Éric Bélanger

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size=
team=Minnesota Wild
former_teams = Carolina Hurricanes
Los Angeles Kings
Atlanta Thrashers
league = NHL
position = Centre
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 185
nationality = CAN
birth_date = Birth date and age|1977|12|16|mf=y
birth_place = Sherbrooke, PQ, CAN
draft = 96th overall
draft_year = 1996
draft_team = Los Angeles Kings
career_start = 1997

Éric Bélanger (born December 16, 1977 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian professional hockey centre. He currently plays for the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild.

Playing career

He was drafted in the fourth round, ninety-sixth overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Before making his NHL debut, Bélanger played with the Beauport Harfangs and Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Fredericton Canadiens, Springfield Falcons and Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the International Hockey League. Bélanger made his NHL debut on October 6, 2000. During the 2004–2005 NHL Lockout, Bélanger played for Hockey Club Bolzano in Italy.

On September 29, 2006, Bélanger and Tim Gleason were traded to the Hurricanes for Oleg Tverdovsky and Jack Johnson. On February 9, 2007, Bélanger was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for centre Josef Vašíček. The following day, he was sent to Atlanta for defensemen Vitaly Vishnevski.

In 2007, he signed with the Minnesota Wild.

Career statistics

Regular season Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM 2000–01 Los Angeles Kings NHL 62 9 12 21 162001–02 Los Angeles Kings NHL 53 8 16 24 212002–03 Los Angeles Kings NHL 62 16 19 35 262003–04 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 13 20 33 442005–06 Los Angeles Kings NHL 65 17 20 37 622006–07 Carolina/Nashville/Atlanta NHL 80 17 18 35 262007-08 Minnesota Wild NHL 75 13 24 37 30 NHL totals 478 93 129 242 225

External links

*hockeydb|29579