Amateur Stafford played for the St. Albert Bantam AA Flyers in
St. Albert, Alberta, in 1999–2000. During the season, he finished third in League scoring with 26 goals and 47 points in 30 games while leading his team to a provincial berth. At the conclusion of the season, Stafford was selected to participate in
Hockey Alberta's elite development program as a member of the Northwest Sharks in the 2000 Pioneer Chrysler Alberta Cup. Stafford played at
Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, for two years and played on the US national team at the
2003 IIHF World U18 Championships. He then played for three seasons at the
University of North Dakota and on the US national team at the
2004 and
2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Following his freshman season, Stafford was drafted 13th overall in the
2004 NHL entry draft by the
Buffalo Sabres. After two more seasons, he signed a professional contract with the Sabres in 2006, foregoing his senior season at the
University of North Dakota. Stafford finished his three-year collegiate career with 118 points (48 goals and 70 assists).
Professional in 2011
Buffalo Sabres Stafford began his professional career with Buffalo's
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Rochester Americans. With nine points in the first 11 games of the season, he caught the attention of Sabres management, and was called up to Buffalo in early November to replace injured winger
Maxim Afinogenov. In his NHL debut on November 5 against the
New York Rangers, Stafford assisted on a game-winning overtime goal by
Daniel Brière, earning his first NHL point. On November 11, he scored his first goal in the NHL on the
Philadelphia Flyers'
Antero Niittymäki. He won NHL Rookie of the Month honors for March 2007 despite the fact that
Paul Stastny of the
Colorado Avalanche had his record-breaking rookie scoring streak in the same month. Stafford scored his first game-winning goal on February 27 against the
Toronto Maple Leafs. Stafford became a regular in the Sabres' lineup during the
2007–08 season, scoring his first career
hat-trick against the
Atlanta Thrashers on January 18, 2008. More than a year later, he went on to score his second hat-trick in a 10–2 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on January 27, 2009. A little less than a year after that, he celebrated his third hat-trick on December 15, 2010, against the
Boston Bruins. He added his fourth, also against Boston, on January 1, 2011, his fifth on February 8, 2011 against the
Tampa Bay Lightning, and his sixth on February 13, 2011, against the
New York Islanders. On June 3, 2011, Stafford signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension with the Sabres.
Winnipeg Jets In his ninth season with the Sabres in
2014–15, on February 11, 2015, Stafford was traded alongside
Tyler Myers,
Brendan Lemieux,
Joel Armia and a 2015 first-round draft pick (
Jack Roslovic) to the
Winnipeg Jets in exchange for
Evander Kane,
Zach Bogosian and the rights to goaltending prospect
Jason Kasdorf. On February 14, 2015, in just his second game on the Jets, Stafford scored a goal in regulation, as well as the shootout winner, in a 5–4 shootout victory over the
Detroit Red Wings. On February 6, 2016, during a game against the
Colorado Avalanche, Stafford hit
Nick Holden in the face with a high stick, earning him a one game suspension. On the eve of free-agency Stafford re-signed to a two-year contract to remain in Winnipeg on June 30, 2015.
Boston Bruins On March 1, 2017, Stafford was traded from Winnipeg to the
Boston Bruins for a conditional 6th round pick in the
2018 NHL entry draft. On March 4, Stafford played in his first Bruins game, racking up his first scoring point as a Bruin by assisting on
Ryan Spooner's game-winning goal against the
New Jersey Devils for a 3-2 home ice win at
TD Garden. Stafford scored his first Bruins goal on March 8, Boston's third goal en route to a 6-1 home ice defeat of the visiting
Detroit Red Wings.
New Jersey Devils On August 25, 2017, Stafford signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the
New Jersey Devils. In 59 games with the club, Stafford recorded eight goals and 15 points in 59 games. On September 7, 2018, Stafford signed a professional tryout agreement to attend the Devils' training camp. On October 5, the Devils signed Stafford to a one-year, $810,000 contract. On January 4, 2019, Stafford scored the game-winning shootout goal in his 800th regular season NHL game. On September 4, 2019, it was announced that Stafford would attend the
Minnesota Wild's training camp on a professional tryout. ==Personal life==