About James Neal (ice hockey)
James Neal (born September 3, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and St. Louis Blues. While playing junior ice hockey with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he was selected in the second round, 33rd overall, by the Dallas Stars in the 2005 NHL entry draft. After one season with the Stars' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Stars, Neal played his NHL rookie year with Dallas in 2008–09. During his third NHL season, he was traded to the Penguins, where he played four seasons before being traded to the Predators. After three seasons with the Predators, Neal was selected in the 2017 NHL expansion draft by the Golden Knights. A free agent after one year in Vegas, Neal signed with the Flames in July 2018 before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers just over a year later, where he played two seasons. == Playing career == === Minor === Neal started in the CYO in Oshawa, and grew up playing minor ice hockey for the Whitby Wildcats of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA)'s Eastern AAA League. He played in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with Whitby.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.