Evander Kane Evander Kane ( born August 2 , 1991 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left wing with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Selected fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Thrashers , he was drafted from the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) . During his major junior career , he won the Memorial Cup with the Giants in 2007 , finished as runner - up for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL rookie of the year in 2008 and was named to the WHL West First All - Star Team in 2009 . Kane also set the Giants ' franchise record for single - season goals in 2008 – 09 . Internationally , Kane has won gold medals with Team Canada at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and 2009 World Junior Championships . He has also competed in the 2010 IIHF World Championship . Early life . Kane was born in Vancouver , British Columbia , on August 2 , 1991 , to Perry and Sheri Kane , who named him after American boxer Evander Holyfield . Kane has two sisters , Brea and Kyla , who are two and four years younger , respectively . Coming from an athletic lineage , his father was an amateur boxer and hockey player . He played with the Cole Harbour Scotia Colts and Dartmouth Arrows of the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League ( MVJHL ) in Nova Scotia , as well as with St . Francis Xavier University . Kane ' s mother was a professional volleyball player . His uncle , Leonard Kane , is a member of the Canadian Ball Hockey Hall of Fame . Kane ' s cousin , Dwayne Provo , played in the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) for seven years and spent one season with the New England Patriots of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Another cousin , Kirk Johnson , boxed for Canada at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and later fought John Ruiz for the 2007 World Boxing Association ( WBA ) Heavyweight title . Growing up in East Vancouver , Kane attended high school at John Oliver Secondary . In addition to hockey , he played baseball , basketball and soccer growing up . At fourteen - years - old , Kane recorded 140 points in 66 games with the bantam North Shore Winter Club , followed by a 22 - goal , 54 - point campaign to finish fourth in league scoring with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the BC Hockey Major Midget League ( BCMML ) . Kane also played minor hockey with the Vancouver Thunderbirds , prior to bantam and midget . Playing career . Vancouver Giants ( 2006 – 09 ) . Kane was drafted 19th overall in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft by the Vancouver Giants and immediately played eight games for the Giants in the 2006 – 07 season . He received his first WHL call - up for a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds on December 13 , 2006 , due to other Giants players international commitments in the World Junior Championships . Kane scored his first WHL goal , a game - tying marker , on March 25 , 2007 , the last game of the regular season . He also suited up for five WHL post - season games , being originally called up for the playoffs after Giants forward Tim Kraus was suspended for game three of the opening round . He later appeared in two Memorial Cup games , tallying an assist , as part of the Giants ' 2007 Memorial Cup championship . Kane ' s gritty play ( he accumulated 150 penalty minutes in 30 games during midget ) earned him an early comparison to Darcy Tucker from Giants head coach Don Hay , who had coached Tucker as a junior with the Kamloops Blazers . Set to begin his rookie campaign with the Giants the following season , Kane experienced a minor setback as he was forced to miss the start of training camp with a case of mononucleosis . He nevertheless recovered and joined the Giants full - time to tally 24 goals – third in team scoring – and 41 points in his first WHL season . Finishing tenth in rookie scoring , he was nominated for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as league rookie of the year , which was awarded to Brayden Schenn of the Brandon Wheat Kings . Kane emerged with an impressive start to the 2008 – 09 season , registering at least a point in each of his first 22 games . After recording his first WHL hat - trick on October 10 , 2008 , against the Kelowna Rockets , he was named WHL Player of the Week on October 12 , succeeding linemate Casey Pierro - Zabotel who had been chosen the previous week . Shortly thereafter , the WHL selected Kane to represent the league at the 2008 ADT Canada - Russia Challenge . However , due to a bruised heel suffered on November 15 in a game against the Kelowna Rockets , Kane was not able to compete for Team WHL . Kane recovered and earned a spot as an injury replacement at the 2009 World Junior Championships with Team Canada . Upon returning with a gold medal , Kane was named player of the week for the second time in the season on January 12 , 2009 , after scoring six points in two games immediately following the World Juniors . Later that month , he participated in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game as captain for Team Cherry . He finished his second WHL season with 48 goals and 96 points , fourth in league scoring . He surprassed Adam Courchaine ' s team record of 43 goals in a single season , set in 2002 – 03 . Second in team scoring to Pierro - Zabotel ' s 115 points , the linemates finished one - two in all - time Giants ' single - season scoring as Pierro - Zabotel and Kane both surpassed Gilbert Brulé ' s previous 87 - point mark . Kane received WHL West First Team All - Star honours along with teammates Pierro - Zabotel and Jonathon Blum . In the subsequent 2009 playoffs , after the Giants swept the Prince George Cougars in the first round , Kane scored a double - overtime game - winner to force a seventh game in the second round against the Spokane Chiefs . After eliminating the Chiefs in the seventh game , the Giants were then defeated by the Kelowna Rockets in six games in the semi - finals . In 17 post - season games , Kane accumulated 15 points . Preliminary rankings by NHL Central Scouting Services ( CSS ) listed Kane as the second - best draft - eligible WHL skater , behind Spokane Chiefs defenceman Jared Cowen for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft . International Scouting Services ( ISS ) ranked Kane at eighth overall among all draft - eligible skaters . Following Kane ' s performance at the 2009 World Junior Championships , he rose to third overall among North American skaters , behind John Tavares and Matt Duchene , and first in the WHL in the NHL CSS ' s midseason and final rankings . Accordingly , Kane was selected by the NHL CSS as the WHL ' s nominee for the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award ( the award was given to Tavares , the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) nominee ) . Leading up to the 2009 draft , the ISS listed Kane fifth overall in their April rankings . Atlanta / Winnipeg ( 2009 – present ) . After Tavares , Victor Hedman and Duchene were taken with the top three picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft , Kane was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers . He became the highest drafted born - and - raised player from Vancouver since Paul Kariya was taken fourth overall in 1993 ( Barry Beck was the highest at second overall in 1977 ) , the highest drafted Vancouver Giants player in the history of the franchise ( surpassing Gilbert Brulé , who was drafted sixth overall in 2005 ) . and the highest drafted black player in NHL history . Less than a month later , the Thrashers signed Kane to an entry - level contract on July 20 , 2009 . Kane made the Thrashers ' lineup out of his first NHL training camp for the 2009 – 10 season . He recorded his first career NHL point in his debut on October 3 , 2009 , earning an assist on a goal by Rich Peverley against the Tampa Bay Lightning . His first goal was scored five days later , on October 8 , beating Chris Mason with a snap shot in a 4 – 2 win over the St . Louis Blues . He played his first NHL game in his hometown a couple months later in an away game against the Vancouver Canucks on December 10 . Kane had a near - goal go to review as the Thrashers lost 4 – 2 . He suffered a left foot injury late in his rookie season , blocking a shot during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 6 , 2010 . A CT scan three days later revealed a bone fracture . He missed 15 games before returning to the lineup on April 3 . Playing in the Thrashers ' last game of the season on April 10 , he was challenged to a fight by Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke . Kane landed two punches to Cooke ' s jaw , knocking him unconscious on the ice for several minutes . Kane finished his NHL rookie campaign with 14 goals and 26 points in 66 games , ranked 12th among first - year point - scorers . Kane suffered several minor injuries during his second NHL season in 2010 – 11 season . During a game against the Colorado Avalanche on November 30 , 2010 , Kane suffered a left knee injury after he was struck by a shot from teammate Tobias Enstrom ; he missed two games . The following month , he missed one game due to an arm injury , sustained during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 7 . In January 2011 , he missed an additional six games due to a lower - body injury . Kept from the lineup for a total nine games , Kane increased his points total to 43 with 19 goals and 24 assists . He ranked fifth in team point - scoring – third among forward behind captain Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little . During the off - season , the Thrashers franchise was bought and relocated by True North Sports and Entertainment , becoming the Winnipeg Jets . Kane expressed excitement at the move and being able to play in a Canadian hockey market with a passionate fanbase . Although the previous incarnation of the Jets represented a separate franchise ( the team became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 ) , the team had retired the number 9 jersey in honour of Bobby Hull . In preparation of the move to Winnipeg , Kane made it apparent to the media that he would personally ask for Hull ' s persmission to continue wearing the number he had worn as a Thrasher . International play . Coming off his rookie season of major junior , Kane competed in the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament , capturing gold with Canada ' s under - 18 team . He totalled four points in four games , including an assist in the 6 – 3 gold medal game win against Russia . Later that year , Kane was invited to Team Canada ' s selection camp for the 2009 World Junior Championships along with teammate Tyson Sexsmith . Although he was not initially named to the final roster , a knee injury to Dana Tyrell in tournament exhibition play made a roster spot available and Kane was chosen as his replacement . As the youngest player on the team , Kane contributed six points in six games , helping Canada to a fifth straight gold medal with a 5 – 1 victory over Sweden in the final . Following his rookie season in the NHL , Kane was named to the Canadian men ' s team for the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany . General manager Mark Messier made a specific effort to assemble a young team ; as a result , Kane was one of five teenagers on the roster . He finished the tournament with two goals and two assists in seven games . Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinal by Russia and finished in seventh place . The following year , Kane returned to the national team for the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia . Kane recorded two assists over seven games as Canada suffered a second consecutive defeat in the quarterfinal to Russia .