Vancouver Canucks By The Numbers: No. 3 – Kevin Bieksa

The Canuck Way continues its series looking at the best Vancouver Canucks at every number. This time we look at No. 3.

While Kevin Bieksa is no longer a Canuck, he is still the best player to wear the No. 3 for the Canucks. While Pat Quinn also wore the number for the Canucks, it was only for one season.

Bieksa was drafted by the Canucks in the fifth round (151st overall) out of Bowling Green State University in the 2001 NHL Draft. Like most defenseman, it took him a while to develop. He played three more seasons for Bowling Green State before playing one full season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose in 2004-05. The next season was split between the Moose and the Canucks, playing 39 games for Vancouver.

Starting full-time with the Canucks in the 2006-07 season, Bieksa slowly developed into of Vancouver’s better defenseman. He eventually became the Canucks go-to d-man when it comes to shutting down opponents. When Dan Hamhuis joined the team in 2010, he eventually joined Bieksa to form their shutdown pairing on the blue line.

However, as cap issues arose this off-season, it all but certain that one of Bieksa or Hamhuis would be traded. Expected to be moved at the draft, a Bieksa deal took a bit longer to be made, eventually being traded to the Anaheim Ducks on June 30, 2015.

Next: Canucks By The Numbers - No. 2

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