Michael Grabner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael Grabner |
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Grabner with the New York Islanders in 2015
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| Born | 5 October 1987 Villach, Austria |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | EC VSV Vancouver Canucks New York Islanders Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers New Jersey Devils Arizona Coyotes |
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| National team |  Austria |
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| NHL Draft | 14th overall, 2006 Vancouver Canucks |
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| Playing career | 2003–2020 | ||
Michael-René Grabner (born October 5, 1987) is a former professional ice hockey player from Austria. He was known for being one of the fastest skaters in the game. Grabner started playing hockey for his hometown team in Villach, Austria.
When he was 17, he moved to North America to play junior hockey and improve his skills. He was drafted 14th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. After playing for the Canucks, he had a successful career with several other NHL teams, including the New York Islanders and New York Rangers. Grabner also played for his home country of Austria in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Contents
Hockey Journey
Starting in Austria
Grabner was born in Villach, Austria, and started playing hockey when he was just five years old. As a teenager, he played for his local team, EC VSV. He was so good that he quickly moved up from the junior team to the men's professional team in the Austrian Hockey League.
To chase his dream of playing in the NHL, Grabner moved to North America. He joined the Spokane Chiefs, a major junior team in the Western Hockey League (WHL). This move helped him get noticed by NHL scouts. In his second season with the Chiefs, he scored 36 goals. His amazing speed and powerful shot made him a top prospect for the upcoming NHL draft.
Getting Drafted by the Canucks
In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks selected Grabner as the 14th overall pick. This was a surprise for Grabner, who was expected to be chosen later in the draft.
He played one more season with the Spokane Chiefs, where he scored 39 goals. After his junior career ended, he joined the Manitoba Moose, which was the Canucks' farm team in the American Hockey League (AHL). A farm team is where young players develop their skills before joining the NHL. He played two full seasons with the Moose, scoring 30 goals in his second year and helping the team reach the Calder Cup Finals.
In the 2009–10 season, Grabner finally got his chance to play in the NHL with the Canucks. He scored his first NHL goal on October 21, 2009, against the Chicago Blackhawks. Later that season, on April 2, 2010, he scored his first NHL hat trick (three goals in one game) against the Anaheim Ducks.
NHL Career Highlights
New York Islanders
In 2010, Grabner was traded to the Florida Panthers. However, before he could play for them, they put him on waivers, which allows other teams to claim a player. The New York Islanders quickly claimed him, and it turned out to be a great move.
In his first season with the Islanders, Grabner had an amazing year. He was chosen to compete in the SuperSkills Competition, where he won the "Fastest Skater" event. He finished the season with 34 goals, the most of any rookie that year. His great performance earned him a nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy, an award for the NHL's best rookie. The Islanders signed him to a five-year contract.
One of his most incredible moments came on February 27, 2014. He scored two shorthanded goals (goals scored while his team had a player in the penalty box) on the same penalty kill. This is a very rare achievement in hockey.
Toronto, New York, and New Jersey
In 2015, Grabner was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played one season there before signing with the New York Rangers in 2016. With the Rangers, he had another strong season, scoring 27 goals.
In 2018, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils. This made him one of the few players to have played for all three teams in the New York City area: the Islanders, Rangers, and Devils.
Arizona Coyotes and Retirement
Grabner signed a three-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes in 2018. In his first season, he suffered a serious eye injury that caused him to miss half the season. Despite this, he still led the entire NHL with six shorthanded goals that year. After two seasons in Arizona, Grabner was bought out of his contract in 2020, which marked the end of his professional career.
International Play
Grabner proudly represented his home country of Austria in many international tournaments. He played for their junior teams and later for the senior national team.
His biggest international moment was at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He was a star for Team Austria, scoring five goals in just four games, including a hat trick against Finland. He finished the tournament tied for the most goals scored by any player.
Personal Life
Grabner is married to his wife, Heather, whom he met while playing junior hockey in Spokane. They have a son, who was born in 2011.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | VSV EC | AUT U20 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | VSV EC | AUT U20 | 23 | 32 | 5 | 37 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | VSV EC | EBEL | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 58 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 67 | 36 | 14 | 50 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 55 | 39 | 16 | 55 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 74 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 66 | 30 | 18 | 48 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 38 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 20 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | New York Islanders | NHL | 76 | 34 | 18 | 52 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | New York Islanders | NHL | 78 | 20 | 12 | 32 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | VSV EC | EBEL | 17 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | New York Islanders | NHL | 45 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | New York Islanders | NHL | 64 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | New York Islanders | NHL | 34 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 27 | 13 | 40 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | New York Rangers | NHL | 59 | 25 | 6 | 31 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 41 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 46 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 640 | 175 | 101 | 276 | 110 | 40 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 8 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Austria | WJC18 Div I | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2005 | Austria | WJC-I | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Austria | WJC18 Div I | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 29 | |
| 2009 | Austria | OLYQ | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Austria | WC-IA | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Austria | OLY | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Austria | OLYQ | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 35 | |||
| Senior totals | 15 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 0 | |||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2006 | |
| NHL | ||
| Rookie of the Month (February) | 2011 | |
| NHL All-Rookie Team | 2011 | |
