Victor Oreskovich

Victor J. Oreskovich (born August 15, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A winger, he was selected 55th overall in the 2004 NHL entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche.

He played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Kitchener Rangers of the major junior Ontario Hockey League (OHL) before deciding to turn professional. After signing a contract with the Avalanche in 2007, he was assigned to the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, but chose not to report and spent two years away from hockey. In 2009, he signed with the Florida Panthers and spent the subsequent season between the NHL and the team's AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. The following off-season, he was traded to the Canucks, joining the team in 2011 on their run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Boston Bruins. In October 2011, he was waived by the Canucks and assigned to the Chicago Wolves, the Canucks' AHL affiliate. Oreskovich retired from hockey in 2012, and returned to university in 2015. He completed a Master of Business Administration degree, and joined the Royal Bank of Canada.

Personal life Oreskovich was born in Whitby, Ontario, the son of Victor and Diane, and grew up in Oakville, Ontario. He is of Italian-Croatian descent. He attended high school at Notre Dame College School in Welland, Ontario, as well as at Iroquois Ridge High School in Oakville.

Playing career Amateur career Oreskovich played minor hockey with the Oakville Rangers of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association South-Central Triple A Hockey League, winning two provincial rep championships with the club in the mid-1990s. He played in the 1999 and 2000 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Markham Islanders, and then the Toronto Marlboros. After one year with the St. Catharines Falcons in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Oreskovich's playing rights were acquired by the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who selected him in the sixth round of the 2002 OHL Priority Selection. Interested in maintaining his eligibility for college hockey in the United States, Oreskovich instead played the 2002–03 season with the Milton Icehawks of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL), before joining the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) the following year. He recorded 37 points in 58 games and was named to the 2004 USHL All-Star Game. Following his season with the Gamblers, Oreskovich was selected in the second round, 55th overall, of the 2004 NHL entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche.

Recruited to play college hockey with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), Oreskovich joined the club following his draft on a US$42,000 annual scholarship. Kitchener was Oreskovich's desired destination to play major junior, as his best friend and former minor hockey teammate Evan McGrath starred with the Rangers. Returning to the Rangers for a second season, he finished with 28 goals and 60 points in 62 games.

Professional career

The following off-season, on July 7, 2007, Oreskovich was signed to a two-year, entry-level contract by the Colorado Avalanche. He returned for his second Avalanche training camp for the 2007–08 season and was assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. Oreskovich, however, did not report to the Monsters; he was suspended by the Avalanche, before announcing his retirement from the game, citing burnout and a lost drive, and re-enrolled at Notre Dame.

After a two-year hiatus, Oreskovich regained ambitions to play professionally and reached out to former Kitchener Rangers coach Peter DeBoer, now head coach of the NHL's Florida Panthers. He earned a try-out with the Panthers at their training camp for the 2009–10 season. He was assigned to Florida's AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans and was signed to a two-year contract with the Panthers on October 7, 2009. Within less than a month, Oreskovich was called up to the NHL, making his debut with the Panthers against the St. Louis Blues on October 31. Providing an energetic checking presence with the Panthers, he scored his first NHL goal against Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings in a 4–3 defeat on November 16. He split his professional rookie season between the Panthers and Americans, scoring six points over 50 games in the NHL and 15 points over 34 games in the AHL. Following the pre-season, the Canucks assigned Oreskovich to their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose. Shortly after returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for 15 games, he was recalled by the Canucks on February 10, 2011. After making his Canucks debut two nights later against the Calgary Flames, he spent the remainder of the regular season being assigned back-and-forth from the Canucks and Moose, recording 3 assists over 16 NHL games and 12 points (4 goals and 8 assists) over 40 AHL games. Oreskovich remained with the Canucks for the entire 2011 playoffs. He played in 19 games, not recording any points, as the Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins. Prior to the start of the season he was waived by Vancouver after the team traded for Dale Weise from the New York Rangers. After clearing waivers, he was assigned to the Canucks' new AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves on October 5, 2011. Returning to the AHL, he suffered a concussion that sidelined him for several games. Following his recovery, he was called up to the Canucks on December 5, 2011, to replace injured winger Chris Higgins. He appeared in one game during the call-up before being sent back down, with Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault suggesting he did not play physical enough. Oreskovich retired at the end of the season, citing injury concerns.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2001–02 St. Catharines Falcons GHL 47 13 27 40 38 4 0 1 1 0 2002–03 Milton Icehawks OPJHL 49 28 46 74 51 — — — — — 2003–04 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 58 11 26 37 33 — — — — — 2004–05 Notre Dame University CCHA 37 1 2 3 69 — — — — — 2005–06 Notre Dame University CCHA 9 2 1 3 8 — — — — — 2005–06 Kitchener Rangers OHL 19 6 10 16 16 5 0 2 2 4 2006–07 Kitchener Rangers OHL 62 28 32 60 48 5 2 0 2 4 2009–10 Rochester Americans AHL 34 6 9 15 18 6 0 0 0 10 2009–10 Florida Panthers NHL 50 2 4 6 26 — — — — — 2010–11 Manitoba Moose AHL 40 4 8 12 38 — — — — — 2010–11 Vancouver Canucks NHL 16 0 3 3 8 19 0 0 0 12 2011–12 Chicago Wolves AHL 28 6 6 12 26 — — — — — 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1 0 0 0 7 — — — — — AHL totals 102 16 23 39 82 6 0 0 0 10 NHL totals 67 2 7 9 41 19 0 0 0 12