Dixon Ward

Last updated
Dixon Ward
Born (1968-09-23) September 23, 1968 (age 57)
Leduc, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
Toronto Maple Leafs
Buffalo Sabres
Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
NHL draft 128th overall, 1988
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 1992–2003

Dixon McRae Ward III (born September 23, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted in the seventh round, 128th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Ward spent his NHL career with the Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. In his NHL career, Ward appeared in 537 games, scoring 95 goals and adding 129 assists.

Contents

Personal life

Ward was born on September 23, 1968, in Leduc, Alberta, Canada, [1] to Dixon Ward II. His father was a goaltender with the senior Edmonton Movers and a scout for the Medicine Hat Tigers. [2] Both Dixon and his younger brother Colin played collegiate ice hockey. [3] Ward's son Taylor is also a professional hockey player. [4]

Career

Junior

As a youth, Ward played two seasons with the Red Deer Rustlers in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. [1] After failing to receive a scholarship offer in his rookie season, Ward focused on improving his skating before the 1987–88 season. By December of his sophomore season, Ward had scored 31 goals through 25 games and ranked third in league scoring. His improvements began to attract the attention of at least six collegiate recruiters. [5] He finished the season with 131 points and was recognised as team MVP. [1] He also received a scholarship to play college hockey for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux at the University of North Dakota (UND). [6] Prior to his freshman season at UND, Ward was drafted in the seventh round of the 1988 NHL entry draft by the Vancouver Canucks. [7]

Collegiate

Ward spent four seasons with the North Dakota Fighting Sioux at UND while earning a degree in journalism. [8]

While playing the majority of his freshman season with a hand cast, Ward scored eight goals and nine assists through 37 games. [9] He scored his first collegiate goal on November 26, 1988, against the Denver Pioneers. [10] During the opening round of the 1988 Great Lakes Invitational tournament, Ward recorded his first collegiate hat-trick. [11] He finished the season as the team's Most Improved Player. [12] Ward improved drastically in his sophomore season and finished with a career-best 35 goals and 69 points. [1] By November 1989, Ward ranked third in team scoring with seven goals and seven assists. [9]

Ward started his junior season with 10 goals through his first nine games, despite suffering from a shoulder injury. [13]

At the end of his college career, Ward set numerous program records, including becoming the first Sioux player to record 100 goals and 100 assists. [14] He also ranked second all-time in scoring with 219 points, although this record was later surpassed by Greg Johnson. [15]

Professional

After earning his journalism degree from UND, Ward signed a $150,000 contract with the Canucks for the 1992–93 season. [8] During his rookie season with the Canucks, Ward wrote a column for the Vancouver Sun detailing his first year in the NHL. [16] [17] He made his NHL debut on October 6, 1992, against the Edmonton Oilers and recorded an assist on Greg Adams' goal. Ward wore jersey number 17 in his debut, as his usual jersey number has been retired by the Canucks. [18] He recorded two more points over the Canucks' next two games to help them start the 1992–93 season with a perfect 3-0-0 record. [19] Ward scored his first career NHL goal on October 16 againt the Winnipeg Jets to help lead the Canucks to a 6–2 win. [20] He continued to score through October and November and tallied 10 points through his first 10 games. [21] By mid-December, Ward had tallied 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points through 26 games. George McPhee, the team's director of operations, praised Ward's quick acclimation into the Canucks lineup. [15] Ward continued to rank amongst the rookie league leaders in scoring through March, accumulating 18 goals and 28 assists. [22] He was on pace to best the Canucks' rookie scoring record before suffering an ankle injury on March 14, 1993, during a game against the Calgary Flames. [23] Even once he recovered, Ward struggled to return to the Canucks lineup due to an abundence of qualified players. [24] He finished his rookie season with 22 and 30 assists for 52 points. [1]

Ward struggled in his sophomore season with the Canucks, resulting in a mid-season trade to the Los Angeles Kings. [25]

Post-playing career

As of 2010, Ward is a VP with the Okanagan Hockey School in Penticton, BC.

Awards and honors

AwardYearRef
All-WCHA Second Team 1990–91
All-WCHA Second Team 1991–92
Jack A. Butterfield Trophy 1995–96
Calder Cup (Rochester Americans)1995–96

Career statistics

   Regular season   Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1986–87 Red Deer Rustlers AJHL 594640861532011112216
1987–88Red Deer RustlersAJHL516071131167—————
1988–89 University of North Dakota WCHA 37891726—————
1989–90 University of North DakotaWCHA4535346944—————
1990–91 University of North DakotaWCHA4334356984—————
1991–92 University of North DakotaWCHA3833316490—————
1992–93 Vancouver Canucks NHL 702230528292350
1993–94 Vancouver CanucksNHL3361737—————
1993–94 Los Angeles Kings NHL3462845—————
1994–95 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL2203331—————
1994–95 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 633619—————
1994–95 Detroit Vipers IHL 7369753037
1995–96 Buffalo Sabres NHL82246—————
1995–96 Rochester Americans AHL7138569474191124358
1996–97 Buffalo SabresNHL7913324536122356
1997–98 Buffalo SabresNHL71101323421538116
1998–99 Buffalo SabresNHL782024444421751232
1999–2000 Buffalo SabresNHL71119204150112
2000–01 Boston Bruins NHL635131865—————
2001–02 SC Langnau NLA 238192738—————
2002–03 New York Rangers NHL80002—————
2002–03 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL67234164108—————
2003–04 SC Rapperswil–Jona NLA3522113344—————
NHL totals537951292244316214203446

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dixon Ward". Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  2. ↑ Sicinski, Larry (March 11, 1995). "The return of Dixon Ward". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved January 24, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "20-20 hindsight". Grand Forks Herald. January 13, 1992. Retrieved January 24, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Taylor Ward". Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  5. ↑ Meachem, Greg (December 18, 1987). "Rustler sniped popular target for the scouts". Red Deer Advocate. Retrieved January 24, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Line change". Red Deer Advocate. April 5, 1988. Retrieved January 24, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Meachem, Greg (June 13, 1988). "Sylvan Lake native, Rustler star impress scouts". Red Deer Advocate. Retrieved January 24, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 McDonald, Archie (October 9, 1992). "It's later than he wanted, but Ward's time has finally come". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved January 24, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Foss, Virg (November 24, 1989). "Healthier Ward has rediscovered scoring touch". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Foss, Virg (November 27, 1988). "Sioux lose battle of hat tricks". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Foss, Virg (December 30, 1988). "UND shocks No. 1-ranked Mich. State". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Germsheid, J. (April 4, 1989). "Leduc hockey players turn heads". The Representative. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Foss, Virg (December 24, 1990). "Fossbudgets". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Foss, Virg (January 16, 1992). "A 'double-triple' career". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 McKenty, Brian (December 15, 1992). "Ex-UND standout Dixon Ward loving it in Vancouver". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Ward, Dixon (December 12, 1992). "'I kept waiting for someone to tell me that the ride was over'". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Column One". December 11, 1992. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Fee, Kevin (October 7, 1992). "Ex-UND standout Ward shoots his way into Vancouver lineup in rapid-fire fashion". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Faceoff". The Winnipeg Sun. October 16, 1992. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Valk, Ward score in Canucks' win over Jets". Grand Forks Herald. October 17, 1992. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Ward scores in confidence". The Winnipeg Sun. November 8, 1992. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Canucks update". Minnesota Star Tribune. March 11, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Jamieson, Jim (March 15, 1993). "Rookie Ward sidelined by Stern's late check". The Province. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Luba, Frank (March 26, 1993). "Ward caught in talent trap". The Province. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Lambert, Cynthia (January 9, 1994). "Kings deal Carson to Canucks for Ward". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 25, 2026– via newspapers.com.
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