Mitch Wahl
Encyclopedia
Mitch Wahl is an American
professional ice hockey
player for the Abbotsford Heat
of the American Hockey League
. He is a prospect with the Calgary Flames
, selected in the second round (48th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
.
Wahl played four years of junior hockey
with the Spokane Chiefs
of the Western Hockey League
(WHL), winning the WHL championship and Memorial Cup
in 2008. He was named a First Team All-Star by the WHL in 2009–10
before turning professional at the conclusion of his junior season. He was a member of the American junior team
at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
.
. His parents, Mitch Sr. and Michelle, knew little about hockey but enrolled him in the sport after he showed an aptitude for skating during a birthday party for his elder sister. He began playing at the age of six, and credits the arrival of Wayne Gretzky
with the Los Angeles Kings
for creating opportunities for himself and other players in southern California. Wahl is also an avid surfer
.
in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft. After appearing in two games with the Chiefs in 2005–06, Wahl joined the team full time in 2006–07, scoring 16 goals and 48 points in 69 games. He improved to 73 points in 2007–08
, and added 14 points in 21 playoff games as the Chiefs won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions. At the 2008 Memorial Cup
tournament, Wahl scored six points in four games to help the Chiefs win the Canadian Hockey League
(CHL) championship.
Wahl's success attracted the attention of the Calgary Flames
, who selected him with their second pick, 48th overall, at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
. He also joined the United States men's national junior ice hockey team
for the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
, scoring four points for the fifth place Americans. He finished the 2008–09 WHL season
with 32 goals and 63 points. In 2009–10
, he finished sixth in league scoring with 96 points and was named a First Team All-Star by the WHL. He ended his WHL career in sixth place all-time in scoring for the Chiefs with 284 points and third all-time in assists with 186. The team also named him one of the top 25 players in their first 25 seasons. Upon the conclusion of his WHL season, Wahl joined the Flames's AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat
. He played in four regular season games, scoring a goal and three assists, and remained with the team into the 2010 Calder Cup
playoffs.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional ice hockey
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...
player for the Abbotsford Heat
Abbotsford Heat
The Abbotsford Heat are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Heat began play during 2009-10 season, and are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames...
of the American Hockey League
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...
. He is a prospect with the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
, selected in the second round (48th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
2008 NHL Entry Draft
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on June 20–21, 2008...
.
Wahl played four years of junior hockey
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
with the Spokane Chiefs
Spokane Chiefs
The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Spokane consistently ranks in the top 10 in the...
of the Western Hockey League
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...
(WHL), winning the WHL championship and Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
in 2008. He was named a First Team All-Star by the WHL in 2009–10
2009–10 WHL season
The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010...
before turning professional at the conclusion of his junior season. He was a member of the American junior team
United States men's national junior ice hockey team
The United States men's national junior ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in the United States. The team represents the United States at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship....
at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- Group B :ScheduleAll times local - Relegation round :The results from matches between teams from the same group in the preliminary round are carried forward to this round.-Schedule:...
.
Personal
Wahl grew up in Seal Beach, CaliforniaSeal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...
. His parents, Mitch Sr. and Michelle, knew little about hockey but enrolled him in the sport after he showed an aptitude for skating during a birthday party for his elder sister. He began playing at the age of six, and credits the arrival of Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
with the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
for creating opportunities for himself and other players in southern California. Wahl is also an avid surfer
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
.
Playing career
Wahl played minor hockey with the California Wave, and caught the attention of WHL scouts while playing in tournaments in Vancouver, Kamloops and Medicine Hat. He was selected in the first round, fourth overall, by the Spokane ChiefsSpokane Chiefs
The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Spokane consistently ranks in the top 10 in the...
in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft. After appearing in two games with the Chiefs in 2005–06, Wahl joined the team full time in 2006–07, scoring 16 goals and 48 points in 69 games. He improved to 73 points in 2007–08
2007–08 WHL season
The 2007–08 WHL season was the 42nd season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 20, 2007, and ended on March 16, 2008. The WHL Playoffs began on March 21, 2008, and ended on May 7, 2008....
, and added 14 points in 21 playoff games as the Chiefs won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions. At the 2008 Memorial Cup
2008 Memorial Cup
-Semi-final:-Final:-Leading scorers:-Leading goaltenders:-Award winners:*Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy : Dustin Tokarski, Spokane*George Parsons Trophy : Matthew Halischuk, Kitchener...
tournament, Wahl scored six points in four games to help the Chiefs win the Canadian Hockey League
Canadian Hockey League
The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior ice hockey leagues for players 16 to 20 years of age. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey...
(CHL) championship.
Wahl's success attracted the attention of the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
, who selected him with their second pick, 48th overall, at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
2008 NHL Entry Draft
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on June 20–21, 2008...
. He also joined the United States men's national junior ice hockey team
United States men's national junior ice hockey team
The United States men's national junior ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in the United States. The team represents the United States at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship....
for the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- Group B :ScheduleAll times local - Relegation round :The results from matches between teams from the same group in the preliminary round are carried forward to this round.-Schedule:...
, scoring four points for the fifth place Americans. He finished the 2008–09 WHL season
2008–09 WHL season
The 2008–09 WHL season was the 43rd season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 18, 2008, and ended on March 15, 2009. The WHL Playoffs commenced on March 20, 2009, and the 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge series, featuring Team WHL versus the Russian Selects, took...
with 32 goals and 63 points. In 2009–10
2009–10 WHL season
The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010...
, he finished sixth in league scoring with 96 points and was named a First Team All-Star by the WHL. He ended his WHL career in sixth place all-time in scoring for the Chiefs with 284 points and third all-time in assists with 186. The team also named him one of the top 25 players in their first 25 seasons. Upon the conclusion of his WHL season, Wahl joined the Flames's AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat
Abbotsford Heat
The Abbotsford Heat are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Heat began play during 2009-10 season, and are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames...
. He played in four regular season games, scoring a goal and three assists, and remained with the team into the 2010 Calder Cup
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...
playoffs.
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | ||
| 2005–06 | Spokane Chiefs Spokane Chiefs The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Spokane consistently ranks in the top 10 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... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 69 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2007–08 2007–08 WHL season The 2007–08 WHL season was the 42nd season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 20, 2007, and ended on March 16, 2008. The WHL Playoffs began on March 21, 2008, and ended on May 7, 2008.... |
Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 67 | 20 | 53 | 73 | 63 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 20 | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 WHL season The 2008–09 WHL season was the 43rd season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 18, 2008, and ended on March 15, 2009. The WHL Playoffs commenced on March 20, 2009, and the 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge series, featuring Team WHL versus the Russian Selects, took... |
Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 63 | 32 | 35 | 67 | 78 | 12 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 WHL season The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010... |
Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 72 | 30 | 66 | 96 | 96 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 WHL season The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010... |
Abbotsford Heat Abbotsford Heat The Abbotsford Heat are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Heat began play during 2009-10 season, and are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames... |
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... |
4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 AHL season The 2010–11 AHL season is the 75th season of the American Hockey League. An all-time high of thirty teams will play 80 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on October 8, 2010 and ended on April 10, 2011... |
Abbotsford Heat Abbotsford Heat The Abbotsford Heat are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Heat began play during 2009-10 season, and are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames... |
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... |
17 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| WHL totals | 273 | 98 | 186 | 284 | 287 | 44 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 39 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Team result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships - Group B :ScheduleAll times local - Relegation round :The results from matches between teams from the same group in the preliminary round are carried forward to this round.-Schedule:... |
United States United States men's national junior ice hockey team The United States men's national junior ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in the United States. The team represents the United States at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship.... |
WJC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Fifth place |
| International totals | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | ||
| 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... First All-Star Team |
2009–10 2009–10 WHL season The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010... |
|