Quick Facts
LeoBiography
Eric Boulton (born August 17, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Boulton was drafted 234th overall in the ninth round of the 1994 draft by the New York Rangers. While he never played for the Rangers, he's previously played for the Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers, and New Jersey Devils before signing with the Islanders in 2012.
Playing career
Boulton was drafted in the ninth round, 234th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1994 draft of the National Hockey League (NHL). Despite being drafted by the Rangers, he would eventually make his NHL debut playing for the Buffalo Sabres, where he played for four seasons. During the 2004 NHL Lockout, he played for the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL. After the Lockout ended, Boulton began playing with the Atlanta Thrashers.
In October 2005, Boulton was suspended for six games after elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Paul Ranger, causing a hairline fracture of the jaw and a concussion. The incident occurred at the end of a 6–0 rout of the Thrashers on October 20, 2005. NHL vice-president Colin Campbell said, "It is clear Mr. Boulton's actions were careless and caused injury. There is no circumstance that can justify this type of action." Only a week earlier, Boulton had made a similar move in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, almost injuring Eric Lindros.
Boulton was re-signed by the Thrashers in 2008 to a two-year deal. He recorded his first career hat trick on December 18, 2010, against the New Jersey Devils. He then signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Devils for a 2-year contract worth $575,000 in the first year and $750,000 in the second, joining former Thrashers teammates Ilya Kovalchuk and Johan Hedberg. On June 30, 2012, the Devils bought out the remainder of Boulton's contract and the next day, Boulton proceeded to sign a one-year deal with the New York Islanders. He re-signed with the Islanders for the following season as well.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993–94 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 45 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 149 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | ||
| 1994–95 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 27 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 125 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 24 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 134 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1995–96 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 66 | 14 | 29 | 43 | 243 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 29 | ||
| 1996–97 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL | 44 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 325 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1996–97 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 67 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL | 53 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 202 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Kentucky Thoroughblades | AHL | 34 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 154 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 | ||
| 1998–99 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 26 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 143 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 76 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 276 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 53 | ||
| 2000–01 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 35 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 35 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 129 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 58 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 178 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 44 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Columbia Inferno | ECHL | 48 | 23 | 16 | 39 | 124 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 51 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 45 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | ||
| 2007–08 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 74 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 127 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 76 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 176 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 62 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 113 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 69 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 115 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Albany Devils | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | New York Islanders | NHL | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | New York Islanders | NHL | 23 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | New York Islanders | NHL | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | New York Islanders | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 654 | 31 | 48 | 79 | 1421 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | ||||