As draft day approached, Sheahan had no idea where he'd land.

The center from Notre Dame had just completed a promising 22-point sophomore season in 2010-11 that ended in a loss in the Frozen Four.

At the NHL Draft Combine earlier in the year, he'd spoken to 26 of the 30 NHL organizations, and he met with three teams at length -- the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers -- the night before the draft.

Scouts liked his size (6-foot-2, 202 pounds) and his ability to play either down the middle or on the wing as a prototype NHL power forward.

Ranked No. 22 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, the St. Catharines, Ontario, native was selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the No. 21 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Sheahan would play another season for the Fighting Irish before turning pro. He'd play one game with the Red Wings in each of his first two pro seasons, while grooming his game with Grand Rapids in the American Hockey League.

A seven-game stint with Grand Rapids after leaving school was followed in 2012-13 by a 36-point performance in 72 games. That spring, Sheahan would be part of a Calder Cup-winning team, which defeated Syracuse in six games.

The next season again began in Grand Rapids, but Sheahan was called up to the Red Wings and scored his first goal against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 11, 2014. He finished with nine goals and 24 points in 42 games and followed that up with 36 points in 79 games in 2014-15.

On June 16, 2016, following a 14-goal, 25-point season, the Red Wings signed Sheahan to a two-year contract, but traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 21, 2017. He finished that season with 32 points in 81 games and signed a one-year contract with the Penguins on June 27, 2018 but was traded again, this time to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 1, 2019.

Sheahan had 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 33 games for the Panthers. He signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on Sept. 5, 2019.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Traded to Pittsburgh by Detroit with Detroit's 5th round pick in 2018 NHL Draft for Scott Wilson and Pittsburgh's 3rd round pick in 2018 NHL Draft, October 21, 2017.
• Traded to Florida by Pittsburgh with Derick Brassard, Pittsburgh's 2nd-round pick in 2019 NHL Draft, Pittsburgh's 4th-round pick in 2019 NHL Draft and Minnesota's 4th-round pick in 2019 NHL Draft (previously acquired) for Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann, February 1, 2019.
• Signed as a free agent by Edmonton, September 5, 2019.
• Signed as a free agent by Buffalo, January 8, 2021.
• Signed as a free agent by Seattle, September 1, 2021.