Thomas Vanek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Thomas Vanek |
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Vanek with the Buffalo Sabres in 2011
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| Born | 19 January 1984 Baden bei Wien, Austria |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Buffalo Sabres Graz 99ers New York Islanders Montreal Canadiens Minnesota Wild Detroit Red Wings Florida Panthers Vancouver Canucks Columbus Blue Jackets |
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| National team |  Austria |
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| NHL Draft | 5th overall, 2003 Buffalo Sabres |
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| Playing career | 2004–2019 | ||
Thomas Vanek (born January 19, 1984) is an Austrian former professional ice hockey player. He was a winger who played for fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Vanek played for many teams, including the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and Montreal Canadiens. He was picked fifth overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Sabres. This made him one of the highest-drafted Austrian players in NHL history.
Contents
Early Life and Hockey Beginnings
Thomas Vanek was born in Baden bei Wien, Austria. His parents were from Czechoslovakia and moved to Austria in 1982. He grew up in towns like Zell am See and Graz, where his dad played professional ice hockey.
When he was young, Vanek played in big youth hockey tournaments in Quebec, Canada. In 1998, at just 14 years old, he moved to Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. This move helped him pursue his dream of playing hockey.
Playing Career Highlights
Before the NHL
Vanek played junior hockey for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He was a top scorer there. After that, he joined the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers college team.
In the 2002–03 season, he led his team in goals, assists, and points. The Golden Gophers won the NCAA National Championship that year. Vanek was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. He scored the winning goals in both the semifinal and the final games. He was also the first freshman to be named Minnesota's team MVP.
Vanek also played for the Austrian national team in the 2004 IIHF World Championships. Before joining the NHL, he spent a season with the Rochester Americans, the Sabres' minor league team. He scored 42 goals for them, which was a lot for a rookie.
Time with the Buffalo Sabres
Vanek joined the Buffalo Sabres in the 2005–06 season. He had a great first year, scoring 25 goals and 48 points.
His best season was in 2006–07. He scored 43 goals, which was tied for fifth in the entire league. He also had an amazing +47 rating, meaning his team scored 47 more goals than they gave up when he was on the ice. This earned him the NHL Plus-Minus Award.
After that season, another team, the Edmonton Oilers, tried to sign him with a big contract. But the Sabres quickly matched the offer, keeping Vanek with their team.
In 2009, Vanek was chosen for his first NHL All-Star Game. He also made NHL history by scoring four "natural hat tricks" in a row. A natural hat trick means scoring three goals in a row without anyone else scoring in between. This matched an NHL record set way back in the 1920s.
Vanek continued to be a key player for the Sabres. In 2013, he was named one of the team's captains.
Moving to Other Teams
On October 27, 2013, Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders. He played on their top line with star players John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. Vanek later said this was the best line he ever played on. However, he decided not to sign a new contract with the Islanders.
Then, on March 5, 2014, Vanek was traded again, this time to the Montreal Canadiens. He scored his first hat trick for the Canadiens later that month. After the season, the Canadiens decided not to re-sign him.
On July 1, 2014, Vanek signed a contract with the Minnesota Wild. He played two seasons there. In 2016, the Wild decided to buy out the last year of his contract.
Later NHL Career
Vanek then signed with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2016–17 season. He played well there before being traded to the Florida Panthers in March 2017.
In September 2017, Vanek signed with the Vancouver Canucks. He recorded his 10th career hat trick while playing for them. Later that season, in February 2018, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored his 11th career hat trick with the Blue Jackets.
Vanek returned to the Detroit Red Wings for the 2018–19 season. This was his second time playing for the team. He scored 16 goals and 20 assists in what would be his final NHL season. He retired from professional hockey in 2019.
Personal Life
Thomas Vanek is married to Ashley, and they have three sons. They live in Stillwater, Minnesota. His son, Blake, was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 2025 NHL entry draft.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1999–00 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 35 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2000–01 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 20 | 19 | 10 | 29 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 53 | 46 | 45 | 91 | 54 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 2002–03 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | WCHA | 45 | 31 | 31 | 62 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | WCHA | 38 | 26 | 25 | 51 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 74 | 42 | 26 | 68 | 62 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 2005–06 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 81 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 72 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 82 | 43 | 41 | 84 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 82 | 36 | 28 | 64 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 40 | 24 | 64 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 71 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 42 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 32 | 41 | 73 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 26 | 35 | 61 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Graz 99ers | EBEL | 11 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 38 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 13 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | New York Islanders | NHL | 47 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 18 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 80 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 37 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 74 | 18 | 23 | 41 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 20 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 61 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 19 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 64 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,029 | 373 | 416 | 789 | 547 | 69 | 21 | 15 | 36 | 26 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Austria |
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| IIHF World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2008 Austria | Division I Group A |
| IIHF World U20 Championships | ||
| Gold | 2003 Slovenia | Division I Group B |
| Silver | 2002 Austria | Division I Group A |
| Representing Team Europe | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Silver | 2016 Toronto | |
International Play
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Austria | WJC D1 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2003 | Austria | WJC D1 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 10 | |
| 2004 | Austria | WJC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 37 | |
| 2004 | Austria | WC | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2008 | Austria | WC D1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2009 | Austria | WC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Austria | WC | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Austria | OLY | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2016 | Team Europe | WCH | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 16 | 17 | 11 | 28 | 49 | |||
| Senior totals | 34 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 16 | |||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-USHL First Team | 2001–02 | |
| All-WCHA Rookie Team | 2002–03 | |
| All-WCHA Second Team | 2002–03 | |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2003 | |
| All-WCHA Second Team | 2003–04 | |
| AHCA West second-team All-American | 2003–04 | |
| NHL | ||
| NHL YoungStars Game | 2006–07 | |
| NHL Plus-Minus Award | 2006–07 | |
| NHL Second All-Star team | 2006–07 | |
| NHL All-Star Game | 2009 | |
