Chris Wells (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Chris Wells is a Canadian
retired professional hockey player who played in the NHL
with the Pittsburgh Penguins
and Florida Panthers
.
in the WHL
when he was drafted in the 1st round, 24th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft
. His large size (6'6" 223 lbs) along with a strong physical presence and scoring touch contributed to his high draft choice. For the 1994–1995 season Wells returned to the Thunderbirds and scored 108 points in 68 games while contributing 148 PIMs as well. The following year Wells made his debut in the NHL, appearing in 54 games with the Penguins. Wells began the 1996–97 year with the Cleveland Lumberjacks
of the IHL when he was traded by the Penguins to the Florida Panthers for Stu Barnes
and Jason Woolley
. He played 4 years with the Panthers, having his best year during the 1997–98 campaign in which he scored 15 points and appeared in 61 games.
Wells also skated for the New York Rangers
and was signed by the Dallas Stars
in 2000 but did not play a game for them. Instead he was sent to the Utah Grizzlies. Wells would then spend parts of three seasons in the minors in North America. On November 20, 2002, Wells debuted in the Russian Superleague with the Khabarovsk Amur
Tigers and played on a line with former NHL all-star Sergei Krivokrasov
. Wells would go on to play parts of three seasons in Italy
, Russia and Denmark
.
Wells retired from hockey in 2005. He now lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife. He has been active in the Florida real estate market as a Broker, with Nestler Poletto Sotheby's International Realty and specializes in high end realestate.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
retired professional hockey player who played in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
and Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
.
Playing career
Wells was playing with the Seattle ThunderbirdsSeattle Thunderbirds
The Seattle Thunderbirds are a junior ice hockey team based in Kent, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, and play in the ShoWare Center...
in the WHL
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
when he was drafted in the 1st round, 24th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft
1994 NHL Entry Draft
The 1994 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Hartford Civic Center on June 28–29, 1994.-Selections by round:Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
. His large size (6'6" 223 lbs) along with a strong physical presence and scoring touch contributed to his high draft choice. For the 1994–1995 season Wells returned to the Thunderbirds and scored 108 points in 68 games while contributing 148 PIMs as well. The following year Wells made his debut in the NHL, appearing in 54 games with the Penguins. Wells began the 1996–97 year with the Cleveland Lumberjacks
Cleveland Lumberjacks
The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Facts:The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Facts:...
of the IHL when he was traded by the Penguins to the Florida Panthers for Stu Barnes
Stu Barnes
Stuart Barnes is an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League . He played 16 seasons at centre in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Dallas Stars....
and Jason Woolley
Jason Woolley
Jason Woolley is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman.- Playing career :Woolley attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI before the Washington Capitals selected him 61st overall in the 1989 NHL Draft. Woolley's most productive NHL season was his 1998–99 campaign with the Buffalo...
. He played 4 years with the Panthers, having his best year during the 1997–98 campaign in which he scored 15 points and appeared in 61 games.
Wells also skated for the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and was signed by the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
in 2000 but did not play a game for them. Instead he was sent to the Utah Grizzlies. Wells would then spend parts of three seasons in the minors in North America. On November 20, 2002, Wells debuted in the Russian Superleague with the Khabarovsk Amur
Amur Khabarovsk
Amur Khabarovsk is a professional hockey team based in Khabarovsk, Russia playing in the Kontinental Hockey League...
Tigers and played on a line with former NHL all-star Sergei Krivokrasov
Sergei Krivokrasov
Sergei Vladimirovich Krivokrasov is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League for ten seasons between 1992 and 2002...
. Wells would go on to play parts of three seasons in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Russia and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Wells retired from hockey in 2005. He now lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife. He has been active in the Florida real estate market as a Broker, with Nestler Poletto Sotheby's International Realty and specializes in high end realestate.
Career statistics
| Regular season | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
||||||
| 1995–96 | Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original... |
NHL | 54 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 59 | ||||||
| 1996–97 | Florida Panthers Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the... |
NHL | 47 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 42 | ||||||
| 1997–98 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 61 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 47 | ||||||
| 1998–99 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 31 | ||||||
| 1999–00 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||||||
| 5 Years | Totals | NHL | 195 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 193 | ||||||
Awards
- 1995: WHLWestern Hockey LeagueThe Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
West First All-Star Team - 2000: Calder Cup winner AHL
- 2004: European championship Italy