Dwight Helminen
Encyclopedia
Dwight Helminen is an American professional ice hockey
center
currently playing with the Pelicans
of the SM-liiga
. His brother Lars
plays with Linz EHC
of the EBEL
.
by the Edmonton Oilers
. Dwight played junior hockey for the U.S. Junior National Team
in the USHL and college hockey at the University of Michigan
for the Michigan Wolverines
. On March 3, 2004, the New York Rangers
acquired his rights from the Oilers along with a 2004 second round draft choice and Stephen Valiquette
in exchange for Petr Nedved
and Jussi Markkanen
.
Since turning professional, he has played for the Charlotte Checkers in the ECHL
and the Hartford Wolf Pack
in the AHL
, before signing with JYP Jyväskylä
in the Finnish
SM-liiga
in 2007.
Dwight signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes
on July 3, 2008. He was then assigned to Hurricanes affiliate, the Albany River Rats
of the AHL. Helminen made his NHL debut in the 2008-09 season after an injury to Brandon Sutter. He played in 23 regular season games by seasons end with the Hurricanes, as well as one playoff game.
On July 16, 2009, Helminen signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.
On February 11, 2010, Helminen scored his first goal with the San Jose Sharks, against the Detroit Red Wings.
On April 22, 2010, Helminen scored a goal against the Colorado Avalanche
, in the Sharks' first-round playoff series.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
center
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
currently playing with the Pelicans
Pelicans (ice hockey)
Pelicans is an ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga, and formed in 1996. They play in the city of Lahti, Finland at Isku Arena. The team is partially owned by retired NHL goaltender Pasi Nurminen.-Notable players:* Sean Avery* Jason Bonsignore...
of the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
. His brother Lars
Lars Helminen
Lars Helminen is an American professional ice hockey defenceman currently with EHC Black Wings Linz of the Austrian Hockey League. His brother, Dwight, currently plays in the Lahden Pelicans organization of the SM-Liiga.-Playing career:Lars played for the Compuware Ambassadors in the NAHL during...
plays with Linz EHC
EHC Black Wings Linz
The EHC LIWEST Black Wings Linz are a member of the Austrian Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. They play their home games in Linz, Austria at the Keine Sorgen Eisarena Linz.-History:...
of the EBEL
Austrian Hockey League
The Austrian Hockey League , called the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Austria.-History:...
.
Playing career
Helminen was drafted 244th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft2002 NHL Entry Draft
The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22–23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. 291 players were drafted in total: 35 from the OHL; 23 from the QMJHL; 43 from the WHL; 41 from the NCAA; 6 from U.S high schools and 110 from outside North America....
by the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. Dwight played junior hockey for the U.S. Junior National Team
USA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
in the USHL and college hockey at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
. On March 3, 2004, 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...
acquired his rights from the Oilers along with a 2004 second round draft choice and Stephen Valiquette
Stephen Valiquette
Stephen Valiquette is a Canadian goaltender for currently playing for the HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. He was drafted in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings in the eighth round, 190th overall.-Professional career:In 1998, Valiquette signed as an unrestricted free...
in exchange for Petr Nedved
Petr Nedved
Petr Nedvěd is a Czech Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent 15 seasons in the National Hockey League. He currently plays centre for HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga.- Biography :...
and Jussi Markkanen
Jussi Markkanen
Jussi Markkanen is an ice hockey goaltender for EV Zug of the National League A .-Playing career:Markkanen has played extensively in various European professional leagues as well as the NHL...
.
Since turning professional, he has played for the Charlotte Checkers in the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
and the Hartford Wolf Pack
Hartford Wolf Pack
The Connecticut Whale is a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. They play in the American Hockey League . They play their home games at the XL Center....
in the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, before signing with JYP Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
in the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
in 2007.
Dwight signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
on July 3, 2008. He was then assigned to Hurricanes affiliate, the Albany River Rats
Albany River Rats
The Albany River Rats were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center.- Founding to 2010 :...
of the AHL. Helminen made his NHL debut in the 2008-09 season after an injury to Brandon Sutter. He played in 23 regular season games by seasons end with the Hurricanes, as well as one playoff game.
On July 16, 2009, Helminen signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.
On February 11, 2010, Helminen scored his first goal with the San Jose Sharks, against the Detroit Red Wings.
On April 22, 2010, Helminen scored a goal against the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
, in the Sharks' first-round playoff series.
Awards and achievements
- 2002–03 CCHA - All-Tournament Team
- 2003–04 CCHA - Best Defensive Forward
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001–02 | University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
CCHA | 39 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 39 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 41 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Hartford Wolf Pack Hartford Wolf Pack The Connecticut Whale is a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. They play in the American Hockey League . They play their home games at the XL Center.... |
AHL | 41 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 2004-05 ECHL season The 2004-05 ECHL season was the 17th season of the ECHL. This season marked uncharted territory for the ECHL as they established their first Canadian franchise, the Victoria Salmon Kings.... |
Charlotte Checkers | ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
28 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 77 | 32 | 23 | 55 | 40 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2006–07 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 80 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | JYP | SM-l SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
52 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Albany River Rats Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center.- Founding to 2010 :... |
AHL | 54 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Carolina Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center... |
NHL | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 AHL season The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11... |
Worcester Sharks Worcester Sharks The Worcester Sharks are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . The franchise is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and play their home games at the DCU Center in Downtown Worcester. The Sharks and the city of Worcester hosted the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic.-History:On... |
AHL | 74 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 NHL season The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010... |
San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 27 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||||