Nolan Baumgartner (born March 23, 1976) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

. He was formerly an assistant coach with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Baumgartner was selected by the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

in the 1st round (10th overall) of the

1994 NHL Entry Draft The 1994 NHL Entry Draft was the 32nd NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Hartford Civic Center on June 28–29, 1994. The last active players in the NHL from this draft class were Patrik Elias and Eric Boulton, who both played their last NHL ...

. He played parts of ten seasons in the

(NHL) for six different teams. Baumgartner played only one full season in the NHL, 2005–06 with the Vancouver Canucks, and spent most of his playing career in the AHL.

Playing career

Coming off a 1994 Memorial Cup championship with the

Kamloops Blazers The Kamloops Blazers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team plays in the B.C. Division of the Western Conference, is based out of Kamloops, British Columbia, and play home games at Sandman Centre. The Blazers o ...

of the WHL, Baumgartner was chosen by the

in the first round, 10th overall of the

. Upon being drafted, he returned to the WHL and joined future NHLers

Darcy Tucker Darcy Tucker (born March 15, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played most of his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A sixth round draft choice, Tucker began his NHL career with the Mon ...

Shane Doan Shane Albert Doan (born October 10, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player currently serving as chief hockey development officer for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Doan spent the entir ...

and

Jarome Iginla Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (; born July 1, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played over 1500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Br ...

to capture a second consecutive

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

. Baumgartner was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team for the second consecutive year. En route to the CHL championship, Baumgartner was distinguished with the

airBC Trophy Each year, the Western Hockey League awards a trophy to the Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs. Winners See also *Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy - Memorial Cup MVP *Wayne Gretzky 99 Award - Ontario Hockey League Playoff MVP *Guy Lafleur Troph ...

as the WHL playoffs MVP after scoring 17 points in 21 games and at the season's end, he was also awarded the

Bill Hunter Trophy The Bill Hunter Trophy was presented to the World Hockey Association's scoring leader in the regular season. It was named in honour of Bill Hunter, who founded the Alberta Oilers hockey club (which later became the Edmonton Oilers). Winners *1 ...

as the league's best defenceman. Baumgartner's NHL career got off to an uneven start due to a serious shoulder injury. After playing the majority of his tenure in Washington with the Capitals'

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

affiliate, the Portland Pirates, he was traded to the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

on July 20, 2000, for Rémi Royer. Baumgartner would continue to play in the AHL with Chicago's minor league affiliate, the

Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals has been the name of two professional ice hockey franchises: * Norfolk Admirals (AHL), a team which played in the American Hockey League from 2000 to 2015 *Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hock ...

. On July 11, 2002, he was signed as a free agent by the

. After one season with the Canucks, he was placed on waivers and picked up by the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

on October 3, 2003. However, after just five games with the Penguins, he was placed on waivers again and reclaimed by Vancouver on November 1. Playing with the Canucks' AHL affiliate, Baumgartner captained the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets ...

in the season of 2003–04 and scored, 27 points. As the Moose began play at the newly opened MTS Center in 2004–05, Baumgartner earned the distinction of scoring the first ever professional goal at the arena, on November 17, 2004. When NHL play resumed the following season, Baumgartner cracked the Canucks regular lineup and set NHL career highs in every statistical category, as well as leading all team defencemen with 34 points. Following Baumgartner's breakout season, he became an unrestricted free agent, and on July 1, 2006, he signed a two-year deal with the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

. However, after six games, he was waived on October 17, 2006, and assigned to the

Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule ...

of the AHL a week later. Baumgartner was claimed on re-entry waivers by the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

on February 24, 2007, and after spending the 2007–08 season with Dallas's AHL affiliate, the

Iowa Stars The Iowa Stars, later known as the Iowa Chops, were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The club was based in Des Moines, Iowa at the Wells Fargo Arena. History The Stars were founded by Howard Baldwin, of Hockey Holdi ...

, Baumgartner was reassigned by Dallas to the Manitoba Moose. On July 2, 2008, he returned for a third stint with the Canucks, signing a one-year,

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

. He continued to play in the AHL for the Moose in 2008–09 and recorded 33 points in 72 games. He helped the Moose to the 2009 Calder Cup Finals, where they were defeated by the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...

. The following season, Baumgartner was named captain of the Canadian team for the 2010 AHL All-Star Game. He was called up by the Canucks on January 22, 2010, to replace injured defenceman

Sami Salo Sami Sakari Salo (born 2 September 1974) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman of the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his professional career with TPS of the SM-liiga before being selected by the Ottawa Senators with the ...

. On October 20, 2010, Baumgartner was named captain of the Manitoba Moose. This was Baumgartner's second stint as Moose captain, when he held this position during the 2005-06 AHL season. Baumgarter retired from hockey at the end of the 2011–12 season with the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

and was named an assistant coach of the team.

International play

Baumgartner represented Team Canada twice in the World Junior Championships (

, 1996), captaining the team in 1996 and capturing gold both years

Coaching career

On July 6, 2012 the Vancouver Canucks announced that Baumgartner would be an assistant coach with their AHL affiliate in Chicago. On June 14, 2013 The Vancouver Canucks relocated their AHL team to

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...

. Baumgartner was subsequently hired to be an assistant coach with the new

Utica Comets The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated wi ...

. On June 7, 2017, Baumgartner was named as an assistant coach of the

. Baumgartner was relieved of his duties by the Canucks on December 5, 2021 alongside head coach Travis Green

Awards

Major Junior *

championship (

) -

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

*Memorial Cup All-Star Team - 1994, 1995 *

( WHL playoff MVP) -

(WHL's best defenceman) - 1995, 1996 * CHL Defenceman of the Year - 1995 *WHL West First All-Star Team - 1995, 1996 AHL * AHL All-Star Game appearance - 2005, 2007*, 2010** *starter, **captain of Canadian All-Stars International * World Junior gold ( Team Canada) -

, 1996 *World Junior All-Star Team - 1996

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baumgartner, Nolan 1976 births Living people Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian people of German descent Chicago Blackhawks players Chicago Wolves players Dallas Stars players Ice hockey people from Calgary Iowa Stars players Kamloops Blazers players Manitoba Moose players National Hockey League first-round draft picks Norfolk Admirals players Philadelphia Flyers players Philadelphia Phantoms players Pittsburgh Penguins players Portland Pirates players Vancouver Canucks players Washington Capitals draft picks Washington Capitals players Vancouver Canucks coaches Canadian ice hockey coaches