Michael Grabner
Michael René Grabner ( born October 5, 1987 in Villach) is an Austrian ice hockey player who stands in October 2010 at the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League contract.
- 3.1 International
Career
Grabner began his career at EC VSV, where he debuted in the 2003/04 season at the age of only 16 years in the first team. In the same season he played for Austria at the U18 World Cup. After that season he moved to the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League.
Although he missed with his team in the playoffs the previous two seasons of the WHL, but he was especially in the 2005/06 season, where he recorded 36 goals and 14 assists in 67 games, make the NHL observers attention. With number 15 in North America ranking, he was the most promising Austrian talent in the NHL Entry Draft in 2006 and was pulled in the first round as the No. 14 of the Vancouver Canucks. In his first preseason game for the Canucks, he also scored the same score. After a season with the Spokane Chiefs Grabner in 2007 was again in the training camp of the Vancouver Canucks. The 4-0 in a preseason game against the Calgary Flames on 19 September 2007 Grabner contributed a goal and an assist and was voted the second best player of the evening.
After good performances in the farm team Grabner was appointed on 14 October 2009 in the cadre of the Vancouver Canucks, where he was to replace the injured Swedish winger Daniel Sedin. Exactly one week later, he scored from a powerplay situation out his first goal in the NHL. The opposing goalie Antti Niemi was there a chance; the game ended in a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Only days later, he scored his second NHL goal when he scored his team 's 2-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the lead. In early November, he suffered while warming up before the game against the Atlanta Thrashers a broken ankle that forced him to a multi-week break. After the injury he had again to the farm team to Manitoba until he was finally appointed in mid-March back in the NHL squad. The first NHL hat-trick of his career, he scored then the 5-4 victory for the Canucks after the shootout in Anaheim on April 2, 2010. His first playoff goal in the NHL, he scored on 1 May 2010 in a 5-1 success the Chicago Blackhawks.
After the 2009/10 season Grabner joined in a barter transaction to the Florida Panthers. After the pre-season games, he was sent off from the NHL team and Florida's farm team, the Rochester Americans, sent to the American Hockey League. Even before he was admitted to the quota, general manager Garth Snow took advantage of the opportunity to bring the winger before the end of the waiver period in his squad of the New York Islanders. Thus Michael Grabner is committed since the 2010/11 season with the New York Islanders. In his rookie season he knew to persuade and was top scorer with 34 goals among rookies. In the course of the season he scored six shorthanded goals, these were the second most this season after Frans Nielsen ( 7). Grabner was fourth overall with 52 points best scorer of the Islanders, who again missed the part in the playoffs. After finishing the regular season of the Austrians was nominated along with Logan Couture and Jeff Skinner for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
In May 2011, Grabner extended his contract with the New York Islanders for five years until the end of June 2016.
Awards and achievements
- 2006 CHL Top Prospects Game
- 2011 NHL All-Star Game Super Skills Competition
- 2011 NHL Rookie of the Month February
- 2011 NHL All- Rookie Team
Internationally
- 2009 top scorer of the qualification for the Olympic Winter Games, Group E
- 2009 Top scorer in the qualification for the Olympic Winter Games, Group E
- 2012 promotion to the top division at the World Championship of Division IA
- 2014 Top Goalscorer of the Olympic Winter Games (along with Phil Kessel )
Career Stats
Internationally
Represented Austria at:
- U18 World Junior Championships Division I 2004
- U20 World Junior Championships Division I 2005
- U18 World Junior Championships Division I 2005
- Qualification for the Olympic Winter Games 2009
- World Championship Division I 2012
( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )