When Todd McLellan was coaching the San Jose Sharks, he referred to Torrey Mitchell as the unluckiest player he'd ever been around.

Some examples: During a scrimmage before the 2008-09 season, Mitchell's second in the league, he lost an edge, collided with another player and slid awkwardly into a goalpost. The impact resulted in a fracture of the tibia and fibula in his left leg and, except for four Stanley Cup Playoff games, he was lost for the season.

Healthy again at the next training camp, Mitchell developed tendinitis in his left knee and was limited to 56 games during the 2009-10 season.

That had not been the case in college, where the 5-11, 191-pound center played three full seasons at the University of Vermont and scored 35 goals and 105 points in 115 games.

Selected by the Sharks in the fourth round (No. 126) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Mitchell made the Sharks roster with a strong showing at training camp in 2007 and scored 10 goals and 20 points while playing all 82 games.

Mitchell played five seasons with San Jose before signing a free agent contract with the Minnesota Wild in the summer of 2012. On March 5, 2014, the Wild traded Mitchell to the Buffalo Sabres, but a year later the Sabres traded him to the Montreal Canadiens.

Mitchell played 14 games with Montreal in 2014-15, but the following season, his first full one with the Canadiens, he hit double figures in goals (11) for the first time since his rookie season.