The IIHF has announced that former Columbus Blue Jackets forward and longtime NHLer Thomas Vanek has been elected to the IIHF Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place next May on the final day of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich, Switzerland.

Vanek, originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003, was traded to Columbus on February 26th, 2018, in exchange for Jussi Jokinen and Tyler Motte. He played in 19 games for Columbus, scored 7 goals and totaled 15 points. He also scored a hat trick against Edmonton for Columbus that season. 

Vanek went on to play in 1029 NHL games and totaled 789 points and was the first Austrian to ever be named Captain of an NHL team, when he was named Captain of the Sabres. 

Vanek is widely considered the best Austrian player to ever play in the NHL. He's represented Austria at various levels of competition for his country as well. He played on the U20 team, World Championship teams, Olympic teams (Captain), and World Cup teams. 

Per an IIHF press release, "Players include Swiss goalie Florence Schelling, Austrian forward Thomas Vanek, Canadian captain Cassie Campbell-Pascall, recently-retired Swiss forward Andres Ambuhl, and two members of the IIHF’s Triple Gold Club—Canadian Patrice Bergeron and Swede Niklas Kronwall. The Builder is Ralph Krueger, who was so critical to the Swiss national team’s success in the late 1990s and early 2000s." 

Congrats to Thomas Vanek. 

Up Next: The Jackets are back at home on Thursday to face the Detroit Red Wings. 

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