Anders Lee

Anders Mark Lee (born July 3, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey center currently playing for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL). Lee attended the University of Notre Dame, where he played hockey for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was drafted in the sixth round, 152nd overall, by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

Lee was born in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, to Thomas (Tom) and Lisa Lee. He excelled in football, ice hockey and baseball from a young age. In 2004, he transferred to St. Thomas Academy, a private, military high school in Mendota Heights. He made the varsity ice hockey team as an eighth grader and played alongside Jordan Schroeder. He was also part of St. Thomas Academy's Class A high school hockey tournament, winning the championship in 2006 and playing again in 2007.

In the fall of 2007, Lee transferred back to Edina High School. Although private-to-public school transfers were rare, the daily 30-mile round trip commute to the St. Thomas campus and a desire to play with teammates he grew up with factored into his decision. In his junior year, he made an immediate impact in both football and hockey. In the fall, he won the starting quarterback position and passed for 2,049 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Edina Hornets, who finished with a 10–1 record after losing to the eventual state champion Eden Prairie in the Section 6AAAAA championship game. This was the best finish for the Edina Hornet football team in the past decade. In the winter, he transitioned to hockey, where he finished third in scoring for his team with 54 points (32 goals, 22 assists). He was selected to the Pioneer Press All-State First Team. and received an honorable mention to the AP All-State team. He helped lead the hockey team to a 26-1 regular season record and a second-place finish in the Class AA 2008 state hockey tournament. In the spring, he played varsity baseball as both a pitcher and third basemen.