Born	March 16, 1979 (1979-03-16) (age 30), Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
KHL team F. teams	Dinamo Riga NHL Chicago Blackhawks Ottawa Senators Colorado Avalanche New York Rangers AHL Hartford Wolf Pack
NHL Draft	183rd overall, 1998 Chicago Blackhawks
Pro career	2001 – present

Tyler Arnason (born March 16, 1979, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a professional ice hockey center for the Dinamo Riga in the Kontinental Hockey League who has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks,Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

He is the son of former NHL winger Chuck Arnason. Arnason was born in Oklahoma City, but was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and attended St. John's-Ravenscourt School. As a member of the Minnesota North Stars, his father Chuck was playing for their Oklahoma City affiliate at the time of Tyler's birth.

[edit] Draft

Arnason was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

[edit] Playing career

In his first professional season, Arnason started out with the Blackhawks but due to poor conditioning spent most of the year with affiliate the Norfolk Admirals.^[1] He was impressive in the AHL however, selected in the All-Star game for PlanetUSA.^[2] Arnason was also awarded the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the league's top rookie.

In the 2002–03 season, his first full season in the NHL, Arnason played in the NHL Youngstars Game^[3] and was named in the All-Rookie team. During the 02-03 season, Arnason recorded his first career NHL hat trick, scoring all three Chicago goals in a 3-3 tie at San Jose on December 28. His best season was in 2003–04 when he amassed 55 points.

On March 9, 2006, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Brandon Bochenski and a second-round pick.^[4] In the nineteen games he played for Ottawa in the regular season, he registered four assists and failed to score a goal. He was a healthy scratch in the playoffs. The Senators chose not to give him a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent.

On July 1, 2006, Arnason signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche.^[5] His dad also played in Colorado as a member of the Colorado Rockies hockey team. Arnason enjoyed a return to form by posting 49 points for the Avalanche in the 2006–07 season. He was consequently awarded a two-year extension by the Avalanche on June 22, 2007.^[6][7]

On July 3, 2009, Arnason signed a one-year two-way contract with the New York Rangers for the 2009-10 season.^[8] On September 17, 2009, Arnason was assigned to affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, for the beginning of the 2009-10 season.^[9] Not since being named Rookie of the Year in the 2001-02 season had Arnason played in the AHL. On 10 November 2009 was suspended by NY Rangers and has signed with the European team Dinamo Riga^[10].

[edit] Awards and achievements

• 1997 - MJHL Rookie of the Year
• 1998 - USHL First All-Star Team
• 1999 - WCHA All-Rookie Team
• 2000 - WCHA Second All-Star Team
• 2002 - AHL All-Rookie Team
• 2002 - Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award (AHL Top Rookie)
• 2003 - NHL YoungStars Game
• 2003 - NHL All-Rookie Team

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] International play

Played for United States in:

• 2007 World Championships

[edit] International statistics

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Tyler Arnason's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Tyler Arnason's biography at Legends of Hockey