James Neal was born September 3, 1987 in Whitby, Ontario and was drafted in the second round by the Dallas Stars at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
A star in the Ontario Hockey League, Neal helped his Plymouth Whalers win the OHL Championship and led all goal-scorers at the Memorial Cup with five. His hard working style and no-nonsense approached also earned him recognition on the national stage when he was part of the gold medal winning Canadian squad at the 2007 World Junior Championship.
Neal's first season in the NHL was a successful one, he broke the Dallas Stars' record for goals by a rookie with 27 and his physical style made him a favorite amongst fans.
In his first trip home as a member of the Stars, the Toronto area native scored a hat trick against the hometown Maple Leafs in front of delighted family and friends.
In the days leading up to the 2011 NHL trade deadline Neal was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Alex Goligoski. He would leave Dallas having scored 48 goals in a little more than a year and a half.
In Neal's first full year with the Penguins, he lived up to expectations by scoring 40 goals and 81 points in 80 games.
Neal would be a top goal scorer in the NHL for Pittsburgh for most of four years when he was traded at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft to the Nashville Predators for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling.
Appearing in all 82 games for the Predators during the 2015-16 season, Neal would find the back of the net 31 times and add 27 assists for 58 points. It would mark the second time in his career that the sniper would reach the 30-goal plateau.
Neal was left unprotected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights. He joined the club for their inaugural season, suiting up in 70 games, while scoring 25 times and posting 19 assists. The Knights shocked the hockey world by becoming first modern-era expansion team in North American professional sports to win its division. The teams strong play continued into the playoffs as the Knights marched all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. It would prove to be Neal's lone season in Vegas however. On July 2, 2018, he signed a five-year deal with the Calgary Flames.
On the international stage, Neal has represented Canada three times. This is highlighted by two World Championships (2009, 2011) where he would help Canada win a Silver Medal.
