Introduction
Patrick Wiercioch (born September 12, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a member of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, the team who drafted him in 2008, while he was playing for the USHL Omaha Lancers. Wiercioch was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, and grew up in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.
Playing career
Wiercioch played junior hockey for the BCHL Burnaby Express (2006–07) and the USHL Omaha Lancers (2007–08), when he was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Wiercioch was an all-American defenseman with the University of Denver where he finished his athletic career in 2010 and made his professional debut in October 2010 with the Senators affiliate Binghamton Senators of the AHL. On March 22, 2011, he was called up to play for the Ottawa Senators.
Wiercioch played the 2011–12 season, and the first half of the 2012–13 season with Binghamton, before he was called up to Ottawa again. Wiercioch scored his first NHL goal on March 3, 2013, against the New York Islanders. In all, Wiercioch played in four seasons with Ottawa. In June 2016, Ottawa chose not to give him a qualifying offer, making him a free agent. On July 1, 2016, Patrick Wiercioch signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
In 2015 Wiercioch was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the World Championships, where they won the title for the first time since 2007 with a perfect 10-0 record.
Personal life
Wiercioch and his wife, Kresson, have one son named Paxton who was born in early 2015.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | Burnaby Express | BCHL | 42 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 46 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | Omaha Lancers | USHL | 40 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 22 | ||
| 2008–09 | University of Denver | WCHA | 36 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | University of Denver | WCHA | 39 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 67 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 25 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 57 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 32 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 42 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 53 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 56 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 52 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 57 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 268 | 16 | 58 | 74 | 138 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Canada | WC | 01 ! |
10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA Second Team | 2008–09 | |
| All-WCHA Rookie Team | 2008–09 | |
| WCHA All-Tournament Team | 2009 | |
| All-WCHA First Team | 2009–10 | |
| AHCA West First-Team All-American | 2009–10 |