Nick Cicek

Nicholas Cicek (born May 29, 2000) is a Canadian-Turkish professional ice hockey defenceman playing with Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He has formerly played with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Nick Cicek
Nick Cicek, 2024
Born	(2000-05-29) May 29, 2000 (age 24) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
DEL team Former teams	Adler Mannheim San Jose Sharks
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2021–present

Playing career

Cicek originally played junior hockey in his home city of Winnipeg before he was selected in the seventh-round, 149th overall, of the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft by the Portland Winterhawks. He played the Winnipeg Wild in the Manitoba U-18 'AAA' Hockey League (MMHL) and Winnipeg Blues of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) before making his major junior debut with Portland.

He appeared in parts of four season with the Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League (WHL), captaining the club in his final season in 2020–21, while notching career highs in assists and points despite the shortened COVID-19 affected campaign.

As an undrafted free agent and having completed his junior career, Cicek signalled the beginning of his professional career in signing a one-year AHL contract with the San Jose Barracuda on May 20, 2021. He immediately joined the Barracuda on an amateur try-out contract for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.^[1]

In his first full professional season in 2021–22, Cicek continued his late-blooming development in quickly establishing himself within the Barracuda blueline to finish second in points and finish 9th in league scoring among rookie defenceman with 5 goals and 25 points through 53 regular season games. On April 12, 2022, Cicek was signed to his first NHL contract after agreeing to a two-year, entry-level deal with the Barracuda's affiliate, the San Jose Sharks.^[2]

Cicek was reassigned by the Sharks to continue with the Barracuda to begin the 2022–23 season. After 10 scoreless games with the Barracuda, Cicek received his first recall to the NHL on November 15, 2022.^[3] He immediately made his NHL debut with the Sharks that night, playing in a top-four pairing role in a 5–2 defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights.^[4] In just his second game, he registered his first point, an assist on a goal to Matt Nieto, during a 7–4 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings on November 17, 2022.^[5]

On December 15, 2023, Cicek was traded to the Vancouver Canucks along with a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Jack Studnicka.^[6]

At the conclusion of his contract with the Canucks, Cicek left as a free agent and signed his first contract abroad in joining German club, Adler Mannheim of the DEL, on a one-year deal on July 18, 2024.^[7]

Personal

Cicek's father, Nazim, is from Turkey and he holds both Canadian and Turkish citizenship. He played for Turkey in the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival when he was 16.^[4] Cicek's younger brother, Michael, plays major junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL.^[8]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2015–16	Winnipeg Wild	MMHL		3	0	1	1	0		4	1	1	2	10
2016–17	Winnipeg Wild	MMHL		34	3	21	24	87		11	2	7	9	26
2017–18	Winnipeg Blues	MJHL		34	6	10	16	104		12	1	2	3	12
2017–18	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		7	0	0	0	6		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		44	0	13	13	54		5	0	2	2	0
2019–20	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		63	4	10	14	91		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		24	5	16	21	46		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		53	5	20	25	62		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		37	1	2	3	38		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	San Jose Sharks	NHL		16	0	4	4	15		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		18	1	2	3	21		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Abbotsford Canucks	AHL		49	3	11	14	52		6	0	2	2	2
NHL totals				16	0	4	4	15		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honours

Award	Year
MMHL
First All-Star Team	2017