Lance Ward

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size =
team = Frankfurt Lions
former_teams =
league = DEL
position = Defence
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 4
weight_lb = 216
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1978|6|2
birth_place = Lloydminster, AB, CAN
draft = 63rd overall
draft_year = 1998
draft_team = Florida Panthers
career_start = 1998

Lance Ward (born June 2, 1978, in Lloydminster, Alberta) is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman, currently with the Frankfurt Lions of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Playing career

Ward was originally drafted 10th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, but he re-entered the draft and was selected 63rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Ward has played 209 career NHL games, scoring 4 goals and 12 assists for 16 points, and 391 penalty minutes. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout Ward did not play.

Ward signed a one-year contract on June 5, 2006, with the Swedish Elitserien club HV71 in Jönköping. [cite web |title=NHL-meriterad back till HV71 |work=HV71.se |publisher=HV71 |last=Gustafsson |first=Daniel |url=http://www.hv71.se/nyhet.asp?sid=1127 |language=Swedish |date=2006-06-05 |accessdate=2006-06-08] On February 20, 2007, in a game against Färjestads BK, Ward broke both HV71's club record and the Elitserien record of most penalty minutes in one season when he checked one player into the boards and seconds later speared another in front of the crease. The sequence ended with Ward being penalized with 7 minutes plus game misconduct (adding another 20 minutes). [cite web |title=Lance Ward historisk buse |work=Hockeyligan.se |publisher=Svenska Hockeyligan AB |url=http://www.hockeyligan.se/nyheter.php?nid=10812 |language=Swedish |date=2007-02-20 |accessdate=2007-02-21]

During the off-season 2007–08, Ward turned down a contract extension from HV71 to instead sign a two-year deal with the Austrian club Graz 99ers. In June, 2007, Graz revoked the contract and stated they will not pay Ward the amount settled in the signing. [cite news |title=Busen letar ny klubb i Sverige |work=Aftonbladet.se |publisher=Aftonbladet |last=Ros |first=Tomas |coauthors=Abrahamsson, Hans |url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/sport/story/0,2789,1087098,00.html |language=Swedish |date=2007-06-05 |accessdate=2007-06-06] Ward returned to Sweden and re-signed with HV71 for another year. [cite web |title=Publikfavoriten Ward stannar i HV71 |work=HV71.se |publisher=HV71 |last=Gustafsson |first=Daniel |url=http://www.hv71.se/nyhet.asp?sid=1537 |language=Swedish |date=2006-06-05 |accessdate=2007-06-08]

After winning the Elitserien playoff finals with HV71 in 2008, Ward signed with the German DEL team Frankfurt Lions. [cite news |title=Lance Ward lämnar HV |work=DN.se |publisher=Dagens Nyheter |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2244&a=760904&rss=672 |language=Swedish |date=2008-04-14 |accessdate=2008-04-19]

Awards

* Swedish Champion with HV71 in 2008.

Records

* Elitserien record for penalty minutes (273)

Career statistics

"Statistics as of April 19, 2008"cite web |title=Lance Ward |work=Elite Prospects |publisher=www.eliteprospects.com |url=http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=8289 |accessdate=2006-06-08]

References

External links

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