Pack Attack: Vernon Fiddler

Sorry for the delay. My automatic uploads did not run as smooth as I had hoped while I was moving. Never fear though I am back and the Pack Attack is a go!

Today we’re going to end the week with a look at Edmonton Alberta native Vernon Fiddler.

Going undrafted Fiddler continued to play in the WHL until finally turning pro in 2001-02 season with the American Hockey Leagues Norfolk Admirals. Doing his time in the WHL from the 1997-98 season until the 2000-01 season with the Kelowna Rockets he saw the WHL playoffs in every season except his final WHL season when the Rockets traded him after only appearing in 3 games to the Medicine Hat Tigers where he put 33 goals and 38 assist on the board in 67 regular season games. Finishing out the 2000-01 season in the ECHL he played 3 regular season games with the Arkansas RiverBlades and 5 playoff games.

In the 2001-02 season Fiddler split his time between the ECHL Roanoke Express (44 regular season games) and the AHL Norfolk Admirals (38 regular season games and 4 playoff games). In the spring of 2002 Fiddler was signed by the Nashville Predators and was sent to their AHL affiliate team. Fiddler would go on to win the Calder Cup with the Milwaukee Admirals in the 2003-04 season.

Spending from the 2002-03 season until the 2006-07 split between the two teams (Other than the NHL lockout of 2004-05 he spent the entire season with the Admrials). In 2006-07 Fiddler played in 72 regular season games putting up 11 goals and 15 assist for the Predators and 5 playoff games added a goal and an assist to finish out his season.

Playing two more seasons with the Predators Fiddler only saw the playoffs one more time before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2009.

On July 1, 2009 Fiddler signed a two-year 2.2 million dollar contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. In his first season with the Coyotes Fiddler tallied 8 goals and 22 assist in 76 regular season games. He had ice time in six of the seven first-round playoff games, the first of such games for the Coyotes since the lockout.