Taylor Hall was born on November 14, 1991, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His father, Steve Hall, was a wide receiver who played in the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1983-1985. As a 15-year-old, Taylor played for the Greater Kingston Gaels U-16 team of the Eastern AAA Hockey League and totaled an eye-popping 92 points in 32 games. The next season, Hall joined the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League with the second pick in the 2007 Priority Selection Draft after current National Hockey League player Ryan O’Reilly was selected first overall.
Hall had a memorable 2007-08 season with 45 goals and a league-leading plus-40 rating while winning the OHL Rookie of the Year Award. The talented left wing would also capture the U-17 World Hockey Championship Gold Medal and U-18 World Junior Championships Gold Medal with Canada. During the next two seasons with Windsor, Hall totaled a combined 78 goals and 118 assists to lead the Spitfires to back-to-back OHL and Memorial Cup championships while winning the Stafford Smythe Trophy both times as Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Taylor Hall Drafted 1st Overall By the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft
The Edmonton Oilers made Taylor Hall the top pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. The forward was one of only two left wings to be drafted in the first two rounds of that draft. At the time, Central Scouting Director EJ McGuire had the following information on Hall: “When you talk about Hall, you talk about quickness, acceleration, and hands. Easily and arguably, could have actually been our No. 1 pick overall. Taylor has done it all; he’s the reigning MVP of the Memorial Cup tournament and has played on two medal-winning world championship teams.”
Shortly after being selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Taylor signed his first professional contract. The contract paid him the entry-level maximum of $900,000 with the potential of an additional $2.85 million in performance bonuses; this was the second-most lucrative rookie contract in Oilers history.
Hall’s NHL Debut To Today
Taylor Hall made his NHL debut on October 7, 2010, in a 4-0 win over the Calgary Flames. Hall played 16:59 of ice time and registered four shots on the net. The next game, Hall would collect his first NHL point, an assist, as his shot was deflected into the net by Shawn Horcoff. On October 28 of that season, Hall scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 3-2 shootout loss.
Entering play on March 26, 2023, Taylor Hall has 264 goals and 429 assists in 819 regular season games. Hall has played 32 postseason games with nine goals and 12 assists. In 2017-18 Hall had his best season for the New Jersey Devils with 38 goals and 53 assists as he won the Hart Trophy for the league’s Most Valuable Player. Hall joined the Devils after a June 29, 2016 trade sent the speedy winger to New Jersey from Edmonton for defenseman Adam Larsson. After 208 points in 211 games with the Devils, Hall was dealt again, this time to the Arizona Coyotes in December 2019.
Hall would play just 35 games for Arizona before signing as a free agent with Buffalo in October 2020. The 31-year-old forward was traded again before the trade deadline in 2021 to Boston. As an unrestricted free agent after that season, Hall chose to re-sign with the Bruins for four years and $6 million per year. With the Bruins, Hall has 111 points in 155 games.
Taylor Hall will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season at the age of 33.
Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo? – Bruins Benders Podcast
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