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Evander Kane
Evander Kane 2009
Kane with the Vancouver Giants during the 2009 playoffs.
Position Centre/Left Wing
Shoots Left
Height
Weight
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
NHL Team Atlanta Thrashers
Born (1991-08-02)August 2, 1991,
Vancouver, BC, CAN
NHL Draft 4th overall, 2009
Atlanta Thrashers
Pro Career 2009 – present


Evander Kane (born August 2, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre with the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Thrashers, he was drafted from the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

During his major junior career, he won the Memorial Cup with the Giants in 2007, finished as runner-up for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL rookie of the year in 2008 and was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team in 2009. Kane also set the Giants' franchise record for single-season goals in 2008–09.

Internationally, Kane has won gold medals with Team Canada at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and 2009 World Junior Championships. He has also competed in the 2010 IIHF World Championship.

Early life

Kane was born on August 2, 1991, to Perry and Sheri Kane, who named him after American [boxer Evander Holyfield.[1] Kane has two sisters, Brea and Kyla, who are two and four years younger, respectively.[2] Coming from an athletic lineage, his father was an amateur boxer[3] and also a hockey player, having played junior hockey with the Cole Harbour Scotia Colts and Dartmouth Arrows of the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League (MVJHL) in Nova Scotia[4] and university hockey at St. Francis Xavier University,[1] while his mother was a professional volleyball player.[1] His uncle, Leonard, is also a member of the Canadian Ball Hockey Hall of Fame.[5] Kane's cousin, Dwayne Provo, played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for seven years and spent one season with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).[4] Another cousin, Kirk Johnson, boxed for Canada at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and later fought John Ruiz for the 2007 World Boxing Association (WBA) Heavyweight title.[4]

Growing up in East Vancouver, Kane attended high school at John Oliver Secondary.[6] In addition to hockey, he played baseball, basketball and soccer growing up.[4] At fourteen-years-old, Kane recorded 140 points in 66 games with the bantam North Shore Winter Club,[7] followed by a 22-goal, 54-point campaign to finish fourth in league scoring with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the BC Hockey Major Midget League (BCMML).[8] Kane also played minor hockey with the Vancouver Thunderbirds, prior to bantam and midget.[6]

Playing career

Vancouver Giants (2006–09)

File:Evander Kane.jpg

Kane during the 2007–08 season.

A black, teenage hockey player, at right, standing side-by-side with a white, teenage hockey player on their team's bench. They are both wearing white, black and red jerseys. The hockey player to the right has closely-cut, black hair is looking to the left. An upside-down, triangle-shaped logo incorporating the words "GIANTS" and a lumberjack is visible on his jersey. The hockey player to the left has short, black hair and his face is partially concealed by his hand.

Kane (9) and Giants linemate Casey Pierro-Zabotel in 2008.

A black, teenage hockey player as seen from the side, cut off below the shoulders. He is looking towards the left intently during a game. He wears a white, visored helmet and a white, black and red jersey with "Kane" written on his upper back and a maple leaf on his upper arm.

Kane during the 2009 WHL playoffs.

Kane was drafted 19th overall in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft by the Vancouver Giants and immediately played eight games for the Giants in the 2006–07 season.[7] He received his first WHL call-up for a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds on December 13, 2006, due to other Giants players international commitments in the World Junior Championships.[7] Kane scored his first WHL goal, a game-tying marker, on March 25, 2007, the last game of the regular season.[9] He also suited up for five WHL post-season games, being originally called up for the playoffs after Giants forward Tim Kraus was suspended for game three of the opening round.[9] He later appeared in two Memorial Cup games, tallying an assist,[10] as part of the Giants' 2007 Memorial Cup championship.[11] Kane's gritty play (he accumulated 150 penalty minutes in 30 games during midget)[8] earned him an early comparison to Darcy Tucker from Giants head coach Don Hay, who had coached Tucker as a junior with the Kamloops Blazers.[7][12]

Set to begin his rookie campaign with the Giants the following season, Kane experienced a minor setback as he was forced to miss the start of training camp with a case of mononucleosis.[12] He nevertheless recovered and joined the Giants full-time to tally 24 goals – third in team scoring –[13] and 41 points in his first WHL season. Finishing tenth in rookie scoring, he was nominated for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as league rookie of the year, which was awarded to Brayden Schenn of the Brandon Wheat Kings.[11]

Kane emerged with an impressive start to the 2008–09 season, registering at least a point in each of his first 22 games.[14] After recording his first WHL hat-trick on October 10, 2008, against the Kelowna Rockets, he was named WHL Player of the Week on October 12, succeeding linemate Casey Pierro-Zabotel who had been chosen the previous week.[15] Shortly thereafter, the WHL selected Kane to represent the league at the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.[16] However, due to a bruised heel suffered on November 15 in a game against the Kelowna Rockets,[17] Kane was not able to compete for Team WHL.[18] Kane recovered and earned a spot as an injury replacement at the 2009 World Junior Championships with Team Canada. Upon returning with a gold medal, Kane was named player of the week for the second time in the season on January 12, 2009, after scoring six points in two games immediately following the World Juniors.[19] Later that month, he participated in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game[20] as captain for Team Cherry.[10] Nearing the end of the regular season, Kane broke the Giants' single-season goals record with his 44th goal of the season as part of a two-goal effort on March 4 against the Tri-City Americans. The goal surpassed Adam Courchaine's 43-goal mark recorded in 2002–03.[21]

He finished his second WHL season with 48 goals and 96 points, fourth in league scoring.[22] Second in team scoring to Pierro-Zabotel's 115 points, the linemates finished one-two in all-time Giants' single-season scoring as Pierro-Zabotel and Kane both surpassed Gilbert Brulé's previous 87-point mark.[23] Kane received WHL West First Team All-Star honours along with teammates Pierro-Zabotel and Jonathon Blum.[24] In the subsequent 2009 playoffs, after the Giants swept the Prince George Cougars in the first round, Kane scored a double-overtime game-winner to force a seventh game in the second round against the Spokane Chiefs.[25] After eliminating the Chiefs in the seventh game, the Giants were then defeated by the Kelowna Rockets in six games in the semi-finals. In 17 post-season games, Kane accumulated 15 points.

Preliminary rankings by NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) listed Kane as the second-best draft-eligible WHL skater, behind Spokane Chiefs defenceman Jared Cowen for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.[26] International Scouting Services (ISS) ranked Kane at eighth overall among all draft-eligible skaters.[27] Following Kane's performance at the 2009 World Junior Championships, he rose to third overall among North American skaters, behind John Tavares and Matt Duchene, and first in the WHL in the NHL CSS's midseason and final rankings.[28][29] Accordingly, Kane was selected by the NHL CSS as the WHL's nominee for the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award (the award was given to Tavares, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) nominee).[30] Leading up to the 2009 draft, the ISS listed Kane fifth overall in their April rankings.[31]

Atlanta Thrashers (2009–present)

After Tavares, Victor Hedman and Duchene were taken with the top three picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Kane was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers. He became the highest drafted born-and-raised player from Vancouver since Paul Kariya was taken fourth overall in 1993 (Barry Beck was the highest at second overall in 1977), [32] the highest drafted Vancouver Giants player in the history of the franchise (surpassing Gilbert Brulé, who was drafted sixth overall in 2005).[33] and the highest drafted black player in NHL history.[4] Less than a month later, the Thrashers signed Kane to an entry-level contract on July 20, 2009.[34]

Kane made the Thrashers' lineup out of his first NHL training camp for the 2009–10 season. He recorded his first career NHL point in his debut on October 3, 2009, earning an assist on a goal by Rich Peverley against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[35] His first goal was scored five days later, on October 8, beating Chris Mason with a snap shot in a 4–2 win over the St. Louis Blues.[36] He played his first NHL game in his hometown a couple months later in an away game against the Vancouver Canucks on December 10. Kane had a near-goal go to review as the Thrashers lost 4–2.[37] He suffered a left foot injury late in his rookie season, blocking a shot during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 6, 2010. A CT scan three days later revealed a bone fracture.[38] He missed 15 games before returning to the lineup on April 3.[39] Playing in the Thrashers' last game of the season on April 10, he was challenged to a fight by Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke. Kane landed two punches to Cooke's jaw, knocking him unconscious on the ice for several minutes.[40] Kane finished his NHL rookie campaign with 14 goals and 26 points in 66 games, ranked 12th among first-year point-scorers.[41]

International play

Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Canada Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold 2009 Ottawa
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold 2008 Pardubice

Coming off his rookie season of major junior, Kane competed in the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, capturing gold with Canada's under-18 team.[42] He totalled four points in four games,[43] including an assist in the 6–3 gold medal game win against Russia.[44] Later that year, Kane was invited to Team Canada's selection camp for the 2009 World Junior Championships along with teammate Tyson Sexsmith.[45] Although he was not initially named to the final roster, a knee injury to Dana Tyrell in tournament exhibition play made a roster spot available and Kane was chosen as his replacement.[46] As the youngest player on the team,[47] Kane contributed six points in six games, helping Canada to a fifth straight gold medal with a 5–1 victory over Sweden in the final.

Following his rookie season in the NHL, Kane was named to Team Canada for the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany.[48] General manager Mark Messier made a specific effort to assemble a young team;[49] as a result, Kane was one of five teenagers on the roster.[50] He finished the tournament with two goals and two assists in seven games, as his playing time increased over the course of the event.[51] Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinal by Russia and finished in seventh place.[52]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 North Shore Winter Club Bantam 66 140
2006–07 Greater Vancouver Canadians BCMML 30 22 32 54 150
2006–07 Vancouver Giants WHL 8 1 0 1 11 5 0 0 0 0
2007–08 Vancouver Giants WHL 65 24 17 41 66 10 1 2 3 8
2008–09 Vancouver Giants WHL 61 48 48 96 89 17 7 8 15 45
2009–10 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 66 14 12 26 62
WHL totals 134 73 65 138 166 32 8 10 18 53

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
2008 Canada U18 4 1 3 4 6
2009 Canada WJC 6 2 4 6 2
2010 Canada WC 7 2 2 4 6
Junior int'l totals 10 3 7 10 8
Senior int'l totals 7 2 2 4 6

Awards

CHL

Award Year(s)
Memorial Cup (Vancouver Giants) 2007

WHL

Award Year(s)
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy nomination (rookie of the year) 2008[11]
Player of the Week October 12, 2008[15]
January 12, 2009[19]
West First All-Star Team 2009[24]

International

Award Year(s)
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament gold medal (Team Canada) 2008
World Junior gold medal (Team Canada) 2009

Records

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Evander Kane Draft Prospect Card". National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2009-05-27.
  2. "The kid from Vancouver returns as the man from Atlanta". The Province (2009-12-10). Retrieved on 2009-12-10.
  3. "Perry Kane will be a proud father on Draft day". National Hockey League (2009-06-16). Retrieved on 2009-06-17.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Ben Wright. "Family the Foundation for Evander Kane", National Hockey League, 2009-06-29. Retrieved on 2010-03-30. 
  5. "Kane recalls Nova Scotia roots". Chronicle Herald (2009-01-07). Retrieved on 2009-01-11.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Giants bank on Kane". Vancouver Sun (2006-05-05). Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Hay impressed by 15-year-old winger". The Province (2006-12-13). Retrieved on 2009=05-27.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Major Midget League Statistics - 2006-07". BC Hockey Major Midget League. Retrieved on 2009-05-27.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Giants turn to callup to fill hole". Vancouver Sun (2007-03-27). Retrieved on 2009-05-27.
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Confident Kane continues to grow his name". National Hockey League (2009-03-17). Retrieved on 2009-03-23.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Vancouver Giant nominated for WHL rookie of the year". Vancouver Sun (2008-03-20). Retrieved on 2008-12-31.
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Prospect Kane to miss Giants camp with mono". The Province (2007-08-25). Retrieved on 2009-05-27.
  13. "2007-08 Regular Season - Vancouver Giants". Western Hockey League. Retrieved on 2009-12-15.
  14. "Giants find more ignition trouble at Tri-City's Toyota Center". The Province (2008-11-30). Retrieved on 2008-12-03.
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Giants' Evander Kane named Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week". Western Hockey League (2008-10-13). Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
  16. "WHL Announces Rosters and Coaching Staff for 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge". Hockey Now (2008-10-31). Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
  17. "Blum paces Giants past Chilliwack". Vancouver Sun (2008-11-20). Retrieved on 2008-11-20.
  18. "Kane out of Canada-Russia games". The Province (2008-11-25).
  19. 19.0 19.1 "Giants' Evander Kane named Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week". Western Hockey League (2009-01-12). Retrieved on 2009-01-12.
  20. "Evander Kane chosen for Top Prospects Game". CTV BC (2008-12-19). Retrieved on 2008-12-20.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Walker, Ian (2009-03-05). "WHL: Kane shines in Giants' 6-2 win over Americans". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on 2009-03-05.
  22. "Top Scorers: 2008-09 Regular Season, All Players". Western Hockey League. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
  23. "WHL:Vancouver Giants defeat Medicine Hat in come-from-behind win". Vancouver Sun (2009-01-28). Retrieved on 2009-01-29.
  24. 24.0 24.1 "WHL Announces Western Conference All-Star Teams and Award Finalists". Western Hockey League (2009-03-18). Retrieved on 2009-03-18.
  25. "Giants beat Chiefs, evening out best-of-seven series". Vancouver Sun (2009-04-13). Retrieved on 2009-04-13.
  26. "Western Hockey League Preliminary Rankings - Fall 2008". National Hockey League (2008-11-18). Retrieved on 2008-11-18.
  27. "2009 ISS Top 30". TSN (2008-11-17). Retrieved on 2008-11-20.
  28. "No surprise, Tavares is No. 1 on CSS final list". National Hockey League (2009-04-14). Retrieved on 2009-04-14.
  29. "Tavares, Hedman highlight NHL mid-season rankings". TSN (2009-01-12). Retrieved on 2009-01-12.
  30. "Hodgdson named CHL player of the year, Tavares top prospect". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2009-05-23). Retrieved on 2009-12-15.
  31. "Duchene moves up to second in ISS rankings". TSN (2009-04-23). Retrieved on 2009-04-23.
  32. "Evander's wholly at the top of his field". Vancouver Sun (2009-06-24). Retrieved on 2009-06-29.
  33. "Scouts talking sweet about Kane". The Province (2009-01-14). Retrieved on 2009-06-29.
  34. "Thrashers sign first-rounder Kane to entry-level contract". TSN (2009-07-20). Retrieved on 2009-07-20.
  35. "Thrashers open season with victory". Atlanta Journal-Constitution (2009-10-03). Retrieved on 2009-10-03.
  36. "Thrashers at Blues - 10/08/09". National Hockey League (2009-10-08).
  37. "New Thrasher Evander Kane enjoys everything but the result". Vancouver Sun (2009-12-11). Retrieved on 2009-12-23.
  38. "Thrashers lose Kane, Schubert to injuries", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2010-03-08. Retrieved on 2010-03-11. 
  39. "Evander Kane". The Sports Network. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  40. Chris Vivlamore. "Thrashers go out fighting", Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2010-04-10. Retrieved on 2010-04-14. 
  41. "2009-10 Regular Season - Rookie - All Skaters - Summary - Total Points". National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  42. "Giants' Kane recalled to replace top liner". Vancouver Sun (2008-12-22). Retrieved on 2008-12-22.
  43. "2008 Under-18 Statistics". Hockey Canada. Retrieved on 2008-12-22.
  44. "First period outburst helps Canada claim under-18 gold". Hockey Canada. Retrieved on 2008-12-22.
  45. "Giants Sexsmith, Kane win Team Canada invite". Vancouver Sun (2008-12-03). Retrieved on 2008-12-03.
  46. "Kane added to Canadian world junior roster". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2008-12-21). Retrieved on 2009-12-07.
  47. "2009 IIHF World Junior Championship - Canada Roster". Hockey Canada. Retrieved on 2009-01-11.
  48. Steve Ewen. "Kane to represent Canada at world championships", The Province, 2010-04-13. Retrieved on 2010-04-14. 
  49. "Young core leads Canada into hockey worlds", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2010-05-05. Retrieved on 2010-05-14. 
  50. "Canada's young guns deliver in hockey opener", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2010-05-09. Retrieved on 2010-05-14. 
  51. Chris Johnston. "Report card look at Canadian hockey team", Winnipeg Free Press, 2010-05-20. Retrieved on 2010-05-22. 
  52. "Young Canadian team has bitter time", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2010-05-20. Retrieved on 2010-05-22. 

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Daultan Leveille
Atlanta Thrashers first round draft pick
2009
Succeeded by
TBD


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Evander Kane. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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