Nick Cicek was traded to the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate in December from the San Jose Sharks.
Nick Cicek was traded to the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate in December from the San Jose Sharks.
Nick Cicek was traded to the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate in December from the San Jose Sharks.
He joined a young Abbotsford team that needed veteran defense. Although he's 23 years old, he is in his fifth season of professional hockey. In 49 games with the Canucks, Cicek scored three goals and 11 assists.
"I was actually in San Jose, and I was taking my pregame nap because we were playing Calgary that night. I woke up to a couple of missed phone calls and a bunch of text messages, and the top phone call missed was from my general manager in San Jose," Cicek said. "I called them back, and they informed me about the trade. Then Abbotsford called me five minutes later and let me know that I was getting on a flight in three hours and that I was going to meet the team in Tucson. Then I flew there that night and played the next night for Abbotsford."
Cicek was part of the deal that sent Jack Studnicka to the San Jose Sharks.
With Cicek having never been traded before, he said his first reaction was he was a little scared, but eventually, that feeling turned to excitement.
"I've never been traded before my career. I've never really been through a situation like that. To be honest, my first initial thoughts were I was in shock and a little bit scared," Cicek said. "Then, when I started thinking about it, I knew it was a great opportunity."
The defenseman said when he was looking at the situation as a whole, this opportunity was better for him when pursuing his dream of becoming a full-time NHLer.
The Canucks have all three professional affiliates in the postseason, and to Cicek, that's special.
"I think that's really special. There's not many [teams] out there doing it. I believe that it shows that they care about all through their ranks that they about developing players from one level and moving them up to the next level," Cicek said. "That just really looks good for the organization. It makes me feel good about the organization and where I am in the organization. Everyone wants to be playing playoff games. Those are meaningful games, and having an organization in the playoffs in three different leagues is a big accomplishment."
Cicek and Abbotsford will start their playoff run against the Colorado Eagles. Cicek will play a significant role on the blue line, and if all goes well, they could make a sneaky long run in the Calder Cup playoffs.
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