Hnat Domenichelli
Hnat A. Domenichelli is a Canadian-Swiss former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the fourth round, 83rd overall, of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played 267 National Hockey League games for the Whalers, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Minnesota Wild between 1996 and 2003 before moving to Switzerland where he has played for the remainder of his career in the National League A. He played for Switzerland at the 2010 Winter Olympics.Playing career
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Domenichelli had a stand-out junior career with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. He was a WHL West Second Team All-Star in 1995, and a First Team All-Star in 1996, also gaining a nod as a Canadian Hockey League First-Team All-Star. He won the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's sportsman of the year, and was named the CHL Sportsman of the Year, both in 1996. He won the WHL championship with the Blazers in 1995 and the Memorial Cup as national Major-Junior champion in both 1995 and 1996.
The Hartford Whalers selected Domenichelli in the fourth round, 83rd overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He made his professional debut with the Whalers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, in the 1996–97 season. He also appeared in 13 games with the Whalers that season before being traded to the Calgary Flames.
Domenichelli appeared in 96 games over four seasons with the Flames before being traded, along with Dmitri Vlasenkov, to the Atlanta Thrashers during the 1999–2000 season in exchange for Jason Botterill and Darryl Shannon. He had the best scoring season of his NHL career during the 2000–01 season with the Thrashers, scoring 15 goals. During the 2001–02 season, the Thrashers traded Domenichelli to the Minnesota Wild for Andy Sutton. He left the Wild for Switzerland after the 2002–03 season.
He has played for Team Canada several times at the Spengler Cup. Now married to a Swiss woman and with two children, Domenichelli gained his Swiss passport in 2009, allowing him to play for the Swiss at the 2010 Winter Olympics.International
Awards and honours
