Jannik Hansen

At 38 years old, Jannik Hansen has this physical status:

Jannik Hansen, a former Danish professional ice hockey right winger, born on March 15, 1986.

Hansen began playing competitively in both the Rdovre Bulls of the Danish league and the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish J20 SuperElit and HockeyAllsvenskan leagues at the age of 16.

He spent three seasons with Rdovre, where he was ranked 287th overall by the Canucks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

He moved to North America to play major junior hockey with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for one season, a year after his pick.

Hansen began playing with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League in 2006-07.

He was called up by the Vancouver Canucks and became the first Danish citizen to play and register a point in an NHL playoff game.

Hansen obtained a full-time roster spot with the Canucks following another campaign with mainly Manitoba. Hansen has competed for the Danish national team in four World Championships.

He competed for Denmark in both Division I and main tournament play at the IIHF World U18 and U20 Championships at the junior level.

Personal life

Hansen was born and raised in Rdovre, Denmark, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. Bent Hansen, his father, was a carpenter and a member of the Danish national hockey team. Hansen, who was accompanied by his father, started skating at the age of two, but did not begin playing hockey until age 11. Hockey in Denmark attracted a low profile (football is the country's national sport). No Dane had ever participated in the NHL at the time. Hansen has denied that neither he nor any of his peers ever had aspired to make the NHL, instead, saying, "Everyone grew up wanting to play in Sweden, Germany, or Finland."

Lucas and Daniel were born on March 3, 2013 by Hansen and his partner Karen.

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Playing career

Hansen competed with the Rdove Bulls of the Danish Oddset League, and he joined the senior team at age 16. He was in R-dovre for a season-and-a-half and then was invited to play for the Swedish Malmö Redhawks' under-18 team in 2002–03. Hansen spent the remainder of the season in Malmö and then returned to Rdovre the following season. Hansen was selected by the Vancouver Canucks, 287th overall, after scoring 19 points in 35 games in 2003–04 with Rdovre. Despite his success in the previous year, his selection was delayed to the latter stages of the draft due to his inability and a general lack of NHL players outside of Denmark. Hansen stayed with Rdovre another season after his draft and gained a Danish career-high 32 points in 34 games.

Hansen, a member of the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League, finished 33rd overall in the 2005 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft, Hansen moved to North America and joined the club for the 2005–06 season. (WHL) Hansen's command of English was instrumental in his selection of him by Winter Hawks general manager Ken Hodge. The Canucks' general manager wanted him to play more in order to aid his transition to the more physical North American style of play. Hansen, the first Danish player to play in the WHL, scored at a point-per-game clip, leading all rookies with 64 points. Portland was eliminated in the second round after continuing his scoring streak in the playoffs with 13 points in 12 games.

Hansen joined the Vancouver Canucks in July 2006 for a three-year, entry-level deal. He appeared in all facets of scoring for the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL), from 2006 to 2007, leading all rookies in scoring.

Hansen was called up by the Canucks during the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. Frans Nielsen, the first born-and-raised Danish player to play and win a point in the NHL playoffs, had played and scored the first point by a born-and-raised Dane in the regular season earlier this year. In Game 3 of the first round against the Dallas Stars, the point was scored by Jan Bulis who was assisting on a goal. In the second round, the Canucks advanced to the Anaheim Ducks over seven games to face the Stars. Hansen was instrumental on the ice when the Ducks scored in Game 5 of the series, with the Canucks facing elimination in overtime. Rob Niedermayer, a Ducks forward who was trying to carry the puck out of the defensive zone, was struck to the ice by Ducks forward Rob Niedermayer. Though Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had his arm up in the direction of the referee, expressing the lack of penalty, the puck was flying free to Ducks defenceman Scott Niedermayer, who scored over the distracted Luongo. Hansen was sent back to the Moose for the 2007 Calder Cup playoffs following the Canucks' disqualification. As the Moose were defeated by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the second round, he was pointless in six games.

Hansen was plagued by injuries the following season, after suffering a broken thumb in the Canucks' pre-season. After recovering, he was sent to the Moose in early October but the Canucks called him back a month later. Hansen was recalled in January 2008 and suffering a concussion. In April, he received his second call-up of the season. He scored 43 points in 50 games for the third-highest point-per-game average on the team, as well as a team-high plus-minus rating of +23. In five games in NHL play, he was pointless.

Hansen spent his first full season with the Canucks in 2008-09, bringing the squad out training camp and establishing himself as a third-line forward. He became well-known for his quickness and work ethic, contributing to his success in puck-pursuit and forechecking. He began to be used consistently on the penalty kill, and he was also very defensive on defense. Hansen has recalled that the NHL transformation demanded a change in his style of play to include more physical appearance and abrasiveness. He depended more on intelligence and finesse before making the NHL, and he was a go-to offensive player for teams up to that point.

Hansen scored his first NHL regular season point against the Calgary Flames on October 11, 2008, as an assist on a Ryan Kesler goal. In a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, he scored his first NHL goal two games later against goaltender Chris Osgood in a game by goaltender Chris Osgood. Hansen was fortuitously sent back to Manitoba for the Canucks to make room on the roster for the newly acquired Mats Sundin. He was, however, recalled within three days. He broke his finger and was sidelined for 14 games in late-February. He played in 55 games, finishing 26th in scoring among NHL rookies. He became a restricted free agent in the offseason before re-signing with the Canucks to a one-year, two-way contract worth a reported US$550,000.

Hansen sustained his hand injury in a match against Edmonton Oilers forward Gilbert Brulé in mid-November 2008 after missing 19 games. He was sent to the Moose for ten days on a conditioning assignment on January 1, 2009, and he had scored two assists in five games. Hansen returned to Vancouver for the season with nine goals and 15 points in fewer than 47 games. He scored three points in 12 playoff games, while suffering from a strained ankle injury in the second round against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hansen was subjected to salary arbitration by the Canucks for the second time in a row. Following his appearance on July 20, 2010, he was given a one-year, one-way contract worth $850,000, which the Canucks accepted. Hansen was named in the Canucks' Fred J. Hume Award as the team's "unsung hero" during his career (voted by the Canucks' booster club). As the Canucks advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the Boston Bruins, he scored three goals and nine points over 25 games in the 2011 playoffs. Hansen filed for salary arbitration in the offseason. Hansen and the Canucks avoided arbitration by committing to a three-year, $4.05 million deal ahead of his trial. Many in the media, including those from the local province, suggested that he ceded to the Canucks' talks, prompting Hansen to add, "You have to make sacrifices in order to win."

In the first month of the 2011–12 season, Hansen was struck from behind by defenceman Shea Weber during a game against the Nashville Predators on October 20, 2011. Although he was uninjured on the field, Weber was fined $2,500 — the maximum allowable financial penalty — by the League the next day. Hansen spent a brief time on the Canucks' first line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, replacing Alexandre Burrows. He set a new personal record of nine goals in the NHL by December 2011, despite a long career. He continued to play the majority of the season on the Canucks' checking line and finished with 16 goals and 39 points in 82 games. Despite winning their second straight Presidents' Trophy in 2011–12, the Los Angeles Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Kings. Hansen had just one aim in the five-game collection.

In the midst of a good start to the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, Hansen received praise from local and league-wide media. With 10 goals and 27 points in 47 games, he finished the season at his most consistent rate, placing third in team scoring behind Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Hansen was unable to play in four games as the Canucks were swept by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2013 playoffs. Hansen signed a four-year contract with the Canucks on September 29.

Hansen won by 4–1 over the Chicago Blackhawks on November 23, 2014, his first hat-trick in his career.

Following a 5–3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 10, 2015, Hansen spent much of the 2015–16 season on the Canucks' top line with the Sedin twins. Hansen responded with a career-high 22 goals this season, with at least 20 goals in his career for the first time in his career.

The Canucks made a new linemate for the Sedins in the 2016 off-season. As a result, Hansen joined Markus Granlund and Brandon Sutter on the second line of the 2016–17 season. Hansen scored his 100th goal in NHL history on October 20, 2016 against Robin Lehner in a 2–1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

Hansen was traded by the Canucks to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional 4th round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on February 28, 2017. With Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton, Hansen was placed on the Shark's top line.

Hansen signed for Russian team HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League on August 2, 2018, having completed his 12-year NHL career. Hansen continued to play his two-way defensively accountable role on the third line in the 2018–19 season, scoring 7 goals and 18 points in 45 games. Hansen scored 3 points in 9 games to help CSKA win their first Gagarin Cup.

Hansen resigned from professional hockey after 16 seasons, citing physical inability.

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