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Ľubomír Vaic

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Ľubomír Vaic
Born (1977-03-06) 6 March 1977 (age 47)
Spišská Nová Ves, Czechoslovakia
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for HC Bílí Tygři Liberec
Vancouver Canucks
National team  Slovakia
NHL draft 227th overall, 1996
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 1997–2017

Ľubomír Vaic (born 6 March 1977) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey player who spent most of his career in the Slovak Extraliga. After several years in Slovakia Vaic joined the Canucks in 1999 and played 9 games for them over two seasons. He returned to Europe in 2000 and continued to play in various leagues before retiring in 2017. Internationally Vaic played for the Slovakian national team at several tournaments at both the junior and senior level and won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championship.

Biography

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As a youth, Vaic played in the 1991 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Poprad.[1]

Drafted by the Canucks 227th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Vaic came to North America a year later. He scored 27 points in 50 games for the Syracuse Crunch, Vancouver's AHL affiliate. He also earned a 5-game call-up to the Canucks, where he scored his only NHL goal, and added an assist.[citation needed]

Vaic returned to Slovakia for another year before returning to the Canucks organization for the 1999–2000 season. However, he would find himself in much the same situation, scoring 42 points in 63 games for Syracuse, and being held pointless in 4 NHL games in Vancouver. Following the season he returned to Europe, signing with Eisbären Berlin.[2]

Vaic became something of a nomad, appearing with five clubs in five different major European leagues over the next five seasons. He was, however, a consistent offensive performer, and helped Metallurg Magnitogorsk to the Russian league championship in 2003–04. He would finally find a long-term home in the Czech Extraliga, after signing with HC Bílí Tygři Liberec in 2004. In 2005–06, he finished 2nd in scoring in the Extraliga and helped Liberec to the league championship. At the end of the 2006–07 season he joined HC Sparta Prague.[citation needed]

Vaic has appeared in 9 NHL games, recording a goal and an assist for two points. He has also represented Slovakia at three World Championships, winning a silver medal in 2000 and a bronze medal in 2003.[citation needed]

Career statistics

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Medal record
Representing  Slovakia
Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2000 Russia
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Finland

Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94 ŠKP Poprad SVK 28 10 6 16 10
1994–95 ŠKP Poprad SVK 20 5 4 9 2
1995–96 Košice SVK 49 7 26 33 16
1995–96 VTJ Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 2 0 2 2 4
1996–97 Košice SVK 43 15 12 27 28
1997–98 Vancouver Canucks NHL 5 1 1 2 2
1997–98 Syracuse Crunch AHL 50 12 15 27 22 3 0 0 0 4
1998–99 Košice SVK 46 22 25 47 50
1999–00 Vancouver Canucks NHL 4 0 0 0 0
1999–00 Syracuse Crunch AHL 63 13 29 42 42 4 0 3 3 8
2000–01 Eisbären Berlin DEL 26 1 6 7 70
2001–02 Vsetín CZE 34 10 18 28 28
2001–02 SaiPa FIN 22 7 4 11 30
2002–03 SaiPa FIN 56 16 23 39 28
2003–04 Metallurg Magnitogorsk RUS 49 12 14 26 24 12 2 3 5 16
2004–05 Bílí Tygři Liberec CZE 51 13 14 27 62 12 4 5 9 12
2005–06 Bílí Tygři Liberec CZE 52 20 32 52 101 5 0 4 4 6
2006–07 Bílí Tygři Liberec CZE 45 9 9 18 48 7 1 1 2 6
2007–08 Sparta Prague CZE 52 10 9 19 69 4 0 0 0 0
2008–09 Slovan Bratislava SVK 55 14 37 51 40 12 2 7 9 16
2009–10 Slovan Bratislava SVK 46 15 39 54 30 15 5 14 19 20
2010–11 Slovan Bratislava SVK 33 11 12 23 43
2010–11 VIK Västerås SWE-2 12 5 6 11 8
2011–12 Poprad SVK 54 18 33 51 59 6 1 3 4 6
2012–13 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 30 20 20 40 40
2012–13 Poprad SVK 25 7 12 19 37 7 0 2 2 27
2013–14 Poprad SVK 24 6 6 12 4 5 0 2 2 2
2013–14 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 1 0 1 1 2
2014–15 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 42 13 33 46 69 13 6 8 14 10
2016–17 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 43 13 28 41 88 3 1 1 2 2
SVK totals 423 130 212 342 319 45 8 28 36 71
NHL totals 9 1 1 2 2

International

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Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1994 Slovakia EJC-C 6 10 6 16 20
1994 Slovakia WJC-C 4 3 2 5 2
1995 Slovakia EJC-B 5 6 10 16 4
1996 Slovakia WJC 6 2 4 6 25
1997 Slovakia WJC 6 1 7 8 10
2000 Slovakia WC 9 0 3 3 4
2003 Slovakia WC 6 0 1 1 0
2006 Slovakia WC 7 0 0 0 2
Junior totals 27 22 29 51 61
Senior totals 22 0 4 4 6

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  2. ^ "EHC - Presse: Archiv - Index". Eisbären Berlin (in German). Archived from the original on November 18, 2001. Retrieved May 19, 2023. 4.Mai 2000 Eisbären verpflichten Vaic
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