodramatic highlight reel and awkward training video to get a sense of Giroux's skill set. (Rofl @ how he looks when he runs.)

And since that video didn't highlight his passing ability well enough, check out this jaw-dropping no-look pass.

And lastly, probably his most famous highlight to-date: a sick deflection on one leg to win Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2009-2010.

Not simply an offensive powerhouse, Giroux's also a penalty kill guru, and notched 7 short-handed points last year to tie for second in the league.

As for the future, Giroux's ceiling has not yet been reached. Every year his scoring output has increased, and this is his first real season as the guy since Jeff Carter and Mike Richards left. The fact he'll only cost the Flyers $3.75 million per year for the next couple years also gives the Flyers a huge talent advantage within the salary cap, meaning he should have some talented linemates the next couple years to help him reach the point yields he's capable of.

Jagr and Giroux: a bromance made in KHL-defection heaven.

The only thing that could hold back C.G. is a recent concussion that held him out of 4 games. Another setback would not only be devastating for his career, but for the Flyers and NHL in general. The league has already been rocked by head injuries to a variety of players, in particular its most popular player, Sidney Crosby. I would argue that, among hardcore fans, Giroux is one of the most universally liked players, and his cult following will soon go mainstream in a big way, so fingers crossed that he stays healthy and continues the show.