Graham Christian Mink (born May 21, 1979) 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 ...

winger.

Playing career

Undrafted, Mink originally played

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

hockey with Stowe High School, winning the Division III state championship in his sophomore year and Division II state championship in his senior year. After high school, he attended Northfield Mount Hermon school for a post graduate year. He then was a recruited walk on to play collegiate hockey with the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

in the ECAC. After an unimpressive freshman year, Mink gradually improved within the Catamounts and in his junior year placed second on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 29 points in 32 games. Just prior to his senior year in 2001–02, Mink left Vermont and turned pro, signing with the Portland Pirates on September 25, 2001. In his first professional season, Mink made his debut in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

, appearing in 29 games with the

Richmond Renegades The Richmond Renegades were a professional ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia that played in the East Coast Hockey League from 1990 until 2003. The Renegades played at the Richmond Coliseum, which they marketed in later years as ''the Freeze ...

before moving up to the Pirates. Following an impressive 34 points in 56 games, Mink was signed by their NHL affiliate, the

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

for the 2002–03 season and continued to play for the Pirates and later on the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

, helping them as an assistant captain to the 2006 and 2009 Calder Cups. On July 8, 2009, Graham signed a two-year free agent deal with the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

. He was then assigned to AHL affiliate, the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

where he served as an alternate captain for the 2009–10 season. On August 3, 2010, Mink was traded by the Panthers to the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

in exchange for T.J. Fast. On July 13, 2011, Mink left the

Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs: *Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984 *Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005 *Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013 *Peoria Rivermen (SP ...

and signed a one-year

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 ...

contract to return to the

for the

2011–12 AHL season The 2011–12 AHL season was the 76th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 7, 2011, and concluded on April 15, 2012. The 2012 Calder Cup playoffs follows the conclusion of the regular season. Regular season ...

. After 12 seasons of professional hockey in predominantly the AHL, Mink was signed to his first European contract, agreeing to a one-year deal with Dornbirner EC of the Austrian Hockey League on August 10, 2013. Mink played one season with Dornbirner, totaling 23 goals and 23 assists in 51 games before retiring from hockey.

Personal

Mink is married and has two children. He also has his insurance and real estate license in his home state of Vermont.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mink, Graham 1979 births Living people American men's ice hockey right wingers Dornbirn Bulldogs players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Vermont People from Stowe, Vermont Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players Portland Pirates players Providence Bruins players Rochester Americans players Undrafted National Hockey League players Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey players Washington Capitals players Worcester Sharks players