VANCOUVER, BC—Thomas Vanek, 33, closed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, September 1.
The 6 foot and 2 inch tall, 214 pound left winger hails from Vienna, Austria and spent last season with the Detroit Red Wings and the Florida Panthers. He played in 68 games and collected 48 points (17 goals and 31 assists), a minus-5 rating, and 22 penalty minutes.
In his 12-season career (to date), Vanek played for the Buffalo Sabres (who selected him fifth overall at the 2003 NHL Draft), New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit, and Florida. He holds 697 career points (333 goals and 364 assists), a plus-20 rating, and 485 penalty minutes. He made 63 playoff appearances with Buffalo, Montreal, and Minnesota, where he totaled 34 points (20 goals and 14 assists), a minus-16 rating, and 24 penalty minutes.
Before his NHL debut in 2005, Vanek played three seasons with the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL), two with the University of Minnesota Gophers (WCHA), and one with the Rochester Americans (AHL).
“Thomas has been a prolific scorer throughout his career and we’re excited to add his offence and experience to help with the continued growth of our forwards. His skill and ability to contribute on the scoresheet, combined with his lead-by-example style will help our team this year, and will benefit our younger players as they continue to develop their game,” said Canucks’ General Manager Jim Benning in a statement.
