Erik Rasmussen (ice hockey)

American ice hockey player (born 1977)

Ice hockey player

Erik Rasmussen

Born|  (1977-03-28) March 28, 1977 (age 48)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Height|  6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight|  210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position|  Left wing
Shot|  Left
Played for|  Buffalo Sabres
Los Angeles Kings
New Jersey Devils
Ässät
National team|   United States
NHL draft|  7th overall, 1996
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career|  1997–2009

Erik Wayne Rasmussen (born March 28, 1977) is a retired American professional ice hockey player.

## Early life

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Rasmussen, originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, gained statewide recognition in 1995 when he was awarded the prestigious Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award, an honor given annually to the most outstanding high school hockey player in the state.[1] His talent and dedication earned him a spot with the University of Minnesota, where he competed in NCAA Division I hockey for two seasons.

## Career

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Rasmussen was chosen seventh overall in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, marking him as one of the top prospects of his class.[2] Throughout his professional career, Rasmussen suited up for the Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, and New Jersey Devils. During the 2007–08 season, he played for the Lowell Devils, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the New Jersey Devils. Following that season, Rasmussen took his talents overseas by signing with Porin Ässät, a team in Finland’s top professional league, the SM-liiga, for the 2008–09 season.

During his time with the Porin Ässät organization, Rasmussen played in 31 regular-season games, tallying one goal and eight assists. The team finished 12th in the standings and was forced into the play-out round to determine which club would face relegation against a Mestis team, Finland's second-tier league. After losing the play-out, Ässät faced Vaasan Sport in a best-of-seven relegation series. Rasmussen played in 13 total playoff and relegation games, contributing four goals and five assists for nine points. In the decisive seventh game of the series, he scored Ässät's first goal and assisted on their third, helping secure the team’s spot in the SM-liiga.[3]

## Career statistics

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### Regular season and playoffs

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|  | Regular season |  | Playoffs

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Season | Team  | League  | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM
1992–93  | St. Louis Park High School | HS-MN | 23 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 50  | — | — | — | — | —
1993–94  | St. Louis Park High School  | HS-MN  | 18 | 25 | 18 | 43 | 80  | — | — | — | — | —
1994–95  | St. Louis Park High School  | HS-MN  | 23 | 19 | 33 | 52 | 80  | — | — | — | — | —
1995–96 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 40 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 55  | — | — | — | — | —
1996–97 | University of Minnesota  | WCHA  | 34 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 123  | — | — | — | — | —
1997–98 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 53 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 83  | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5
1997–98 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14  | — | — | — | — | —
1998–99 | Rochester Americans  | AHL  | 37 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 47  | — | — | — | — | —
1998–99 | Buffalo Sabres  | NHL  | 42 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 37  | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18
1999–2000 | Buffalo Sabres  | NHL  | 67 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 43  | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4
2000–01 | Buffalo Sabres  | NHL  | 82 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 51  | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0
2001–02 | Buffalo Sabres  | NHL  | 69 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 34  | — | — | — | — | —
2002–03 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL  | 57 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 28  | — | — | — | — | —
2003–04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL  | 69 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 41  | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2
2005–06 | New Jersey Devils  | NHL  | 67 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 32  | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8
2006–07 | New Jersey Devils  | NHL  | 71 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 25  | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14
2007–08 | Lowell Devils | AHL  | 26 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14  | — | — | — | — | —
2008–09 | Ässät | SM-l | 31 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 60  | — | — | — | — | —
NHL totals  | 545 | 52 | 76 | 128 | 305  | 52 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 46

### International

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Year  | Team  | Event  |  | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM

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1996 | United States | WJC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16
1997 | United States  | WJC  | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4
2002 | United States | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2
Junior totals  | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 20

## Awards and honors

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Award  | Year

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All-WCHA Rookie Team | 1995–96

## References

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1. ^ Kolpack, Dave (March 14, 1995). "Cullen epitomized Mr. Hockey". The Forum. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
2. ^ Maiorana, Sal (2012). 100 Things Sabres Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-62368-015-2.
3. ^ "Kasitien herruus Poriin, Ässät-Sport 3-0". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). April 11, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

## External links

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* Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

Sporting positions

Preceded by

Martin Biron

|  Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick
1996 | Succeeded by

Mika Noronen