| Marek Vanacker | |
| Birth Date: | 12 April 2006 |
| Birth Place: | Delhi, Ontario, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 1 |
| Weight Lb: | 174 |
| Position: | Left wing |
| Shoots: | Left |
| League: | NHL |
| Team: | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Prospect League: | OHL |
| Prospect Team: | Brantford Bulldogs |
| Draft: | 27th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2024 |
| Draft Team: | Chicago Blackhawks |
Marek Vanacker (born April 12, 2006) is a Canadian ice hockey left wing for the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as a prospect to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 27th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
On April 20, 2022, Vanacker was drafted 23rd overall by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2022 OHL Draft.[1] On May 21, 2022, he signed with the Bulldogs.[2] During the 2022–23 season, he recorded four goals and 12 assists in 55 games for the Brantford Bulldogs. During the 2023–24 season, he recorded 36 goals, 46 assists, 22 power-play points and five short-handed goals in 68 regular season games for the Bulldogs. He led the team in goals and points, and ranked second in assists. During the playoffs he recorded three goals and four assists in six games.[3]
On June 28, 2024, Vanacker was drafted 27th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL entry draft.[4] [5] He was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on August 5, 2024.[6]
On April 16, 2024, Vanacker was named to Canada's under-18 team for the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships.[7] During the tournament he recorded one goal in six games and won a gold medal.[8]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2021–22 | Brantford 99ers | OJHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 55 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Brantford Bulldogs | OHL | 68 | 36 | 46 | 82 | 55 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||
| OHL totals | 123 | 40 | 58 | 98 | 75 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Canada Black | U17 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2024 | Canada | U18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Junior totals | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||||