| Position: | Right Wing |
| Ntl Team: | Croatia |
| Shoots: | Right |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 2 |
| Weight Lb: | 214 |
| Played For: | South Carolina Stingrays Straubing Tigers Pensacola Ice Pilots HYS The Hague KHL Medveščak Dornbirner EC |
| Birth Date: | 31 March 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Cambridge, Ontario, Canada |
| Draft: | 264th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2003 |
| Draft Team: | Florida Panthers |
| Career Start: | 2005 |
| Career End: | 2013 |
John Hećimović (born March 31, 1984) is a Canadian-born Croatian former professional ice hockey player. He most notably played in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga with KHL Medveščak and Dornbirner EC. Hećimović's ancestors hail from Perušić in Lika.[1]
Hećimović was selected in the 9th round (264th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers. John was drafted from Major Junior Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. In his fifth season with the Sting (2004–05) he was traded to the Mississauga IceDogs to finish his junior career.[2]
In his career Hećimović has played in the 2nd Austrian, German, and Swiss league. In the 2008–09 season he was the leading scorer of the Dutch Championship, helping HYS The Hague win the title. On June 3, 2009, Hećimović signed as a free agent with Croatian team, KHL Medveščak, joining the prestigious EBEL league.[3] In the 2009–10 season, his first with the Bears, John scored 20 goals in 49 regular season games. At the 2010 Šalata Winter Classic, Hećimović became the first and top scorer with two goals, within EBEL history to score at Šalata in the defeat against Villach 2-3.[4] On April 20, 2010, he was re-signed to a two-year contract as Medveščak finished seventh in the league.[5]
Hećimović moved onto a tryout at HDD Olimpija Ljubljana. In October 2011 he signed a one-month deal with Anyang Halla.[6]
On December 8, 2011, Hećimović was signed by the Nippon Paper Cranes of the Asia League for the remainder of the 2011–12 season.[7] After finishing the season with the Nippon Paper Cranes, Hećimović returned to the EBEL for one final season with Dornbirner EC.
In 2013, Hećimović played for the Croatian national team at the IIHF World Championship Division II.[8]
| Team | League | GP | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 62 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 2001–02 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 65 | 30 | 19 | 49 | 64 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 60 | 30 | 32 | 62 | 112 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 60 | 30 | 32 | 62 | 98 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 12 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Mississauga IceDogs | OHL | 39 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 99 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 24 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Straubing Tigers | GER.2 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 29 | ||
| 2006–07 | Pensacola Ice Pilots | ECHL | 44 | 23 | 32 | 55 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Pensacola Ice Pilots | ECHL | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | HYS The Hague | NED | 25 | 23 | 23 | 46 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 41 | ||
| 2008–09 | HYS The Hague | NED | 16 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | KHL Medveščak | AUT | 49 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 38 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | KHL Medveščak Zagreb II | CRO | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | KHL Medveščak | AUT | 47 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 50 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | KHL Medveščak Zagreb II | CRO | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Anyang Halla | ALH | 10 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Nippon Paper Cranes | ALH | 14 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Dornbirner EC | AUT | 23 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| ECHL totals | 73 | 28 | 44 | 72 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AUT totals | 119 | 46 | 53 | 99 | 102 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Croatia | OGQ | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2013 | Croatia | WC D2A | 5 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 7 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 0 | |||