Dan Hamhuis

Lore & Background

Hamhuis played major junior hockey with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and was selected 12th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2001 NHL entry draft. The following year, he was awarded the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy and Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the league's best defenceman and player of the year, respectively; he would also be named the top defenceman in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). After a final season in the WHL, Hamhuis made his professional debut with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), a minor league affiliate of the Predators. He made his NHL debut the next year for Nashville. After five seasons with the club, Hamhuis became an unrestricted free agent and signed a six-year contract with the Canucks. In his first year with the club, he helped Vancouver to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Boston Bruins.

Reader's Guide

Hamhuis helped the Predators make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in his rookie season and added two assists in the club's first-round elimination to the Detroit Red Wings.

Did You Know?

• Hamhuis won a bronze and silver medal at the 2001 and 2002 World Junior Championships, respectively.
• He won a gold medal at the 2007 World Championships and silver at both the 2008 and 2009 tournaments.
• Hamhuis was named to the 2014 Canadian Olympic Hockey Team and won a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.