Chris Stewart plays right wing for the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted by the Avalanche in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, number 18 overall, Stewart made his NHL debut for the Avalanche during the 2008-09 season. In 53 games that season, he posted 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists, recording 54 penalty minutes and a -18 plus/minus rating.http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473485 On September 2, 2010, the native of Toronto, Ontario, was re-signed with the Avalanche, receiving a two-year contract as a restricted free agent. The new deal keeps Stewart in Colorado through the 2011-12 season.http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?5722

Stewart made his NHL debut with the Avalanche on December 5, 2008, against the Dallas Stars. Then, on December 9, he recorded his first NHL goal and assist in a game against the Los Angeles Kings. The goal came during the second period, and was a breakaway short-handed goal. During his 2008-09 rookie campaign, Stewart became only the third rookie in the team's history to log at least 50 penalty minutes and score 10 or more goals. On the 2008-09 season he was also the top rookie scorer for Colorado with 19 points and 11 goals.http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473485&view=bio

Born on October 30, 1987, the 6-foot-2 native of Toronto goes by the nickname "Stewie", and is not the only one in his family playing in the NHL. Stewart's brother Anthony was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, and after spending four partial seasons with the Panthers, joined up with the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2009-10 season. On October 28, 2010, Chris Stewart surpassed a personal feat when he scored his 100th NHL goal in a game against the Calgary Flames.http://www.theavalancheguild.com/2010/11/chris-stewart-scores-100th-nhl-point-in-loss-to-flames/

Prior to starting his professional hockey career, Chris Stewart spent three seasons playing major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Kingston Frontenacs. From 2004-07, he played in 187 games for Kingston, logging 199 points on 91 goals and 108 assists. He also registered 271 penalty minutes in 187 total games. During the playoffs, he played in 11 games for Kingston where he posted eight points on six goals and two assists with 19 penalty minutes.http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=80211

Stewart played in 101 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) between the 2006-09 seasons. He played for Colorado's minor league affiliates the Albany River Rats and the Lake Erie Monsters. In 96 games for the Monsters, Stewart posted 55 points on 30 goals and 25 assists, and in five games for the River Rats logged three points on one goal and two assists. He also appeared in one playoff game for the River Rats, but did not log any points.http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=80211

During the 2009-10 season, his first full season in the NHL, Stewart led the Avalanche on goals for the season with 28, and came in second in points with 64. In 77 games on the season, he finished with a plus/minus rating of +4, logging 100 hits and 73 total penalty minutes. During his Stanley Cup playoff debut, he scored the winning goal with just 50 seconds left on the clock, and posted two goals in game two of the playoffs against the San Jose Sharks.http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473485&view=bio