John Vigilante

John Vigilante (May 24, 1985 – July 18, 2018) was an American professional ice hockey forward. He grew up in Dearborn, Michigan and was a graduate of Edsel Ford High School in 2003. Vigilante died at the age of 33.

Playing career Undrafted, Vigilante was an Ontario Hockey League priority selection for the Plymouth Whalers in the 11th Round (209th) in 2001. Vigilante was named the team captain of the Whalers at the beginning of the 2005–06 OHL season. He represented the Whalers at the 2006 OHL All-Star Game, held in Belleville, Ontario. His season was cut short with a broken finger after blocking a shot by the Barrie Colts, as they surged looking for a tying goal at the end of a game. Out for a month, Vigilante returned for the final three games of the regular season to help Plymouth win the West Division.

Vigilante was signed by the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL) on December 7, 2005. Vigilante was then assigned to Nashville's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, where he made his professional debut.

On July 8, 2008, Vigilante was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets to a one-year deal. He was then assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he played with former Plymouth Whaler teammates Jared Boll and Tom Sestito. Midway through the 2008–09 season on February 21, 2009, Vigilante was reassigned by the Blue Jackets when he was loaned to the Quad City Flames for the remainder of the season.

On September 11, 2009, Vigilante signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Detroit Red Wings' AHL affiliate. After appearing in one preseason game, Vigilante was released from his tryout contract with Detroit and assigned to the Griffins.

On June 1, 2012, Vigilante signed with Swedish team IK Oskarshamn, playing in league Hockeyallsvenskan.

Coaching career On April 9, 2014, Vigilante was announced as the new head coach, beginning with the 2014-15 season, of the Compuware Midget Majors of the Compuware Youth Program.

At the time of his death, he was the head coach for the 19U Belle Tire Girls Hockey Program.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2002–03 Plymouth Whalers OHL 65 15 24 39 31 18 6 3 9 8 2003–04 Plymouth Whalers OHL 66 30 38 68 25 9 1 7 8 8 2004–05 Plymouth Whalers OHL 68 24 38 62 17 4 0 0 0 0 2005–06 Plymouth Whalers OHL 55 24 53 77 34 13 4 12 16 0 2006–07 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 62 8 19 27 10 2 0 0 0 2 2007–08 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 73 15 31 46 12 6 0 1 1 0 2008–09 Syracuse Crunch AHL 52 7 8 15 14 — — — — — 2008–09 Quad City Flames AHL 24 7 8 15 2 — — — — — 2009–10 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 14 3 3 6 0 — — — — — 2012-13 IK Oskarshamn HA 52 9 17 26 50 6 0 1 1 2 AHL totals 211 37 66 103 38 8 0 1 1 2