Darren Van Impe

Darren Van Impe
Date of birth	May 18, 1973
place of birth	Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada
size	185 cm
Weight	88 kg
position	defender
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft	1993 , 7th round, 170th position New York Islanders
Career stations
1989-1992	Prince Albert Raiders
1992-1994	Red Deer Rebels
1994-1997	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
1997-2001	Boston Bruins
2001-2002	New York Rangers Florida Panthers New York Islanders
2002-2003	Columbus Blue Jackets
2003-2006	Hamburg Freezers
2006-2008	DEG Metro Stars

Darren Van Impe (born May 18, 1973 in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan ) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player ( defender ). In the National Hockey League he was active for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , Boston Bruins , New York Rangers , Florida Panthers , New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets .

Career

Darren Van Impe in the DEG Metro Stars jersey

Van Impe played as a teenager for three years for the Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League , one of the best youth leagues in North America. In 1992 he moved to the Red Deer Rebels , where he played junior ice hockey for another two years. In the 1993 NHL Entry Draft , he was drafted by the New York Islanders in the seventh round in 170th place. His first assignment for an NHL team, however, he received at the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1994/95 season . There the left-firing defender played until 1998 before he was transferred to the Boston Bruins . There he immediately made his breakthrough as a regular player and he celebrated his greatest success to date in the 1998/99 season by reaching the second playoff round.

In the 2001/02 season Van Impe was transferred frequently. First the Bruins gave it to the New York Rangers , then it was returned to the Islanders in New York via the Florida Panthers . After the end of the season he changed clubs again and began the next with the Columbus Blue Jackets . However, after a few games he was given to the farm team in Syracuse in the American Hockey League .

For the 2003/04 season he then decided to switch to the German Ice Hockey League with the Hamburg Freezers . There he immediately reached the semi-finals with the team, and the following year they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Van Impe was one of the top performers in both years and was invited to the DEL All-Star Game in 2005 . From 2006 to 2008 he played two years for the DEG Metro Stars , with whom he reached the semi-finals twice. After the 2007/08 season he announced the end of his playing career.

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	9	411	25th	90	115	397
Playoffs	4th	33	3	9	12	28

Web links

• Darren Van Impe at hockeydb.com (English)
• Darren Van Impe at legendsofhockey.net (English)