Shaun Heshka

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| image = Shaun Heshka.jpg

| image_size = 230 px

| caption = Heshka with the Manitoba Moose in 2008

| team = Rauman Lukko

| league = Liiga

| former_teams = Phoenix Coyotes
EC Red Bull Salzburg
Ässät
Ak Bars Kazan
Admiral Vladivostok
Modo Hockey

| position = Defence

| shoots = Right

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lb = 206

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|7|30}}

| birth_place = Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada

| career_start = 2006

| draft = Undrafted

}}

Shaun Heshka (born July 30, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, who currently plays for Rauman Lukko of the Finnish Liiga.

Playing career

Heshka played his junior years for the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL). After completing his time with the Silvertips, Heshka was signed by the Vancouver Canucks to a three-year entry-level contract on July 24, 2006. In his professional debut season in 2006–07, Heshka played with the Canucks affiliates, the Manitoba Moose and the Victoria Salmon Kings. Following two productive seasons with the Moose in the American Hockey League, Heshka's rights were traded by the Canucks to the Phoenix Coyotes at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft on June 27, 2009.{{cite web| url = http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=432005 | title = Completed trades from day 2 of the Draft | publisher = National Hockey League | date = 2009-06-27 | accessdate = 2010-09-21}}

On July 3, 2010, Heshka signed a one-year contract to remain with the Coyotes.{{cite web| url = http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=433456 | title = Phoenix Coyotes sign Shaun Heshka to one-year contract | publisher = National Hockey League | date = 2009-07-03 | accessdate = 2010-09-21}} Shaun was initially assigned to the Coyotes' AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, to start the 2009–10 season.

After leading the Rampage defence in scoring, Heshka received his first callup from the Coyotes on November 6, 2009. He made his NHL debut the following night, in a tight game with the Anaheim Ducks on November 7.{{cite news| url = https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009110725 | title = Hiller loses shutout, but hold on for Ducks win | work = Yahoo! Sports | date = 2009-11-07 | accessdate = 2010-09-21}} On November 12, Heshka scored his first career NHL point, an assist on a Paul Bissonnette goal, in a 4-2 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens.{{cite news| url =https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009111224 | title = Bergeron, Metropolit help Canadiens beat Coyotes | work = Yahoo! Sports | date = 2009-11-12 | accessdate = 2010-09-21}} After 8 games and 2 assists with the Coyotes, he was then reassigned to the Rampage after a number of Coyotes players returned from injuries.

Unable to reach an agreement or be traded, Heshka was forced to play overseas. He signed with EC Red Bull Salzburg on September 6, 2010. The 25-year-old remained a restricted free agent throughout the 2010–11 season with the Coyotes. He went on to play a critical defensive role in the Red Bulls' spectacular 2011 season, securing his position as a team leader in the overtime championship win in game 7 of the series final.

On November 15, 2012, Heshka signed a two-year contract with Porin Ässät of the Finnish SM-liiga. In the 2012–13 season on April 24, 2013, Heshka won the Finnish Elite League championship with Porin Ässät. He was named to the SM-liiga Allstar team as well as being named the best defenseman in the league (Pekka Rautakallio Award).

On June 18, 2013, Heshka departed Ässät on a mutual release and signed a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League.{{cite web| url = http://www.ak-bars.ru/news/8552.html | title = Ak Bars announces recruits | publisher = Ak Bars Kazan | date = 2013-06-18 | accessdate = 2013-06-18 | language = Russian}} He led the team's defence in scoring and was named to the starting lineup of the KHL Allstar Game for Team East held in Bratalsava. In the midst of his second season with the club under a new head coach in 2014–15, Heshka was traded to Admiral Vladivostok on October 31, 2014.{{cite web| url = http://hcadmiral.ru/news/zashchitnik_shon_kheshka_perekhodit_v_admiral/ | title = Shaun Heshka acquired by Admiral | publisher = Admiral Vladivostok | date = 2014-10-31 | accessdate = 2014-10-31 | language = Russian}}

After playing out the season with Vladivostok, Heshka left the KHL to sign a one-year contract in Sweden with Modo Hockey of the SHL on May 28, 2015.{{cite web| url = http://www.modohockey.se/artikel/67090/ | title = Shaun Heshka to Modo Hockey | publisher = Modo Hockey | date = 2015-05-28 | accessdate = 2015-05-28 | language = Swedish}}

Personal life

Heshka is married to Laura, and they reside with their children in Winnipeg, Manitoba during the offseason.{{cite web| url = http://sport.business-gazeta.ru/article/71444/ | title = Shaun Heshka: "I have Ukrainian roots" | publisher = sport.business.ru | date = 2013-10-31 | accessdate = 2013-10-31}}

Career statistics

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
2001–02 \| Tisdale Trojans AAA \| SMHL \| 41	7	23	30	44 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2002–03 \| Melville Millionaires \| SJHL \| 53	6	14	20	53 \| —	—	—	—	—
2003–04 \| Everett Silvertips \| WHL \| 66	3	7	10	25 \| 21	0	2	2	8
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2004–05 \| Everett Silvertips \| WHL \| 72 \| 12	26	38	21 \| 11	2	0	2	6
2005–06 \| Everett Silvertips \| WHL \| 66	10	49	59	91 \| 14	3	10	13	10
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2006–07 \| Manitoba Moose \| AHL \| 57	2	4	6	14 \| 7	0	0	0	8
2006–07 \| Victoria Salmon Kings \| ECHL \| 3	0	1	1	4 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2007–08 \| Manitoba Moose \| AHL \| 77	9	21	30	59 \| 6	0	1	1	4
2008–09 \| Manitoba Moose \| AHL \| 77	3	23	26	25 \| 22	0	5	5	12
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2009–10 \| San Antonio Rampage \| AHL \| 73	7	26	33	34 \| —	—	—	—	—
2009–10 \| Phoenix Coyotes \| NHL \| 8	0	2	2	4 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2010–11 \| EC Red Bull Salzburg \| EBEL \| 50	6	18	24	32 \| 18	3	7	10	14
2011–12 \| Binghamton Senators \| AHL \| 10	0	1	1	6 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2011–12 \| Peoria Rivermen \| AHL \| 60	4	14	18	12 \| —	—	—	—	—
2012–13 \| Ässät \| SM-l \| 60	8	23	31	26 \| 16	1	7	8	6
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2013–14 \| Ak Bars Kazan \| KHL \| 54	8	22	30	34 \| 6	1	2	3	2
2014–15 \| Ak Bars Kazan \| KHL \| 22	1	5	6	8 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2014–15 \| Admiral Vladivostok \| KHL \| 35	2	11	13	14 \| —	—	—	—	—
2015–16 \| MODO Hockey \| SHL \| 50	1	9	10	14 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2016–17 \| Kärpät \| Liiga \| 58	8	24	32	24 \| 2	0	0	0	2
2017–18 \| Kärpät \| Liiga \| 52	10	18	28	57 \| 18	4	5	9	8
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2018–19 \| Kärpät \| Liiga \| 52	8	20	28	20 \| 17	1	5	6	6
2019–20 \| Kärpät \| Liiga \| 51	5	24	29	10 \| —	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 2020–21 \| Kärpät \| Liiga \| 41	2	16	18	16 \| 5	0	3	3	4
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| AHL totals ! 354 !! 25 !! 89 !! 114 !! 150 ! 35 !! 0 !! 6 !! 6 !! 24
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| NHL totals ! 8 !! 0 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! —
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| Liiga totals ! 314 !! 41 !! 125 !! 166 !! 153 ! 58 !! 6 !! 20 !! 26 !! 26