kids encyclopedia robot

Thomas Vanek facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Vanek
Thomas Vanek-2011.jpg
Vanek with the Buffalo Sabres in 2011
Born (1984-01-19) 19 January 1984 (age 41)
Baden bei Wien, Austria
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
National team Flag of Austria.svg Austria
NHL Draft 5th overall, 2003
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2004–2019

Thomas Vanek (born January 19, 1984) is a former professional ice hockey player from Austria. He played as a winger for 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Vanek played for many teams, including the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Detroit Red Wings.

The Buffalo Sabres picked Vanek as the fifth overall player in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. This made him one of the highest-drafted Austrian players in NHL history.

Early Life and First Steps

Thomas Vanek was born in Baden bei Wien, Austria. His parents moved to Austria from Czechoslovakia in 1982. He grew up in Zell am See and Graz, where his father also played professional ice hockey.

When he was young, Vanek played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, at 14 years old, he moved to Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, to continue his hockey journey.

Amazing College Hockey Career

Before joining the NHL, Vanek played junior hockey for the Sioux Falls Stampede. Then, he went to the University of Minnesota and played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

In the 2002–03 season, he was the team's top scorer. He had 31 goals, 31 assists, and 62 points. His great playing helped the Golden Gophers win the 2003 NCAA National Championship.

Vanek was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Frozen Four 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.

He led all first-year players in the NCAA with 31 goals. He was also named the 2003 WCHA Rookie of the Year.

Starting His Pro Career

Vanek played for the Austrian national team in the 2004 IIHF World Championships. He scored seven points in six games.

In the 2004–05 season, Vanek played for the Rochester Americans. This team was linked to the Sabres in the American Hockey League (AHL). He scored 68 points in 74 games and helped the team have the best record in the AHL. He led the team with 42 goals.

Time with the Buffalo Sabres

Vanek signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres in 2004. He started playing for them in the 2005–06 season. He had a strong first year, scoring 25 goals and 48 points in 81 games.

His best season came in 2006–07. He played in all 82 games and scored 43 goals and 41 assists. He also had an NHL-best +47 rating, which means 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 this great season, Vanek signed a big seven-year, $50 million contract with the Sabres. Even with the new contract, his points dropped a bit in 2007–08.

Thomas Vanek
Vanek in October 2006 playing for the Buffalo Sabres

In 2009, Vanek was chosen for his first NHL All-Star Game in Montreal. On December 13, 2008, he scored the 10,000th goal in the Sabres' history.

On February 4, 2009, Vanek made NHL history by scoring four natural hat-tricks in a row. This matched an NHL record set many years ago. A few days later, he broke his jaw after being hit by a shot. He was out for several weeks. He finished the 2008–09 season with 40 goals.

The 2009–10 season also started with an injury for Vanek. On October 10, 2010, he scored four goals against the Ottawa Senators.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Vanek played for the Graz 99ers in Austria for a short time. On October 1, 2013, the Buffalo Sabres named Vanek and Steve Ott as team captains.

Moving to Other Teams

On October 27, 2013, Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders. He played on their top line with John Tavares. However, Vanek decided not to sign a new contract with the Islanders.

On March 5, 2014, Vanek was traded again, this time to the Montreal Canadiens. He scored his first hat trick for the Canadiens on March 19, 2014. After the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Canadiens decided not to re-sign him.

On July 1, 2014, Vanek signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild. He joined his former Sabres teammate Jason Pominville there. The Wild bought out his contract on June 24, 2016, ending his time with the team.

Later NHL Career

On July 1, 2016, Vanek signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He played with his former co-captain Steve Ott again.

On March 1, 2017, Vanek was traded to the Florida Panthers. He scored 10 points in 20 games for them.

On September 1, 2017, Vanek signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. He scored his 10th career hat trick on December 20, 2017. On February 26, 2018, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored his 11th career hat trick on March 27, 2018.

On July 1, 2018, Vanek signed a one-year contract for a second time with the Detroit Red Wings. He scored 16 goals and 20 assists in what would be his final NHL season.

Personal Life

Thomas Vanek and his wife Ashley have three sons. They live in Stillwater, Minnesota.

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 Flag of Austria.svg Austria
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

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

See Also

  • List of NHL players who have signed offer sheets
kids search engine
Thomas Vanek Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.