Position Defence National team Germany Height 1.93 m Career start 1997 | Shot Left Playing career Weight 98 kg Current team Adler Mannheim | |
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Born March 22, 1976 (age 41)
Itzehoe, West Germany ( 1976-03-22 ) NHL Draft 57th overall, 1994
Pittsburgh Penguins Similar John Hynes, Sidney Crosby, Henrik Sedin, John Tavares, Mike Sullivan | ||
Sven Butenschön (born March 22, 1976 in Itzehoe, West Germany) is a German-Canadian ice hockey coach and a retired German-Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently serving as head coach at the University of British Columbia.
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Butenschön has spent parts of eight seasons in the National Hockey League. He played several years in Germany and represented the German national team at two World Championships and the 2010 Olympic Games.
Playing career
Born in Itzehoe, Germany, Butenschön grew up in Canada. His family had left Germany when he was two years of age.
He played his junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL, and was drafted 57th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. After two more seasons in Brandon, he turned pro in 1996 and spent his entire first professional season in the AHL with the Cleveland Lumberjacks.
Butenschön would spend five seasons in the Penguins organization, during which time he was usually the first callup from the farm when injuries hit, but was never able to establish himself as a regular. He made his NHL debut in 1997–98 campaign, appearing in 8 games for the Penguins without recording a point, and saw action in Pittsburgh in each of the next four seasons, including a high of 17 games in 1998–99. Primarily a defensive defender, he surprised with a big offensive season in the minors in 1999–2000, as he registered 19 goals and 40 points for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
At the trade deadline near the end of the 2000–01 season, Butenschön was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers, and appeared in 7 games with the Oilers late in the season, recording his first NHL goal. However, he found himself back in the AHL for 2001–02, appearing in just 14 games for the Oilers.
In the summer of 2002, Butenschön was traded to the New York Islanders, where he would have the most successful portion of his career. In 2002–03, he played in a career-high 37 games for the Islanders, recording 4 assists. In 2003–04, he spent virtually the entire season in the NHL as the Islanders' 7th defender, playing in 41 games and recording 1 goal and 6 assists for a career high 7 points.
Butenschön signed with Adler Mannheim in the DEL during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, recording 1 goal and 6 points in 50 games. For 2005–06, he returned to North America, signing a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. He enjoyed another fine season in the AHL, scoring 15 goals and 37 points for the Manitoba Moose, and appeared in 8 games for Vancouver.
Butenschön returned to Adler Mannheim when he became an unrestricted free agent in 2006, and recorded 3 goals and 6 points for the Eagles in 2006–07.
After five seasons in Mannheim, Butenschön signed with fellow German team, Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers on May 16, 2011. He spent two years with the Ice Tigers and retired after the 2012-13 season.
International career
Butenschön made his debut on the German national team in November 2008 and played the 2009 and 2010 World Championships with the team, reaching the semi final in 2010. He also made four appearances for Germany at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Coaching career
Butenschön worked as lead instructor at Leslie Global Sports from 2013 to 2015.
In 2015, he joined the coaching staff of the University of British Columbia men's ice hockey team as an assistant and was promoted to the head coaching job in September 2016.