Brooks Laich (born June 23, 1983) is a Canadian ice
hockey player with the Washington Capitals of the
National Hockey League.
Laich was born in Wawota, Saskatchewan in 1983. In
2000-01, he was playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors
in the Western Hockey League. Scouting reports noted
that he was a steady point scorer who was also
prepared to work in a defensive role but he needed
to work to develop his body to meet the demands of
the NHL.
Laich was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the
sixth round at 193 overall. Laich played one NHL
game for the Ottawa team while in their ranks. He
played for the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western
Hockey League before graduating to the Binghamton
Senators. In February 2004, Laich was traded to the
Washington Capitals for Peter Bondra in 2004. Laich
played four games for the Capitals during the
2004-05 season, and spent the lost NHL 2005-06
season with the Portland Pirates of the American
Hockey League. He began the 2005-06 NHL season with
the Capitals' new AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears,
but was called up to the Capitals soon after. During
the 2006-07 NHL season he played 73 games for the
Capitals and recorded 21 points. Laich was re-signed
by the Capitals on July 25, 2007.
