Michael Grabner
Michael Grabner | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 5, 1987 Villach, Austria |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Years active | 2004–2021 |
| Known for | NHL career with Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes; Austrian national team member |
Michael-René Grabner (born 5 October 1987) is a retired professional ice hockey player from Austria. He began his hockey journey with his hometown squad, EC VSV in Villach, before relocating to North America at 17 to play for the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Following two seasons there, he was chosen 14th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Grabner spent an additional season in the WHL and then two years within Vancouver's American Hockey League (AHL) organization. During the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, but was soon claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders. He played five seasons with the Islanders prior to being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015. On the international stage, Grabner represented Austria at both junior and senior levels, including participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Early career
Originating from Villach, Grabner started playing hockey at five years old and took part in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament as a member of an Austrian youth team.
In the 2002–03 season, he joined EC VSV's junior squad, tallying 10 points across 13 games. He then advanced to score 32 goals and add five assists over 23 games while making his debut with EC VSV's senior team competing in the Austrian Hockey League. Selected 22nd overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the CHL Import Draft, Grabner moved to North America with aspirations of an NHL career, aided by a link between Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz and EC VSV coach Greg Holst.
His WHL debut in 2004–05 was postponed due to a broken collarbone; nonetheless, he concluded his rookie campaign with 13 goals and 24 points. The following season, 2005–06, saw improvement as he recorded 36 goals and totaled 50 points. He also featured in the CHL Top Prospects Game, contributing a goal and two assists. His draft profile strengthened after netting 22 goals in his final 23 contests.
Ranked 23rd among North American prospects by NHL Central Scouting, Grabner was ultimately picked 14th overall by Vancouver, surpassing initial projections. Recognized for his offensive talent, speed, and shooting prowess, he attended his inaugural NHL training camp in 2006 but returned to Spokane for one more season.
Early in that season, a hip pointer injury caused intermittent absences. In February 2007, he scored six goals over three games, earning both WHL and CHL Player of the Week accolades. He ended with 39 goals and 16 assists across 55 games but faced critiques regarding his limited physical engagement.
Manitoba Moose and Vancouver Canucks
Following the Chiefs' elimination from the 2007 WHL playoffs, Grabner joined Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, for their final regular-season matches and postseason run. In his first full professional year (2007–08), he amassed 44 points over 74 games.
During the 2008–09 AHL season, Grabner received a brief call-up to Vancouver on 26 February 2009 due to an injury to Pavol Demitra, though he was sent back once Demitra was cleared to play. He completed that season tied for team lead with 30 goals and totaled 48 points in 66 games, helping Manitoba achieve the league’s best regular-season record. In the semifinals of the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs, Grabner scored the decisive goal that clinched the series; he finished the playoffs with 17 points in 20 games as Manitoba finished as Calder Cup finalists.
Although anticipated to compete for a roster spot with Vancouver during the 2009–10 season, Grabner began back with Manitoba but was recalled on 14 October 2009 to fill in for injured winger Daniel Sedin. He netted his first NHL goal on 21 October during a power play against goaltender Antti Niemi of the Chicago Blackhawks. After nine appearances, an ankle injury sustained during pre-game warmups on 1 November sidelined him.
He returned to Manitoba on 27 December but was recalled again on 17 March 2010 following an injury to Mikael Samuelsson. On April 2nd, Grabner recorded his first NHL hat trick during a shootout victory over the Anaheim Ducks. He remained with Vancouver throughout the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring his initial NHL playoff goal on May 1 against Niemi and Chicago.
New York Islanders
At the 2010 NHL Entry Draft on June 25, 2010, Grabner was traded alongside Steve Bernier and a first-round draft pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich.<ref>Although Grabner attended the Panthers' training camp, he failed to secure a spot on the roster. On October 3, 2010, he was placed on waivers with the intention of assignment to their AHL affiliate, but two days later, the New York Islanders claimed him off waivers.<ref>
Grabner made his debut for the Islanders on October 11, 2010, facing off against the New York Rangers. He registered his first point on October 13 and netted his inaugural goal on October 16 against Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche.<ref>In January 2011, as one of twelve rookies selected for the NHL All-Star SuperSkills Competition, Grabner secured the fastest skater title with times of 14.061 and 14.238 seconds.<ref>By February, he was leading all rookies with 10 goals and 16 points, including a six-game goal-scoring streak—the longest for a rookie since Evgeni Malkin in the 2006–07 season. His performance earned him rookie of the month honors.<ref>
He wrapped up his rookie campaign with 34 goals and 52 points, topping all rookies in goals and leading the Islanders in scoring. His standout season resulted in a nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.<ref>Following this achievement, on May 13, 2011, the Islanders secured Grabner with a five-year contract extension worth $15 million, starting at $1 million annually and increasing by $1 million each subsequent year.<ref>
On October 21, 2013, Grabner was handed a two-game suspension due to an illegal hit to the head of Carolina Hurricanes forward Nathan Gerbe.<ref>During that same season, on February 27, 2014, he remarkably scored two shorthanded goals within a span of 46 seconds during a penalty kill in a 5-4 overtime victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He became the first player since Ryan O'Reilly in 2010 to net two shorthanded goals in one penalty kill; however, O'Reilly's goals occurred over four minutes apart compared to Grabner's within the standard two-minute penalty timeframe.<ref>
Toronto Maple Leafs
After five seasons with New York, Grabner was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 17, 2015. The Islanders received Taylor Beck, Carter Verhaeghe, Matt Finn, Tom Nilsson, and goaltender Christopher Gibson in return. Upon arrival in Toronto, Grabner was appointed alternate captain. This transaction mainly aimed to clear roster spots as the Maple Leafs approached their maximum limit of 50 contracts.
While his scoring rate dipped relative to his time with the Islanders, Grabner remained effective on the penalty kill and delivered several notable scoring streaks. Despite diminished offensive output, Toronto expressed interest in retaining him; however, an influx of emerging young talent restricted available roster positions and ultimately prevented contract renewal despite advocacy from assistant coach D.J. Smith for his continuation with the team.
New York Rangers
On July 1, 2016, Grabner inked a two-year deal worth $3.2 million with the New York Rangers. He opened his tenure strongly by recording his first hat-trick as a Ranger against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 30. By season’s end, Grabner ranked second in team goal scoring with 27 goals—his highest single-season total since his rookie year in 2010–11.
New Jersey Devils
On February 22, 2018, during the Rangers' rebuilding phase, Grabner was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Yegor Rykov and a second-round selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. This transaction marked the inaugural trade between these two teams. By joining the Devils, Grabner became the 11th player in NHL history to complete the "Hudson River Triple," having played for the Rangers, Islanders, and Devils. Nevertheless, his offensive production declined with New Jersey, as he managed only 2 goals and 5 points over 21 games to conclude the regular season.
Arizona Coyotes
Following his tenure with the Devils, Grabner entered free agency and signed a three-year contract worth $10.05 million with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2018. After appearing in 25 games and recording 11 points, he was placed on indefinite injured reserve due to an eye injury caused by a stick. Despite participating in just 41 games that season, Grabner led the NHL in shorthanded goals, netting six of his nine total goals in that category. After two seasons, on October 3, 2020, the Coyotes waived Grabner and proceeded to buy out the remaining year of his contract.
International play
Grabner's international career began at age sixteen when he represented Austria at the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships Division I held in Minsk, where he tallied three goals and one assist across five contests. He returned to compete for Austria in both the 2005 World Junior Championships Division I and the 2005 U18 Championships Division I tournaments, contributing multiple points as Austria narrowly avoided relegation.
In early 2009, Grabner led all scorers in Austria’s Olympic qualifying tournament with five goals; however, Austria finished second behind Germany and did not secure a spot in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
He joined Austria’s senior national squad at the 2012 World Championships Division IA, playing a key role in their promotion to the top division for 2013. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Grabner led Austria by scoring five goals and adding one assist, including a hat-trick against Finland. He finished tied for first in goals and ranked fifth overall in points during the event.
Personal life
On March 31, 2011, Grabner and his wife Heather—whom he met while playing in Spokane—welcomed their son into the family.
Regular season and playoffs
2014–15 NHL season New York Islanders NHL34 8 5 13 4 2 0 1 1 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2015–16 NHL season Toronto Maple Leafs NHL80 9 9 18 12 — — — — |- 2016–17 NHL season New York Rangers NHL76 27 13 40 10 12 4 2 6 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2017–18 NHL season New York Rangers NHL59 25 6 31 12 — — — — |- 2017–18 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL21 2 3 5 4 2 00 00 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2018–19 NHL season Arizona Coyotes NHL41 9 7 16 8 — — — — |- 2019–20 NHL season Arizona Coyotes NHL46 8 3 11 6 9 3 00 36 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | VSV EC | AUT U20 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | VSV EC | AUT U20 | 23 | 32 | 5 | 37 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | VSV EC | EBEL | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 58 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 67 | 36 | 14 | 50 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 55 | 39 | 16 | 55 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 74 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 66 | 30 | 18 | 48 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 38 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 20 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 NHL season |New York Islanders |NHL |76 |34 |18 |52 |10 |— |— |— |— |— | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–12 NHL season |New York Islanders |NHL |78 |20 |12 |32 |12 |— |— |— |— |— | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 Austrian Hockey League season |VSV EC |EBEL |17 |10 |9 |19 |2 |— |— |— |— |— | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 NHL season |New York Islanders |NHL |45 |16 |5 |21 |12 |6 |1 |3 |4 |0 | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–14 NHL season |New York Islanders |NHL |64 |12 |14 |26 |12 |— — — — — | ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals !640 | 175 | 101 | 276 | 110 !40 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 8 | ||||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Austria | WJC18 Div I | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2005 | Austria | WJC-I | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Austria | WJC18 Div I | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 29 | |
| 2009 | Austria | OLYQ | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Austria | WC-IA | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Austria | OLY | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Austria | OLYQ | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 35 | |||
| Senior totals | 15 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 0 | |||
Source:
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2006 | |
| NHL | ||
| Rookie of the Month (February) | 2011 | |
| NHL All-Rookie Team | 2011 | |