Chris VandeVelde

Chris VandeVelde (born March 15, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Edmonton Oilers. He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the 4th round (97th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Amateur
VandeVelde played high school ice hockey for Moorhead High School (MHS) in Moorhead, Minnesota. He was a three year letterman while helping MHS reach three consecutive state tournaments. In his senior season he recorded 77 points and was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and also earned all-state and all-tournament honors. In 2004, VandeVelde began playing for the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played two seasons in Lincoln playing in 63 games, registering 41 points. He was drafted in the fourth round, 97th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.

After playing for the Stars, VandeVelde began playing college hockey at the University of North Dakota (UND). He scored his first career collegiate goal during his freshman year in a 3–3 tie against St. Cloud State University on March, 2 2007. He struggled to score for most of the year, but in his final nine games he scored seven points helping him earn UND's Most Improved Player honors. In the WCHA Final Five semifinal game against St. Cloud State, VandeVelde registered a career high three point game, including his first career game-winning goal in a 6–2 win. During his sophomore season he led UND in shooting percentage while finishing third in team scoring. The following season, VandeVelde notched first collegiate hat trick in a 6–2 win over University of Alaska Anchorage. The hat trick helped him set a collegiate career high for goals with 18. For his senor season VandeVelde was named an alternate captain. During the season he recorded a career high 41 points to lead UND in scoring. In the 2010 WCHA Final Five tournament he scored two goals and added three assists in three games as UND won the championship earning the Broadmoor Trophy. VandeVelde was named to the All-Tournament Team, and at seasons end he also named WCHA Scholar Athlete, an All-WCHA Academic Team selection, named to Inside College Hockey's All-America third team, and was named UND's Glenn "Red" Jarrett Male Athlete of the Year.

Professional
Following his four year career at UND, VandeVelde signed a contract with the Oilers and began playing with their then American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. He played in two games and registered his first professional assist. He began the 2010–11 season playing for the AHL's Oklahoma City Barons. After playing in 67 games and recording 12 goals and 16 points, he was called up to the Oilers. VandeVelde made his NHL debut on March 17, 2011 against the Phoenix Coyotes. On April 2, 2011, he registered his first NHL point, an assist, in a game against the Vancouver Canucks. He finished the year with two assists in twelve games at the NHL level. Following the completion of the Oilers season, VandeVelde was assigned back to Oklahoma City for the AHL playoffs. He played in six games for the Barons in the playoffs, scoring one goal.