Erik Christensen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position C/W
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Crusher[1]
Height
Weight
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
196 lb (89 kg/14 st 0 lb)
NHL Team
F. teams
Atlanta Thrashers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Nationality Flag of Canada Canada
Born December 17, 1983 (1983-12-17) (age 24),
Edmonton, AB
NHL Draft 69th overall, 2002
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pro career 2004 – present

Erik Christensen (Born on December 17, 1983 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a current NHL hockey player for the Atlanta Thrashers.

[edit] Playing career

Christensen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (69th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2002–03 season, Christensen received the Bob Clarke Trophy for being the leading scorer of the Western Hockey League. He tallied 108 points (54 goals) in 67 games with the Kamloops Blazers.

The 2004–05 NHL lockout left the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL stacked with talent, but Christensen impressed Penguins management by scoring 27 points (14 goals) in his first pro season. In the 2005–06 season, he jumped out of the gate quickly, tallying 19 points (9 goals) in only 9 games. The Pittsburgh Penguins called him up on October 31, 2005.

Christensen scored his first NHL goal on November 3, 2005 against the New York Islanders (against goaltender Rick DiPietro) at 15:43 into the 2nd period. Another promising rookie for the Penguins in 2005–06 (along with Sidney Crosby, Colby Armstrong, Ryan Whitney and others), Christensen earned 13 points (6 goals) in 33 games with the Penguins during his rookie campaign. Christensen has also been seen as highly valuable in NHL shootouts where his quick stick-handling moves enable him to be successful.

On February 26, 2008 the Atlanta Thrashers acquired Christensen along with Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito, and a 1st Round Draft Pick in a trade deadline deal that sent Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Penguins.

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1999–00 Kamloops Blazers WHL 66 9 5 14 41 4 0 0 0 2
2000–01 Kamloops Blazers WHL 72 21 23 44 36 4 1 1 2 0
2001–02 Kamloops Blazers WHL 70 22 36 58 68 4 0 0 0 4
2002–03 Kamloops Blazers WHL 67 54 54 108 60 6 1 7 8 14
2003–04 Kamloops Blazers/Brandon WHL 63 27 35 62 60 11 8 4 12 8
2004–05 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 77 14 13 27 33 11 1 6 7 4
2005–06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 48 24 22 46 50 11 2 2 4 2
2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 33 6 7 13 34 -- -- -- -- --
2006–07 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 16 12 12 24 8 -- -- -- -- --
2006–07 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 61 18 15 33 26 4 0 0 0 6
2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 49 9 11 20 28 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 10 2 2 4 2 -- -- -- -- --
NHL Totals 153 35 35 70 90 4 0 0 0 6

[edit] External links

Erik Christensen's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database


Persondata
NAME Christensen, Erik
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH 1983-12-17
PLACE OF BIRTH Edmonton, AB
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH