Erik Burgdoerfer: 2015-16 Season in Review
There is a side to hockey where statistics are not a strong representation of a player’s contribution. The stay-at-home defenseman and avid penalty killer would certainly agree. Ask 27-year-old blueliner Erik Burgdoerfer. Affectionately known at “Burgy” to his teammates, he completed the 2015-16 campaign with six goals and 14 assists. In 21 postseason games, Burgdoerfer added an additional four helpers.
How he got here:
Burgdoerfer entered his second season representing the Chocolate and White, but his connection with head coach Troy Mann extends beyond Hershey. In 2013-14, Burgdoerfer, undrafted, played under the direction of Mann in the East Coast Hockey League for the Bakersfield Condors. His work ethic on the penalty kill and ability to make efficient plays under pressure in the defensive zone made him an asset.
This season we saw Burgdoerfer play a leadership role in Hershey, guiding one of the youngest defensive cores in the American Hockey League. Three out of the six blue-liners dressed in the Calder Cup Playoffs were rookies in Tyler Lewington, Christian Djoos and Madison Bowey. Burgdoerfer’s defensive grit and 6-foot-2 frame certainly makes him a prospective NHL level defenseman that can compete in any given training camp.
Linemates:
Kicking off his second season in Hershey with Ryan Stanton, Burgdoerfer split time with Stanton and Ness as his partners starting in November after a month of paring with just Stanton. Midway through January, Burgy was paired with Christian Djoos for the first time, who he would later spend the entire postseason with. A few games with Jonas Siegenthaler in the final month after some more time with Ness would round out the 27-year-old’s season.
Memorable performance: Three assist night vs. Utica, January 10.
Erik Burgdoerfer on Chocolate Hockey: