Niko Dimitrakos

Niko Dimitrakos
Born	May 21, 1979 (1979-05-21) (age 32) Somerville, MA, USA
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Right
DEL team Former teams	Adler Mannheim NHL San Jose Sharks Philadelphia Flyers SEL Modo Hockey Skellefteå AIK KHL HC CSKA Moscow
NHL Draft	155th overall, 1999 San Jose Sharks
Playing career	2002–present

Nicholas Dimitrakos (Greek: Niko Δημητράκος; born May 21, 1979 in Somerville, Massachusetts) is a Greek-American professional ice hockey right winger, currently signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a 25 game PTO contract.

Playing career

Dimitrakos was first introduced to Hockey at age four by his uncle and has loved it ever since. He graduated from Matignon High School (Cambridge, MA) in 1997. After graduation, Niko attended the prestigious hockey prep school, Avon Old Farms (Avon, Ct) as a post graduate for one year.

Dimitrakos played his college hockey for the University of Maine Black Bears, helping the team win the 1999 NCAA Championship, and making the 1999 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. His senior year, Dimitrakos led the team in points, with 20 goals and 31 assists in 43 games. During his time at Maine, Dimitrakos was also drafted by the San Jose Sharks, in the 5th round (155th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Dimitrakos received his first NHL action toward the end of the 2002–03 NHL season. Sometimes playing on the same line as NHL star Teemu Selänne, Dimitrakos recorded 6 goals and 7 assists in 21 games as a rookie. The following year, he logged 9 goals and 15 assists in 68 games. Despite his modest regular season statistics, Dimitrakos played well in the 2004 NHL Playoffs, helping San Jose advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

2005–06 was a bit of a disappointing season for Dimitrakos, however, and on March 9, 2006, he was traded by the Sharks to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a draft pick. Dimitrakos played in 24 games for the Flyers before being demoted to their AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, in October 2006. Following the 2006–07 season, Dimitrakos signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators.

Prior to the 2008–09 season, Dimitrakos signed a one-year contract with Skellefteå in Sweden. Because of his Greek citizenship, he is not counted against the non-EU player limit.^{[citation needed]}

In September 2011, he returned to play in North America - signing a PTO (Professional Tryout) contract with the Vancouver Canucks and attending their training camp.^[1] Dimitrakos was released by the Vancouver Canucks on September 25, 2011. ^[2]

On October 5, 2011, Dimitrakos agreed to a 25 game PTO contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.^[3]

Awards

• NCAA Champion with Maine Black Bears in 1999 and 2000.
• Named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team in 1999.
• Named to the NCAA East Second All-American Team in 2002.
• Named to the Hockey East Second All-Star Team in 2002.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998–99	Maine Black Bears	HE		35	8	19	27	33		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Maine Black Bears	HE		32	11	16	27	16		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Maine Black Bears	HE		29	11	14	25	43		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Maine Black Bears	HE		43	20	31	51	44		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Cleveland Barons	AHL		55	15	29	44	30		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	San Jose Sharks	NHL		21	6	7	13	8		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Cleveland Barons	AHL		7	4	4	8	4		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	San Jose Sharks	NHL		68	9	15	24	49		15	1	8	9	8
2004–05	SCL Tigers	NLA		3	0	1	1	0		6	3	3	6	16
2005–06	San Jose Sharks	NHL		45	4	12	16	26		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		19	5	4	9	6		5	0	0	0	2
2006–07	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		5	0	0	0	6		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Philadelphia Phantoms	AHL		45	15	13	28	34		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Chicago Wolves	AHL		17	4	10	14	20		15	3	7	10	8
2007–08	Binghamton Senators	AHL		64	20	20	40	67		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Skellefteå AIK	SEL		54	22	22	44	59		1	0	0	0	0
2009–10	HC CSKA Moscow	KHL		50	12	5	17	32		3	0	0	0	12
NHL totals				158	24	38	62	95		20	1	8	9	10
KHL totals				50	12	5	17	32		3	0	0	0	12

External links

• Niko Dimitrakos's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Niko Dimitrakos at TSN.ca

References

1. ^ http://blogs.theprovince.com/2011/09/16/niko-dimitrakos-is-also-going-to-canucks-camp-you-could-be-next/
2. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=vansun-ca-5456896
3. ^ http://wbspenguins.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=888&Itemid=888

Persondata
Name	Dimitrakos, Niko
Alternative names
Short description	American ice hockey player
Date of birth	May 21, 1979
Place of birth	Somerville, MA, USA
Date of death
Place of death