Jannik Hansen

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size= 200px
position = Winger
shoots = Right
nickname =
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 176
team = Vancouver Canucks
former_teams =
league = NHL
nationality = Denmark
birth_date = birth date and age|1986|04|15
birth_place = Herlev, DEN
career_start = 2007
draft = 287th overall
draft_year = 2004
draft_team = Vancouver Canucks

Jannik Hansen (born March 15, 1986 in Herlev, Denmark) is a Danish professional ice hockey player. He currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. He is the first Danish player to play and register a point in an NHL playoff game.Cite web|url=http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=322830&page=NewsPage&service=page|title=Danish Remedy For Nerves|accessdate=2007-04-18|publisher=Canucks.com|year=2007|author=Bucher, John]

Early life

Hansen's father, Bent Hansen, is a former Danish national team member. Though his father never pushed him to pursue hockey as a career, Hansen was already skating as a two year old in diapers. Despite his hockey pedigree, he played soccer until he was 10 years old, only then making the switch to hockey.fact|date=September 2008

Playing career

Europe and junior

Hansen developed as a player with the Rødovre Skøjte og Ishockey Klub (Rødovre Mighty Bulls) of the Danish Oddset Ligaen, where his father had played most of his career. When Jannik turned 15, he joined the senior team, wearing jersey number 17, as his father had worn.

He played in Rødovre for a season and a half, then was invited to play for the Swedish junior team, the Malmö Redhawks in 2002–03. Hansen played the remainder of the season in Malmö, then returned to Rødovre. When asked why he wished to return home to Denmark, he stated that he would "rather play in a men's league, instead of a junior league".fact|date=September 2008 Playing against larger and older players in Denmark's senior league was physically demanding, and because of his relatively light physique at the time, he was regularly knocked down by considerably larger defenders.fact|date=September 2008

After recoring 19 points in 35 games in 2003–04, Hansen was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, 287th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He stayed in Denmark for another season, honouring his contract with Rødovre and recorded a Danish career high 32 points in 34 games on one of the weakest teams in the league.

When the Canucks' management wanted him to play in a league where they would have a better chance of overseeing his development, he asked to be released from his contract; Rødovre let him go. That year, he was nominated for rookie of the year, though the honours ultimately went to Ottawa Senators draft pick Peter Regin.fact|date=September 2008

Hansen was selected in the CHL Import Draft by the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, and chose to move to North America to improve his play. At 19 years old, he scored at a point-per-game average in 64 games.

Professional career

In July 2006, he signed an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks [ [http://canucks.com/news/pressreleases.asp?sectionID=31&id=612] ] and played the 2006-07 season with the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

During the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was called up by the Canucks and became the first Danish-born player to play and register a point in the NHL playoffs(Frans Nielsen scored the first point by a Dane in the regular season earlier that year). [ [http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=249b9648-c18b-40c4-81f9-b9532c4a77e3&k=13693] ] He scored his lone point of the playoffs in Game 3 of the first round against the Dallas Stars by assisting on a goal by Jan Bulis.

In 2007–08, Hansen was plagued by injuries, initially suffering a wrist injury in the pre-season with the Canucks. After recovering, he was assigned to the Moose, but was quickly recalled by the Canucks in late October. He played in 5 games with the Canucks before being sent back down to the AHL. In January, Hansen was re-injured, suffering a concussion. Despite Hansen's injuries, he finished the season with 43 points in 50 games and a team high plus/minus rating of +23 with the Moose.

International play

Hansen participated in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia. Denmark succeeded in remaining in the top pool, and Hansen scored twice in 6 games.

After playing for the Manitoba Moose in the 2008 AHL playoffs, Hansen was again able to compete for the Danish national team in the 2008 World Championships held in Quebec City and Halifax. He played in 6 games in the tournament, scoring 2 goals and adding 2 assists. One of his goals was particularly memorable as he rounded Czech defenceman Tomas Kaberle before scoring on Milan Hnilicka in the first period of the opening game of the tournament.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*TSN-NHL-profile|4608
*hockeydb|78706
*legendsofhockey|21545
*Nhlprofile|8471498|Jannik Hansen