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Alex Vlasic

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Alex Vlasic
Born (2001-06-05) June 5, 2001 (age 23)
Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team Chicago Blackhawks
National team  United States
NHL draft 43rd overall, 2019
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2022–present

Alex Vlasic (born June 5, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round, 43rd overall, in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Early life

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Vlasic was born on June 5, 2001, in Wilmette, Illinois[1] to parents Tara and John, and grew up alongside his older siblings Emma and Eric.[2] He is of Croatian descent; his grandfather immigrated to Montreal.[3][4] Despite growing up in Illinois, Vlasic was a fan of the San Jose Sharks due to his cousin Marc-Édouard Vlasic's affiliation with them.[5] Vlasic began skating at the age of three and played organized ice hockey with the Wilmette Braves at the Mite, Squirt and Pee Wee levels.[6] His older siblings were also involved in the sport, as Emma played at Yale University and with the Connecticut Whale while his brother participated in the Chicago Blackhawks special hockey program.[7] He played in the position of forward until he was nine years old when he switched to defense.[2]

Playing career

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Growing up in Illinois, Vlasic played for the Chicago Young Americans and Chicago Mission.[5] While playing with the Chicago Mission Midget U16 team, Vlasic committed to play college ice hockey for the Boston University Terriers.[8] At the time of the commitment, Vlasic was also considered a top five draft pick for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).[9] Instead of joining the OHL, Vlasic was recruited to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) for the 2017–18 USHL season.[10] He later credited the NTDP's intense and fast-paced practices with improving his game, along with the assistance of the under-17 coaching staff including John Wroblewski and Greg Moore.[2] He also praised the addition of Dan Hinote as an associate head coach for furthering his development and muscle growth.[11]

College

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Vlasic played three seasons with the Boston University Terriers, while enrolled in the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences.[12] Prior to his first year with the Terriers, Vlasic was drafted in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL entry draft. Following the draft, Vlasic reaffirmed his commitment to play collegiate career with the Terriers.[13] He subsequently joined the Terriers for the 2019–20 season where he played in 34 games and recorded four assists.[12] His first collegiate assist came on October 18, 2019, in 4–4 tie with the Northern Michigan Wildcats.[14] When the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vlasic and his sister created a makeshift weight room in the basement of their home and skated at a local ice rink. He also worked on his skills development with Tristan Musser, who was then with the Chicago Steel, and with Brian Keane who owns Prodigy Hockey.[15]

Once the 2020–21 season began, Vlasic stated he felt his confidence soar as he was able to "figure how to use my size as an advantage and protect the puck much better."[15] On January 23, 2021, Vlasic recorded his first career multi-point game in a 5–1 win over the University of Maine.[12] On February 5, he recorded his first collegiate goal to lead the Terriers to a 4–3 overtime loss to Boston College.[16] By March, he had tallied three goals and five assists for eight points through 15 games.[15]

The following season, Vlasic became one of the best defensive defensemen in the conference and was praised by his head coach for being an "elite skater for his size."[17] He led the team with 50 blocked shots and also tallied one goal and a career-high seven assists for eight points.[12] As a result of his improved play, Vlasic earned Hockey East All-Star honors.[18]

Professional

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Vlasic signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 15, 2022, after concluding his college career,[19] and then played in his first NHL game on March 19.[20][21] He signed a six-year contract extension with Chicago on April 25, 2024.[22]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 U.S. National Development Team USHL 34 4 9 13 12 8 1 2 3 18
2018–19 U.S. National Development Team USHL 27 2 13 15 28 — — — — —
2019–20 Boston University HE 34 0 4 4 10 — — — — —
2020–21 Boston University HE 16 3 5 8 10 — — — — —
2021–22 Boston University HE 32 1 7 8 31 — — — — —
2021–22 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 15 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
2022–23 Rockford IceHogs AHL 56 2 17 19 25 5 0 5 5 0
2022–23 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 6 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2023–24 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 76 2 14 16 45 — — — — —
NHL totals 97 3 16 19 47 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2017 United States U17 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 1 2 3 2
2019 United States U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 6
2024 United States WC 5th 8 0 2 2 0
Junior totals 13 1 3 4 8
Senior totals 8 0 2 2 0

References

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  1. ^ "Alex Vlasic". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Olsen, Becky (January 30, 2018). "Hockey Was Not Love at First Sight for Alex Vlasic". USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  3. ^ "Canadian-Croatian ice hockey star Michael Vukojević signs with the Lahti Pelicans". Croatia Week. August 10, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Rozner, Barry (July 8, 2019). "Rozner: A father, a son and a love of hockey". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Greenfield, Jimmy (June 29, 2019). "'Playing for the Hawks would be crazy': Alex Vlasic's hockey journey began in Wilmette and could take him all the way to the United Center". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  6. ^ Thompson, Phil (March 17, 2022). "Prospect Alex Vlasic, a 6-foot-6 Wilmette native, is ready for a bigger challenge with the Chicago Blackhawks". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  7. ^ Leitner, Jim (September 2020). "Vlasic Family Values". USA Hockey. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "Mission Midget U16's Alex Vlasic commits to Boston University". Chicago Mission. February 19, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  9. ^ Schulman, Dan (February 21, 2017). "Men's Hockey: Terriers Recruit Top-Level Defenseman". WTBU Sports. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "2017-18 U.S. National U17 Team Roster Announced". Team USA Hockey. April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  11. ^ Olsen, Becky (February 26, 2019). "Alex Vlasic Learning and Growing His Game With NTDP". USA Hockey. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d "Alex Vlasic". Boston University. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  13. ^ Gorelick, Rusty (July 15, 2019). "Six Incoming Terriers Picked in 2019 NHL Draft, Including the Ninth Overall". Boston University. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "No. 20 Terriers Skate to 4-4 Draw with Northern Michigan in Weekend Opener". Boston University. October 18, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c Powers, Scott (March 25, 2021). "Blackhawks defenseman prospect Alex Vlasic took a 'huge, huge step' this season. Here's what it looks like". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "No. 15 Terriers Fall in Overtime at No. 1 Boston College, 4-3". Boston University. February 5, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Pope, Ben (February 28, 2022). "Blackhawks prospect Alex Vlasic has developed the physicality to match his size". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  18. ^ "Fensore, Skoog, Vlasic Named Hockey East All-Stars". Boston University. March 11, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "Chicago Blackhawks reach 3-year, entry-level deal with Alex Vlasic". espn.com. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  20. ^ "New Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic an early bird on first day". chicago.suntimes.com. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  21. ^ "Jets' Harkins scores twice in 6-4 win over Blackhawks". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  22. ^ "Blackhawks, Vlasic agree to six-year contract". ESPN.com. April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
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