Wacey Rabbit

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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| alt =

| image = Wacey Rabbit 2010.JPG

| caption =

| image_size = 230px

| played_for = Providence Bruins
Milwaukee Admirals
KHL Medveščak
San Antonio Rampage
Lørenskog IK
Nippon Paper Cranes
HC Pustertal Wölfe
HC Dukla Jihlava
ASC Corona Brașov

| position = Centre

| shoots = Left

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 9

| weight_lb = 185

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|11|16}}

| birth_place = Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

| draft = 154th overall

| draft_year = 2005

| draft_team = Boston Bruins

| career_start = 2006

| career_end = 2021

}}

Wacey Rabbit (born November 16, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and current assistant coach of the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Playing career

Rabbit played major junior in the Western Hockey League (WHL). During his draft year in 2004–05, he recorded 67 points and was then selected in the 5th round, 154th overall, by the Boston Bruins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Rabbit turned pro in 2006–07 season with Boston's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins. However, after he was demoted to the ECHL in January, Vancouver Giants general manager Scott Bonner requested that the Boston Bruins send Rabbit back down to junior to bolster the Giants for the 2007 Memorial Cup. Rabbit was then traded from the Saskatoon Blades for Kenton Dulle and a second-round pick in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft.{{cite web |url=http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/chiefs/archive/?postID=489|title= Giants add Rabbit| publisher =Spokesman Review | date = January 9, 2007 | accessdate = November 11, 2008}}

Returning to the WHL, Rabbit helped the 2007 Memorial Cup hosts, the Vancouver Giants, to the WHL Finals against the Medicine Hat Tigers with 20 points in 22 games, but they were defeated in seven games. In the subsequent Memorial Cup, the Giants met the Tigers again in the final game and won the CHL title.

In 2007–08, Rabbit returned to Providence and recorded 26 points in 66 games. The following season, he improved to 34 points in 74 games. After the Bruins declined to extend his contract in the 2009 off-season, he was signed by the Nashville Predators AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals on October 2, 2009.{{cite web| url = http://www.nativehockeynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66%3Awacey-rabbit-plays-key-role-for-his-ahl-club&catid=33%3Achad-denny&Itemid=1 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120312224015/http://www.nativehockeynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66:wacey-rabbit-plays-key-role-for-his-ahl-club&catid=33:chad-denny&Itemid=1 | url-status = dead | archive-date = March 12, 2012 | title = Wacey Rabbit plays key role for his AHL club |publisher = nativehockeynews.com | date = November 1, 2009 | accessdate = September 14, 2010}} In the 2009–10 season, Rabbit appeared in 76 games with the Admirals, posting a professional career-low of 18 points.

Without an NHL offer, Rabbit left North America and secured a try-out as a free agent with Croatian team KHL Medveščak of the Erste Bank Hockey League on August 30, 2010.{{cite web| url = http://www.medvescak.com/hrv/novosti_2010_2011/novosti018.html | title = Canadian in Zagreb's Bear den | publisher = KHL Medveščak | date = August 30, 2010 | accessdate =September 14, 2010 | language = Croatian}} After only a week on trial on September 7, 2010, Rabbit was signed by Medveščak to a one-year contract with an optional second year.{{cite web| url = http://www.erstebankliga.at/de/news/detail/2010/09/07/rabbit_ist_ein_baer,_fox_keiner_mehr/YXJyU2F2ZVtBcnRpY2xlSURdPTU2ODQ== | title = Rabbit is a Bear, Fox no more | publisher = KHL Medveščak | date = September 7, 2010 | accessdate = September 14, 2010 | language = German }}

Wacey played with the Florida Panthers AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, during the 2011–12 season, helping them qualify for the Calder cup playoffs and beat the Chicago Wolves in the first round.

On June 21, 2012, Rabbit returned to Europe, signing a contract with Norwegian club, Lørenskog IK of the GET-ligaen.{{cite web| url = http://www.rb.no/lokal-sport/na-er-laget-komplett/s/1-95-6115053 | title = Transfers now complete | publisher = rb.no | date = 2012-06-21 | accessdate = 2012-06-21}} After three standout seasons in Norway, Rabbit left as a free agent to sign a one-year contract with Japanese club, Nippon Paper Cranes of the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH) on July 28, 2015.{{cite web| url = https://www.facebook.com/946cranes/posts/541363162698181 | title = Paper Cranes sign three new foreign players | publisher = Nippon Paper Cranes | date = 2015-07-28 | accessdate = 2015-07-28 | language = Japanese}}

After a further season in Italy with HC Pustertal Wölfe of the Alps Hockey League, Rabbit returned to play in North America for the first time in five years, in accepting an ECHL contract to play with new entrant the Jacksonville Icemen on August 31, 2017.{{cite web| url = https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/news/wacey-rabbit-board/ | title = Wacey Rabbit is on board | publisher = Jacksonville IceMen | date = 2017-08-31 | accessdate = 2017-08-31}} Rabbit played in just 2 games to open the 2017–18 season with the Icemen before opting to return to Europe in agreeing to a one-year deal with Czech club, HC Dukla Jihlava on November 21, 2017.

At the conclusion of the season, Rabbit returned to North America as a free agent and later re-united with the Jacksonville Icemen, agreeing to a one-year deal on August 14, 2018.{{cite web| url = https://www.echl.com/rabbit-rejoins-icemen | title = Rabbit re-joins Icemen | publisher = ECHL | date = 2018-08-14 | accessdate = 2018-08-14}}

After 15 professional seasons, Rabbit announced his retirement from professional hockey on August 26, 2021.{{cite web| url = https://twitter.com/WaceyRabbit20/status/1430910822390263813/photo/1 | title = Wacey Rabbits announces his retirement | publisher = Twitter | author = Wacey Rabbit | date = August 26, 2021 | accessdate = August 26, 2021}}

Coaching career

After serving as an assistant coach of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Rabbit joined the staff of the Saskatoon Blades as an assistant coach on June 27, 2022. {{Cite web |title=Fan Favourite Wacey Rabbit Returns To Blades As Assistant Coach – Saskatoon Blades |url=https://saskatoonblades.com/article/fan-favourite-wacey-rabbit-returns-to-blades-as-assistant-coach |access-date=2022-06-27 |language=en-CA}}

Personal life

Rabbit, of First Nations descent, was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and raised in the nearby Kainai Nation in southern Alberta.{{cite web | url=https://www.aehl.ca/alumni-spotlight-wacey-rabbit | title=Alumni Spotlight: Wacey Rabbit | date=June 24, 2021 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/2021-comm-wacey-rabbit-power-skills-and-people | title=Power skills, power people }}

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="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! colspan="5" | Regular season

! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! colspan="5" | Playoffs

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Season

! Team

! League

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

2001–02

| Calgary Northstars AAA

| AMHL

| 35

24285226

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2001–02

| Saskatoon Blades

| WHL

| 3

0110

| —

2002–03

| Saskatoon Blades

| WHL

| 62

21244533

| 5

1346
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2003–04

| Saskatoon Blades

| WHL

| 60

981751

| —

2004–05

| Saskatoon Blades

| WHL

| 70

22456770

| 4

1230
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2005–06

| Saskatoon Blades

| WHL

| 64

28285645

| 10

5384
2006–07

| Providence Bruins

| AHL

| 22

12325

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2006–07

| Vancouver Giants

| WHL

| 30

11253634

| 22

1192016
2007–08

| Providence Bruins

| AHL

| 66

| 9

| 17

| 26

| 51

| 4

| 2

| 0

| 2

| 2

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2008–09

| Providence Bruins

| AHL

| 74

16183474

| 14

1568
2009–10

| Milwaukee Admirals

| AHL

| 76

| 8

| 10

| 18

| 53

| 5

| 0

| 0

| 0

| 0

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2010–11

| KHL Medveščak Zagreb

| AUT

| 53

| 12

| 27

| 39

| 111

| 2

| 0

| 0

| 0

| 0

2010–11

| KHL Medveščak Zagreb II

| CRO

| —

| 2

3580
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2011–12

| Cincinnati Cyclones

| ECHL

| 3

0442

| —

2011–12

| San Antonio Rampage

| AHL

| 71

2121451

| 10

0002
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2012–13

| Lørenskog IK

| NOR

| 44

19345348

| 12

56116
2013–14

| Lørenskog IK

| NOR

| 38

16294530

| 2

0004
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2014–15

| Lørenskog IK

| NOR

| 36

11223347

| 5

02229
2015–16

| Nippon Paper Cranes

| ALH

| 48

7344116

| 5

1234
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2016–17

| HC Pustertal Wölfe

| AlpsHL

| 35

19153438

| 2

0112
2016–17

| HC Pustertal Wölfe

| ITA

| 1

1010

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2017–18

| Jacksonville Icemen

| ECHL

| 2

0110

| —

2017–18

| HC Dukla Jihlava

| ELH

| 17

23510

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2018–19

| Jacksonville Icemen

| ECHL

| 70

29316054

| 6

0112
2019–20

| CSM Corona Brașov

| EL

| 19

10122233

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2019–20

| CSM Corona Brașov

| ROU

| 6

42639

| —

2019–20

| Jacksonville Icemen

| ECHL

| 33

815238

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2020–21

| Jacksonville Icemen

| ECHL

| 46

7212835

| —

style="background:#e0e0e0;"

! colspan="3" | AHL totals

! 309

! 36

! 59

! 95

! 254

! 33

! 3

! 5

! 8

! 12

style="background:#e0e0e0;"

! colspan="3" | ECHL totals

! 154

! 44

! 72

! 116

! 99

! 6

! 0

! 1

! 1

! 2

style="background:#e0e0e0;"

! colspan="3" | NOR totals

! 118

! 46

! 85

! 131

! 125

! 19

! 5

! 8

! 13

! 39

=International=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Year

! Team

! Event

! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

2003

| Canada

| U18

| 5

2026
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" | Junior totals

! 5

! 2

! 0

! 2

! 6

Awards and honours

class="wikitable"

! Award

! Year

ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

| colspan="3" | Junior

WHL Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy

| 2005–06

CHL Memorial Cup

| 2006–07

References

{{Reflist}}