Joel Kwiatkowski

Joel Kwiatkowski ( born March 22, 1977 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is since April 2012 in Fribourg- Gottéron in the National League A under contract.

Career

Joel Kwiatkowski began his career as a hockey player in the Western Hockey League in which he was active from 1994 to 1998 for the Tacoma Rockets, Kelowna Rockets and Prince George Cougars. During this time he was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1996 in the eighth round when a total of 194 players from the Dallas Stars, for whom he never played, however. Instead, the defender received on 18 June 1998 as a free agent contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He spent the following two seasons with their farm team in the American Hockey League, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. On 12 June 2000, the Ducks gave the Canadians from in exchange for Patrick Traverse to the Ottawa Senators, for which he in the 2000 /01 season his debut in the National Hockey League, announced where he scored one goal in four games.

After two and a half years Kwiatkowski left the Senators in January 2003 and again received a contract with their league rivals the Washington Capitals, for which he stood up to the lockout during the 2004/ 05 NHL season on the ice. The lockout itself, he bridged the AHL teams San Antonio Rampage and St. John 's Maple Leafs. Following the resumption of gaming operations in the NHL, the links Sagittarius the Florida Panthers joined. In February 2007, he was finally transferred to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he stood until season's end only in a single game on the ice, where he remained point - and goalless. In summer 2007, Kwiatkowski went to the Atlanta Thrashers, but mostly played for their AHL farm team, the Chicago Wolves, with whom he could win the Calder Cup. After only one year, he left Atlanta back already and signed with Severstal Cherepovets of the newly formed Continental Hockey League, for whom he in 52 games a total of 25 points scorer, with 13 goals scored.

Due to its good performance in Russia, the Atlanta Thrashers a new contract offered him pre-season 2009/10, which he agreed initially. When it became known that he already had a valid contract with SKA St. Petersburg, the Thrashers withdrew their offer. In addition, the president of the KHL and owner of SKA, Alexander Medvedev, had intervened with the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF against the transfer.

July 1, 2010 Kwiatkowski was obliged by the Swiss club SC Bern of the National League A, for which he went into the following two seasons on the ice. In April 2012, the Canadians agreed on a contract with Fribourg- Gottéron.

Internationally

For Canada Kwiatkowski participated in the 2009 World Championships, where he took second place with his team. The defender was the only player of the squad who was not at this time in the NHL under contract.

Awards and achievements

Statistics

(End of season 2009/10)