Marek Vanacker
{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 2006)}}
{{Infobox ice hockey biography
| name = Marek Vanacker
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2006|4|12}}
| birth_place = Delhi, Ontario, Canada
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lb = 174
| position = Left wing
| shoots = Left
| league = NHL
| team = Chicago Blackhawks
| prospect_league = OHL
| prospect_team = Brantford Bulldogs
| draft = 27th overall
| draft_year = 2024
| draft_team = Chicago Blackhawks
}}
Marek Vanacker (born April 12, 2006) is a Canadian ice hockey left wing for the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as a prospect to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 27th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
On April 20, 2022, Vanacker was drafted 23rd overall by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2022 OHL Draft.{{cite web|url=https://chl.ca/ohl/ohldraft-introductions-23rd-overall-pick-marek-vanacker-hamilton-bulldogs/ |title=##OHLDraft Introductions: 23rd Overall Pick Marek Vanacker (Hamilton Bulldogs) |website=chl.ca |first=Jordan |last=Henry |date=May 10, 2022 |access-date=June 28, 2024}} On May 21, 2022, he signed with the Bulldogs.{{cite web|url=https://chl.ca/ohl-bulldogs/hamilton-bulldogs-sign-marek-vanacker/ |title=Hamilton Bulldogs Sign Marek Vanacker |website=chl.ca |date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=June 28, 2024}} During the 2022–23 season, he recorded four goals and 12 assists in 55 games for the Brantford Bulldogs. During the 2023–24 season, he recorded 36 goals, 46 assists, 22 power-play points and five short-handed goals in 68 regular season games for the Bulldogs. He led the team in goals and points, and ranked second in assists. During the playoffs he recorded three goals and four assists in six games.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/draft-what-the-experts-say-about-marek-vanacker |title=DRAFT: What the Experts Say About Marek Vanacker |website=NHL.com |first=Carter |last=Baum |date=June 28, 2024 |access-date=June 28, 2024}}
On June 28, 2024, Vanacker was drafted 27th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL entry draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/release-blackhawks-select-levshunov-boisvert-and-vanacker-in-first-round |title=RELEASE: Blackhawks Select Levshunov, Boisvert and Vanacker in First Round |website=NHL.com |date=June 28, 2024 |access-date=June 28, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/2024/06/28/blackhawks-nhl-draft-pick-18-sacha-boisvert-muskegon-lumberjacks |title=Blackhawks add to draft haul, taking forwards Sacha Boisvert and Marek Vanacker with 18th and 27th picks |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |first=Ben |last=Pope |date=June 28, 2024 |access-date=June 28, 2024}} He was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on August 5, 2024.{{citeweb| url = https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/release-blackhawks-sign-marek-vanacker-to-entry-level-deal | title = Blackhawks sign Marek Vanacker to entry-level deal | publisher = Chicago Blackhawks | date = August 5, 2024 | accessdate = August 5, 2024 }}
International play
{{MedalTableTop||name=}}
{{MedalCountry|{{ihj|Canada}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's ice hockey}}
{{MedalCompetition|World U18 Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2024 Finland|}}
{{MedalBottom}}
On April 16, 2024, Vanacker was named to Canada's under-18 team for the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships.{{cite web|url=https://chl.ca/ohl-bulldogs/article/marek-vanacker-named-to-team-canada-for-u18-world-championship/ |title=Marek Vanacker Named to Team Canada for U18 World Championship |website=chl.ca |date=April 16, 2024 |access-date=June 28, 2024}} During the tournament he recorded one goal in six games and won a gold medal.{{cite web |url=https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2024/wm18/news/60641/usa-can-gmg |title=McKenna sparks Canada to gold |first=Lucas |last=Aykroyd |website=IIHF.com |date=May 4, 2024 |access-date=June 28, 2024}}
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |
| 2021–22
| OJHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2022–23 | OHL | 55 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023–24
| Brantford Bulldogs | OHL | 68 | 36 | 46 | 82 | 55 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" |OHL totals ! 123 ! 40 ! 58 ! 98 ! 75 ! 12 ! 3 ! 4 ! 7 ! 2 |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM | ||||
| 2022
| Canada Black | U17 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| bgcolor="f0f0f0"
| 2024 | Canada | U18 | {{gold1}} | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4"|Junior totals ! 13 !! 1 !! 3 !! 4 !! 4 |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats |elite=679706 |hockeydb=252764 |nhl=8484761}}
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{{succession box | before = Sacha Boisvert | title = Chicago Blawkhawks first round draft pick | years = 2024 | after = Incumbent}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanacker, Marek}}
Category:Chicago Blackhawks draft picks
Category:Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) players
Category:Ice hockey people from Ontario
Category:NHL first-round draft picks
Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen
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