Brent Burns, Canadian ice hockey player
Brent Burns (born March 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted as a right wing (20th overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild, he was converted into a defenceman upon turning professional. Burns is known as a dynamic offensive player, and though he mostly plays defence, he has been utilized as a forward on several occasions during his career.
During the shortened 2012–13 season, and continuing through the 2013–14 season, the Sharks utilized Burns as a forward. Starting with the 2014–15 season, he was returned to defence. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Burns finished third in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy (awarded to the NHL's best defenceman); one year later, at the end of the 2016–17 season, Burns won the award for the first time in his career.