{{short description|American professional ice hockey center (born 1983)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | image = Helminen Dwight Pelicans 2011 1.jpg | image_size = 225px | team = Kalamazoo Wings | prospect_team = | prospect_league = | former_teams = JYP<br>Carolina Hurricanes<br>San Jose Sharks<br>Pelicans | league = ECHL | position = Center | shoots = Left | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 10 | weight_lb = 191 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|6|22|mf=y}} | birth_place = Hancock, Michigan, U.S. | ntl_team = | draft = 244th overall | draft_year = 2002 | draft_team = Edmonton Oilers | career_start = 2004 | career_end = 2013 }} '''Dwight Edward Helminen''' (born June 22, 1983) is an American-Finnish former professional ice hockey center who most recently played with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. His brother Lars plays with Linz EHC of the EBEL.
==Playing career== Helminen was born in Hancock, Michigan, and raised in Brighton, Michigan.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} As a youth, he played in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Compuware minor ice hockey team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|title=Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA|year=2018|website=Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament|access-date=2019-02-11|archive-date=2019-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
He was drafted 244th overall in the 2002 NHL entry draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Dwight played junior hockey for the U.S. Junior National Team in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and college hockey at the University of Michigan for the Wolverines. On March 3, 2004, the New York Rangers acquired his rights from the Oilers along with a 2004 second round draft pick and Steve Valiquette in exchange for Petr Nedvěd and Jussi Markkanen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_player/Helminen,Dwight|title=Helminen Dwight Trade History|website=NHL Trade Tracker|access-date=2023-06-13}}</ref>
After turning professional, Helminen played for the Charlotte Checkers in the ECHL and the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL), before signing with JYP Jyväskylä in the Finnish SM-liiga in 2007.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}
Helminen signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 3, 2008. He was then assigned to the Hurricanes' affiliate, the Albany River Rats of the AHL. Helminen made his NHL debut in the 2008–09 season after an injury to Brandon Sutter. In his fourth career NHL game, while playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at home, Helminen scored his first career NHL goal and tallied his first and only career NHL assist.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/helmidw01/gamelog/2009|title=Dwight Helminen 2008-09 Gamelog|website=hockeyreference|access-date=2023-06-13}}</ref> It was the most ice time he had received in the NHL, and his playing time relative to the rest of his NHL career remained consistently high for the next four games, before he was sent back to Albany. He was recalled to the Hurricanes and played four games in early March 2009 as a few Hurricanes forwards missed games, did not play for the Hurricanes' next three games, then returned to the lineup on March 18 to play in each of the Hurricanes' remaining games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/helmidw01/gamelog/2009|title=Dwight Helminen 2008-09 Gamelog|website=hockeyreference|access-date=2023-06-13}}</ref> This unusual schedule of games, combined with Carolina's late season push towards the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, meant that Helminen played in 13 consecutive wins for the Hurricanes as he avoided a three game winless streak for the team in mid-March.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CAR/2009_gamelog.html|title= 2008-09 Carolina Hurricanes Team Gamelog|website=hockeyreference|access-date=2023-06-13}}</ref> He had played in 23 regular season games by season's end with the Hurricanes, as well as one playoff game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/200904230NJD.html|title=2008-09 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals Game 5, Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils Box Score: April 23, 2009|website=hockeyreference|access-date=2023-06-13}}</ref>
On July 16, 2009, Helminen signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sharks.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=442902&page=NewsPage&service=page|title=Sharks sign four players, re-sign Vesce|publisher=San Jose Sharks|date=2009-07-16|accessdate=2009-07-16|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718215001/http://sharks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=442902|archivedate=2009-07-18}}</ref> In the 2009–10 season, on February 11, 2010, Helminen scored his first goal with the Sharks, against the Detroit Red Wings. On April 22, 2010, he scored a goal against the Colorado Avalanche in the Sharks' first-round playoff series.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}
Midway through the 2011–12 season, Helminen left KLH Chomutov of the Czech first division league to return to North America, signing with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL on February 6, 2012.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kwings.com/newsRelease.php?K-WINGS-ADD-NHL-EXPERIENCE-307 | title = Wings add NHL experience | publisher = Kalamazoo Wings | date = 2012-02-06 | accessdate = 2012-02-06 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120208171403/http://www.kwings.com/newsRelease.php?K-WINGS-ADD-NHL-EXPERIENCE-307 | archivedate = 2012-02-08 }}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 1998–99 | Compuware Ambassadors | NAHL | 32 | 9 | 7 | 16 | | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1999–2000 | US NTDP Juniors | USHL | 30 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1999–2000 | US NTDP U18 | NAHL | 30 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2000–01 | US NTDP Juniors | USHL | 24 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2000–01 | US NTDP U18 | NAHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2000–01 | US NTDP U18 | USDP | 42 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2001–02 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 40 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2002–03 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 39 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2003–04 | University of Michigan | CCHA | 41 | 17 | 11 | 28 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2004–05 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 41 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2004–05 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL | 28 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2005–06 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 77 | 32 | 23 | 55 | 40 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 |- | 2006–07 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 80 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2007–08 | JYP | SM-liiga | 52 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |- | 2008–09 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 54 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2008–09 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |- | 2009–10 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 74 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2009–10 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |- | 2010–11 | Pelicans | SM-liiga | 60 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2011–12 | Piráti Chomutov | CZE.2 | 24 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2011–12 | Kalamazoo Wings | ECHL | 20 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2012–13 | Kalamazoo Wings | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | AHL totals ! 326 ! 76 ! 79 ! 155 ! 124 ! 22 ! 4 ! 6 ! 10 ! 12 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 27 ! 2 ! 1 ! 3 ! 0 ! 8 ! 1 ! 0 ! 1 ! 4 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | SM-liiga totals ! 112 ! 32 ! 41 ! 73 ! 50 ! 6 ! 3 ! 3 ! 6 ! 0 |}
===International=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Year ! Team ! Event ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 2000 | United States | U17 | 6 || 0 || 2 || 2 || |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2001 | United States | WJC18 | 6 || 3 || 5 || 8 || 0 |- | 2002 | United States | WJC | 6 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2003 | United States | WJC | 7 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 2 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | Junior totals ! 26 ! 5 ! 10 ! 15 ! 4 |}
==Awards and honors== {| class="wikitable" ! Award ! Year ! |- | CCHA All-Tournament Team | 2003 | <ref name = media>{{cite news|title=2012-13 CCHA Media Guide|url=http://issuu.com/cchahockey/docs/2012-13_ccha_media_guide_final_2a_compressed#|publisher=ISSUU.com|accessdate=2014-04-23}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ice hockey stats}}
{{S-start}} {{s-ach}} {{succession box | before = Jed Ortmeyer | title = CCHA Best Defensive Forward| years = 2003–04| after = Eric Nystrom}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helminen, Dwight}} Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Albany River Rats players Category:American men's ice hockey centers Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:American people of Finnish descent Category:Carolina Hurricanes players Category:Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010) players Category:Edmonton Oilers draft picks Category:Hartford Wolf Pack players Category:Ice hockey players from Michigan Category:JYP Jyväskylä players Category:Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) players Category:Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players Category:Lahti Pelicans players Category:Sportspeople from Hancock, Michigan Category:Sportspeople from Brighton, Michigan Category:San Jose Sharks players Category:USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Category:Worcester Sharks players