Top 5 players in NHL history to switch positions during their career

Brent Burns is one of the best players to ever switch positions in the NHL.

Brent Burns was drafted as a right-winger by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (20th overall) in the 2003 NHL draft. He was a right-winger up until he turned pro then head coach Jacques Lemaire wanted him to play as a defenseman because of the roster setup.

From then on, Burns would switch between defense and right-wing often and it was not until a few years ago that he fully became a defenseman. Known for his missing teeth, tattoos, and beard, Burns adjusted well and became a force on the ice.

Burns spent last season with the Carolina Hurricanes and posted 18 goals and 43 assists for 61 points in 82 games. For his career, he has 245 goals and 593 assists for 838 points in 1,333 games.

While he has been in the game for 20 years, the 6-foot-5 and 230-pound Burns have played the same, physical style that he is known for, along with his cannon shot from the point.

In his career, he has participated in six all-star games and won the 2016-17 NHL Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman with 29 goals and 47 assists for 76 points in 82 games. He has also been successful on international ice, achieving more than Stanley Cups.

He won a gold medal at the 2015 World Championships in the Czech Republic,  won a silver medal in Quebec City in 2008, won another gold medal at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and finally won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland in 2004.

Today, he remains a crucial part of the Hurricanes blue line and is contributing to the team’s success in the only way he can.