• An injury-plagued season limited Connolly to just 16 games in 2009-10, but he still managed to score 10 goals and average over a point-per-game (10-9--19). In 2010, he represented Canada at the 2010 Under-18 World Championships for the second straight year -- at the 2009 World Championships he was the youngest member of Team Canada recording six points in six games.

• In 2008-09, he became the first 16-year-old Western Hockey League rookie to score 30 goals in a season since Patrick Marleau in 1995-96. He finished with a team-high 60 points and beat out Evgeny Grachev and Dmitry Kulikov -- both high NHL draft picks -- to be named Canadian Hockey League and WHL Rookie of the Year.

• At the 2009 World Under-17 Challenge, he led Team Pacific (comprised of 16-year-olds from Alberta and British Columbia) with eight points (3-5--8) in six games, to win a silver medal.

• Born in Campbell River, British Columbia, he started skating at the age of three, playing on his first team, the Port Hardy Lions, at five years old. He started his minor hockey in Port Hardy before moving to Prince George at the age of 10.

• He models his game after Columbus forward Rick Nash – “he’s a big, strong skilled forward who I want to model my game around. We have similar traits”.

• Connolly’s childhood hockey hero was Paul Kariya – “I was a huge Ducks fan when I was young, that was my first NHL jersey”.

FAVORITES

NHL Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Player: Sidney Crosby
Shootout move: “Fake shot, backhand, forehand, upstairs”
Goal celebration: Fist pump
Video Game: Call of Duty
Movie: The Blindside
TV Show: Entourage
Actor: Adam Sandler
Cartoon: The Simpsons
Website: facebook.com
Pump-up song: Pretty Green Eyes by Ultrabeat (Hixxy remix)
Restaurant: The Keg
Sport (other than hockey): Golf
Breakfast food: Eggs
Superhero: Superman