Chris VandeVelde (born March 15, 1987) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player. He last played for

EC Red Bull Salzburg EC Red Bull Salzburg is a professional ice hockey team based in Salzburg, Austria, that plays in the ICE Hockey League. The club plays their home games at the Eisarena Salzburg. History In their first season, 1977–78, HC Salzburg took third ...

in the

Austrian Hockey League The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League, ICEHL), known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria. It c ...

(EBEL). VandeVelde was selected by the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

in the 4th round (97th overall) of the

2005 NHL Entry Draft The 2005 NHL entry draft was the 43rd entry draft for the National Hockey League. Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, it was postponed to July 30 due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. Special procedures were required to determine the order ...

and played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

for the Oilers and 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 (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

Playing career

Amateur

VandeVelde played high school ice hockey for

Moorhead High School Moorhead High School is a public high school in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1883, the school serves approximately 2,000 students in grades 912. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 18.81. Extracurricular activities ...

(MHS) in Moorhead,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He was a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

while helping MHS reach three consecutive state tournaments. In his senior season he recorded 77 points and was named the team's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

(MVP) and also earned all-state and all-tournament honors. In 2004, VandeVelde began playing for the

Lincoln Stars The Lincoln Stars are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Stars' home ice is the Ice Box on the former Nebraska State Fair grounds and adjacent to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Histo ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL). He played two seasons in Lincoln playing in 63 games, registering 41 points. He was drafted in the fourth round, 97th overall, in the

by the

. After playing for the Stars, VandeVelde began playing

college hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

at the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

(UND). He scored his first career collegiate goal during his freshman year in a 3–3 tie against

St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. In the fall of 2023, it ...

on March 2, 2007. He struggled to score for most of the year, but in his final nine games he scored seven points helping him earn UND's Most Improved Player honors. In the WCHA Final Five semifinal game against St. Cloud State, VandeVelde registered a career high three point game, including his first career

game-winning goal In sport, a goal may refer to either an instance of scoring, or to the physical structure or area where an attacking team must send the ball or puck in order to score points. The structure of a goal varies from sport to sport, and one is plac ...

in a 6–2 win. During his sophomore season he led UND in shooting percentage while finishing third in team scoring. The following season, VandeVelde notched first collegiate

hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mechan ...

in a 6–2 win over

University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna C ...

. The hat trick helped him set a collegiate career high for goals with 18. For his senor season VandeVelde was named an

alternate captain In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...

. During the season he recorded a career high 41 points to lead UND in scoring. In the 2010 WCHA Final Five tournament he scored two goals and added three assists in three games as UND won the championship earning the

Broadmoor Trophy The Broadmoor Trophy is a trophy that was awarded to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) playoff champion from 1985 until its discontinuation in 2018. The trophy itself dates to 1981, when it was awarded to the WCHA regular season c ...

. VandeVelde was named to the All-Tournament Team, and at season's end he also named WCHA Scholar Athlete, an All-WCHA Academic Team selection, named to Inside College Hockey's All-America third team, and was named UND's Glenn "Red" Jarrett Male Athlete of the Year.

Professional

Edmonton Oilers

Following his four-year career at UND, VandeVelde signed a contract with the Oilers and began playing with their then

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...

. He played in two games and registered his first professional assist. He began the 2010–11 season playing for the AHL's

Oklahoma City Barons The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11 AHL season, 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ...

. After playing in 67 games and recording 12 goals and 16 points, he was called up to the Oilers. VandeVelde made his NHL debut on March 17, 2011, against the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

. On April 2, 2011, he registered his first NHL point, an assist, in a game against the

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

. He finished the year with two assists in twelve games at the NHL level. Following the completion of the Oilers season, VandeVelde was assigned back to Oklahoma City for the AHL playoffs. He played in six playoff games for the Barons, scoring one goal.

Philadelphia Flyers

VandeVelde attended the

' training camp on a professional tryout agreement ahead of the 2013–14 season. VandeVelde did not earn a contract from the team, but rather signed with the team's AHL affiliate

Adirondack Phantoms The Adirondack Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), who began play in the 2009–10 AHL season. The Phantoms were based in Glens Falls, New York, playing home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center and ...

. On December 12, 2013, the Flyers signed VandeVelde to a one-year, two-way contract. The Flyers re-signed VandeVelde to a one-year, two-way contract on July 4, 2014. VandeVelde spent majority of the 2014–15 season with the Flyers, playing in 72 games. The following summer, the Flyers re-signed VandeVelde to a two-year, $1.425 million contract. VandeVelde was summoned for a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety as a result of an elbow he delivered to the head of

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 (N ...

captain

Jonathan Toews Jonathan Bryan Toews ( born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre who last played for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), where he served as the team's captain between 2008 an ...

in a game on March 16, 2016. VandeVelde approached Toews with a lowered posture and back from a side angle, and attempted to deliver a legal shoulder check through the body. Prior to impact, Toews slowed his forward progress causing Vandevelde to miss time the hit. As a result, the main point of contact was between Vandeveldes elbow and Toews head. On March 18, 2016, the league announced that VandeVelde had been suspended for two games for the elbow, forfeiting $7,661 US in salary. VandeVelde was not re-signed by the Flyers, making him an unrestricted free agent. On September 11, 2017, the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

signed VandeVelde to a professional tryout. He was released by the Senators on September 26, 2017.

Personal life

VandeVelde married Olivia Wagner on June 25, 2011, in Cancun,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

."Chris & Olivia VandeVelde - The Wedding - Cancun, Mexico" ''youtube.com''
accessed October 3, 2012

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vandevelde, Chris 1987 births Adirondack Phantoms players American men's ice hockey centers EC Red Bull Salzburg players Edmonton Oilers draft picks Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey players from Minnesota Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Lincoln Stars players Living people Lukko players North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players Oklahoma City Barons players Philadelphia Flyers players Springfield Falcons players American expatriate ice hockey players in Finland