During a decorated NHL career, Ladd has been a highly versatile player and a valuable part of championship teams.

In Ladd's first season in junior hockey (2003-04), with Calgary of the Western Hockey League, he scored 30 goals, finished with 75 points and led the league with a plus-39 rating. The Carolina Hurricanes made him the No. 4 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.

Following a second season with Calgary, Ladd began 2005-06 with Lowell, the Hurricanes' American Hockey League affiliate. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 20, 2005, and scored his first goal two games later, against the Toronto Maple Leafs' Mikael Tellqvist, on Nov. 25, 2005.

He injured his knee on Dec. 3, 2005, and was out until Jan. 17, 2006. After spending the Olympic break with Lowell, Ladd returned to the Hurricanes in early March to help Carolina clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ladd scored his first NHL playoff goal in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Buffalo Sabres and helped the Hurricanes defeat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games to win the Cup for the first time in franchise history.

On Feb. 26, 2008, during his third season with Carolina, Ladd was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Tuomo Ruutu.

Ladd showed his strong two-way play with 111 points and a plus-29 rating in 203 games during two-plus seasons with the Blackhawks. He was a part of the beginning of Chicago's run of success, helping the Blackhawks reach the Western Conference Final in 2009 - he scored his first playoff overtime goal in Game 4 of the second round against the Vancouver Canucks - before they won the Cup in 2010.

On July 1, 2010, Ladd was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 2011 second-round draft pick. He scored 29 goals in his first season with the franchise, and on Nov. 18, 2010, was named captain, a role he retained after the team relocated to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season.

Ladd was a consistent top-line forward and reliable scorer with the Jets before being traded back to the Blackhawks with Matt Fraser and Jay Harrison for Marko Dano and two draft picks on Feb. 25, 2016. He had eight goals and 12 points in 19 games during his second stint in Chicago.

He became a free agent when the Blackhawks opted not to keep him and signed a seven-year contract with the New York Islanders on July 1, 2016,

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Traded to Chicago by Carolina for Tuomo Ruutu, February 26, 2008.
• Traded to Atlanta by Chicago for Ivan Vishnevskiy and Atlanta/Winnipeg's 2nd round pick (Adam Clendening) in 2011 NHL Draft, July 1, 2010.
• Transferred to Winnipeg after Atlanta franchise relocated, June 21, 2011.
• Traded to Chicago by Winnipeg with Jay Harrison and Matt Fraser for Marko Dano and Chicago's 1st round pick (later traded to Philadelphia -- Philadelphia selected German Rubtsov) in 2016 NHL Draft, February 25, 2016.
• Signed as a free agent by NY Islanders, July 1, 2016.