Jeff Finger (born December 18, 1979 in Houghton, Michigan) is an American professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. Finger was drafted 240th overall (8th round) by the Avalanche in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. While playing junior hockey with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) he was selected the league’s Defenceman of the Year for the 1999-2000 season. In the 2000-2001 season he was named St.Cloud’s (WCHA) Outstanding Freshman Hockey Player. Finger resides in Calumet, Michigan during the summer and spends much of his time working out and fishing the streams near Lake Superior.
Finger played in the final 22 games of the 2006-2007 regular season with the Avalanche. He made his NHL debut on Feb.20 against the Calgary Flames and recorded his first NHL point when he assisted on a Paul Stastny goal on Feb. 27 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. On Mar.1 he scored his first NHL goal against Nikolai Khabibulin and the Chicago Blackhawks with assists from Paul Stastny and Ben Guite. Finger finished the season with 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points with 11 penalty minutes and a +10 plus/minus. He finished the season tied for second on the team with that +10, trailing only team leader Ken Klee with a +18.
In May, the Avalanche signed Finger to a one-year free agent contract for the 2007-2008 season.
On July 1, 2008 the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Finger to a 4 year deal worth $3.5 million a season.[1] This raised eyebrows as Finger is a 28-year-old who has played only one full season in the NHL and who only played 5 games in the 2007/2008 NHL Playoffs.
Jeff Finger Scouting Report
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1997-98 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 51 5 9 14 208 4 0 0 0 18
1998-99 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 55 11 28 39 199 6 0 3 3 14
1999-00 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 55 13 35 48 154 14 3 11 14 40
2000-01 St. Cloud State NCAA 41 4 5 9 84
2001-02 St. Cloud State NCAA 42 6 20 26 105
2002-03 St. Cloud State NCAA 24 5 8 13 46
2003-04 Reading Royals ECHL 10 2 5 7 24 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Hershey Bears AHL 63 2 9 11 88 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Hershey Bears AHL 75 4 11 15 125 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 70 3 20 23 116 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Albany River Rats AHL 44 3 10 13 65 5 1 1 2 4
2006-07 Colorado Avalanche NHL 22 1 4 5 11 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Colorado Avalanche NHL 72 8 11 19 40 5 0 2 2 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Totals 94 9 15 24 51 5 0 2 2 4