Tom Gilbert (born January 10, 1983 in Bloomington,
Minnesota) is an American ice hockey defenceman
currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the
NHL.
Gilbert played his high school hockey for Minnesota
powerhouse Bloomington Jefferson and was the captain
his senior year (2001). That same year he switched
to forward from defense, which he played as a
sophomore and junior. He responded by scoring 4
goals in his first game at forward against a strong
Hill-Murray team.
He was drafted in the fifth round, 129th overall in
the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
He was traded to the Oilers on March 9, 2004 in
exchange for goaltender Tommy Salo and a sixth-round
pick in the 2005 draft.
Gilbert played junior hockey with the Chicago Steel
of the USHL. He made his debut at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in 2002. In the 2005-06 season, he
ranked third on the team in points, and also scored
the winning goal in the NCAA championship game
against Boston College.
Gilbert made his pro debut in the 2006-07 season
with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Through 33
games, he was tied for the team lead in points among
defenceman.
Due to injuries, he was recalled in January 2007,
and made his NHL debut on his 24th birthday in San
Jose. Gilbert scored his first NHL goal on February
20, 2007 against Ottawa Senators netminder Martin
Gerber in the final seconds of the game to send it
to overtime.
On March 4, 2008, Gilbert surpassed Paul Coffey and
Marc Andre Bergeron for the Oilers' franchise record
for most goals scored by a rookie defencemen with
his 10th goal on the power play against the
Nashville Predators goalie Dan Ellis.
