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Dean Kukan

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Dean Kukan
Kukan with the ZSC Lions in 2024
Born (1993-07-08) 8 July 1993 (age 31)
Volketswil, Switzerland
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NL team
Former teams		 ZSC Lions
Luleå HF
Columbus Blue Jackets
National team   Switzerland
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2009–present

Dean Kukan (born 8 July 1993) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). He is of Czech descent.[1]

Playing career

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Kukan played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a youth team from Zürich.[2] Undrafted, he made his European Elite debut during the 2010–11 season playing in the Swiss National League A with the ZSC Lions. After two seasons, Kukan left for Luleå HF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[3]

Kukan established a role on the blueline with Luleå HF over six seasons before using an NHL out-clause after the 2014–15 season, to sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on 1 June 2015.[4]

In the 2015–16 season, Kukan made his NHL debut on 26 March 2016, against the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena.[5] He was reassigned to their AHL affiliate at the end of the Blue Jackets season and went on to win the 2016 Calder Cup.

On June 9, 2017, the Blue Jackets re-signed Kukan to a one-year, two-way extension.[6] On February 7, 2020, Kukan was signed to a two-year contract extension by the Blue Jackets.

Following his seventh season in North America in 2021–22, and despite recording career best 3 goals and 11 points through 41 games with the Blue Jackets, Kukan as an impending free agent opted to return to his native Switzerland in re-joining original club, ZSC Lions, on a five-year contract through 2027 on 1 June 2022.[7]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Switzerland
Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Denmark
Silver medal – second place 2024 Czechia

Kukan participated at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as a member of the Switzerland men's national junior ice hockey team.

He represented Switzerland at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a silver medal.[8]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2008–09 ZSC Lions SUI U17 27 1 2 3 4 10 0 5 5 4
2008–09 GCK Lions SUI U20 8 0 1 1 0 5 0 0 0 2
2009–10 GCK Lions SUI U20 13 1 5 6 2 9 0 4 4 2
2009–10 GCK Lions NLB 29 0 6 6 14 — — — — —
2010–11 GCK Lions SUI U20 2 0 1 1 0 10 0 0 0 6
2010–11 ZSC Lions NLA 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2010–11 GCK Lions NLB 37 1 2 3 4 — — — — —
2011–12 Luleå HF J20 42 5 16 21 8 3 0 2 2 2
2011–12 Luleå HF SEL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2012–13 Luleå HF J20 11 2 1 3 2 — — — — —
2012–13 Luleå HF SEL 16 1 3 4 0 15 0 1 1 0
2012–13 Asplöven HC Allsv 2 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2012–13 Tingsryds AIF Allsv 16 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
2013–14 Luleå HF SHL 54 4 8 12 12 6 1 1 2 0
2014–15 Luleå HF SHL 52 3 10 13 14 9 0 2 2 0
2015–16 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 33 3 10 13 8 17 1 4 5 2
2015–16 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 8 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2016–17 Cleveland Monsters AHL 72 4 25 29 43 — — — — —
2017–18 Cleveland Monsters AHL 32 1 14 15 20 — — — — —
2017–18 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 11 0 4 4 2 — — — — —
2018–19 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 25 0 5 5 6 10 1 0 1 2
2018–19 Cleveland Monsters AHL 5 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 33 1 4 5 12 9 0 1 1 7
2020–21 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 35 1 4 5 10 — — — — —
2021–22 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 41 3 8 11 16 — — — — —
2022–23 ZSC Lions NL 49 7 24 31 8 9 2 3 5 6
2023–24 ZSC Lions NL 40 3 22 25 8 15 2 9 11 0
SHL totals 125 8 21 29 26 30 1 4 5 0
NHL totals 153 5 25 30 46 19 1 1 2 9

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2010 Switzerland U18 5th 6 0 3 3 0
2011 Switzerland U18 7th 6 0 2 2 0
2012 Switzerland WJC 8th 6 1 1 2 0
2013 Switzerland WJC 6th 6 0 1 1 2
2014 Switzerland WC 10th 7 1 0 1 2
2015 Switzerland WC 8th 3 0 0 0 0
2017 Switzerland WC 6th 8 0 1 1 2
2018 Switzerland WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 1 2 3 0
2022 Switzerland WC 5th 8 2 4 6 0
2023 Switzerland WC 5th 7 0 4 4 4
2024 Switzerland WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 1 2 3 6
Junior totals 24 1 7 8 2
Senior totals 53 5 13 18 14

Awards and honors

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Awards Year
AHL
Calder Cup (Lake Erie Monsters) 2016 [9]
NL
Champion (ZSC Lions) 2024 [10]

References

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  1. ^ "Dean Kukan will an der WM von sich reden machen". Limmattalerzeitung. 23 December 2012. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Defender Kukan extends with Lulea" (in Swedish). Luleå HF. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Blue Jackets sign defensemen Blake Siebenaler and Dean Kukan to entry-level contracts". Columbus Blue Jackets. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Blue Jackets recall Sonny Milano & Dean Kukan from Lake Erie Monsters (AHL)". Columbus Blue Jackets. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Blue Jackets sign Dean Kukan to one-year extension". Columbus Blue Jackets. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Simon Hrubec and Dean Kukan join ZSC Lions" (in German). ZSC Lions. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Silver it is - Czechia beats Switzerland in the World Championship final". swisshockeynews.ch. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  9. ^ Brown, Tony (12 June 2016). "Bjorkstrand's OT goal clinches Monsters' first-ever Calder Cup championship". Columbus Blue Jackets. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  10. ^ "The ZSC Lions win the 2023-24 championship". swisshockeynews.ch. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
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