Ľubomír Vaic

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.

Ľubomír Vaic
Born (1977-03-06) 6 March 1977
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 19972017

Biography

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 callup to the Canucks, where he scored his only NHL goal, and added an assist.

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.

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.

Career statistics

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

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1993–94 ŠKP Poprad SVK 281061610
1994–95 ŠKP Poprad SVK 205492
1995–96 Košice SVK 497263316
1995–96 VTJ Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 20224
1996–97 Košice SVK 4315122728
1997–98 Vancouver Canucks NHL 51122
1997–98 Syracuse Crunch AHL 5012152722 30004
1998–99 Košice SVK 4622254750
1999–00 Vancouver Canucks NHL 40000
1999–00 Syracuse Crunch NHL 6313294242 40338
2000–01 Eisbären Berlin DEL 2616770
2001–02 Vsetín CZE 3410182828
2001–02 SaiPa FIN 22741130
2002–03 SaiPa FIN 5616233928
2003–04 Metallurg Magnitogorsk RUS 4912142624 1223516
2004–05 Bílí Tygři Liberec CZE 5113142762 1245912
2005–06 Bílí Tygři Liberec CZE 52203252101 50446
2006–07 Bílí Tygři Liberec CZE 45991848 71126
2007–08 Sparta Prague CZE 521091969 40000
2008–09 Slovan Bratislava SVK 5514375140 1227916
2009–10 Slovan Bratislava SVK 4615395430 155141920
2010–11 Slovan Bratislava SVK 3311122343
2010–11 VIK Västerås SWE-2 1256118
2011–12 Poprad SVK 5418335159 61346
2012–13 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 3020204040
2012–13 Poprad SVK 257121937 702227
2013–14 Poprad SVK 2466124 50222
2013–14 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 10112
2014–15 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 4213334669 13681410
2016–17 Spišská Nová Ves SVK-2 4313284188 31122
SVK totals 423130212342319 458283671
NHL totals 91122

International

Year Team Event GPGAPtsPIM
1994 Slovakia EJC-C 61061620
1994 Slovakia WJC-C 43252
1995 Slovakia EJC-B 5610164
1996 Slovakia WJC 624625
1997 Slovakia WJC 617810
2000 Slovakia WC 90334
2003 Slovakia WC 60110
2006 Slovakia WC 70002
Junior totals 2722295161
Senior totals 220446

References

  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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