Engelland came home to Las Vegas at age 35 and had the best season of his NHL career.

The Vegas Golden Knights claimed the veteran defenseman from the Calgary Flames at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. It was a homecoming for Engelland, who had played two seasons with Las Vegas of the ECHL from 2003-05 and settled there.

Engelland was named an alternate captain and had his best offensive season in the NHL, finishing with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 79 games. He accepted the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl when the Golden Knights defeated the Winnipeg Jets to win the Western Conference Final before losing to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final, and he won the Mark Messier Leadership Award for his work on and off the ice with the NHL's newest franchise.

Engelland's career is a testament to persistence and hard work.

After a five-year junior career, he earned a cursory look by the New Jersey Devils, who had selected him in the sixth round (No. 194) of the 2000 NHL Draft.

Engelland turned pro in 2003 and wound his way through several stops in the ECHL and American Hockey League. He kept plugging away without making the NHL until the Pittsburgh Penguins gave him a nine-game audition in 2009-10. Then-Penguins coach Dan Bylsma appreciated the simplicity of Engelland's game, his willingness to make the hard plays and his ability to complete the first pass out of the zone, along with his size (6-foot-2, 214 pounds). He spent four seasons in Pittsburgh and played limited minutes, occasionally taking a turn at forward.

On July 1, 2014, Engelland signed a three-year contract with the Calgary Flames. He quickly made an impact, finishing fourth on the Flames in hits (135) and blocked shots (142) during his first season.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh, July 16, 2007.
• Signed as a free agent by Rosenborg (Norway), October 12, 2012.
• Signed as a free agent by Calgary, July 1, 2014.
• Claimed by Vegas from Calgary in Expansion Draft, June 21, 2017.