Joel Prpic

Joel Melvin Prpic (Croatian surname: Prpić) (born September 25, 1974) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player of Croatian ancestry who is currently playing with Croatian team, KHL Medveščak Zagreb, in the Austrian Hockey League.
== Playing career ==
As a towering 6 foot forward for the Waterloo Siskins in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association Prpic was selected in the ninth round, 233rd overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Opting to pursue an education Prpic was recruited to play collegiate hockey with St. Lawrence University in the ECAC. 
After his senior year and developing as one of the biggest forwards in hockey, Joel turned pro in the 1997–98 season with the Bruins AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Scoring an effective 35 points in 73 games as a checking forward, Prpic made his NHL debut in a solitary game with the Bruins, a playoff-clinching win, against the New York Islanders.
Returned to Providence for the following season, it was not until the 1999–2000 season in which Joel played a further 14 games with Boston. He recorded his first point on a Cameron Mann goal and had his first multi-point game with another assist on a goal to Steve Heinze in a 5-4 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 4, 2000. 
On August 29, 2000, Joel then signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche. He was sent to AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, for the majority of the 2000–01 season, but played in three games for the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Avalanche, recording two penalty minutes against the Phoenix Coyotes in a 2-1 victory on November 29, 2000. Prpic left the Avalanche in the off-season and signed a one-year deal with the San Jose Sharks on August 15, 2001.
In the 2001–02 season, Prpic never appeared with the Sharks but led the Sharks affiliate, the Cleveland Barons, with 80 games and scoring a professional high 48 points. Prpic left North America the following season having played in just 18 career games in the NHL, 15 for the Boston Bruins and three for the Colorado Avalanche, before joining Kokudo Keikaku Tokyo of the Asia League in the 2002–03 season. Prpic was one of the first notable players to join the developing Asian league and had held the record as the tallest to ever play in the League until Steve McKenna joined the league for the 2006–07 season. He holds the records for the most penalty minutes in a season by receiving 175 in the 2006–07 season.
After his seventh season with the Prince Rabbits organization in the Asia League, Joel left to sign a one-year deal as a free agent with Croat team, KHL Medveščak, of the Erste Bank Eishockey League on September 10, 2009. In signing with Zagreb, Prpic returned to the roots of his ancestors, with eligibility and ambition to play with the Croatian national team. 
In the 2009–10 season, Prpic scored 43 points in a team-leading 54 games. On April 20, 2010, he was re-signed to a two-year contract as Medveščak finished seventh in the league. Prpic has expressed desire to end his career with KHL Medveščak.
==Career statistics==
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1993–94 	St. Lawrence University	ECAC 		31 	2 	5 	7 	88 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1994–95 	St. Lawrence University	ECAC 		32 	7 	10 	17 	62 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1995–96 	St. Lawrence University	ECAC 		32 	3 	10 	13 	77 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1996–97 	St. Lawrence University	ECAC 		34 	10 	8 	18 	57 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1997–98 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		73 	17 	18 	35 	53 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1997–98 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		1 	0 	0 	0 	2 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1998–99 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		75 	14 	16 	30 	163 		18 	4 	6 	10 	48
1999–00 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		70 	9 	20 	29 	143 		14 	3 	4 	7 	58
1999–00 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		14 	0 	3 	3 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 		74 	16 	23 	39 	128 		12 	1 	1 	2 	26
2000–01 	Colorado Avalanche 	NHL 		3 	0 	0 	0 	2 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2001–02 	Cleveland Barons 	AHL 		80 	10 	38 	48 	174 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Kokudo 	JIHL 		29 	14 	18 	32 	26 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Kokudo 	AL 		16 	8 	25 	33 	56 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2004–05 	Kokudo 	AL 		34 	18 	30 	48 	170 		7 	1 	2 	3 	24
2005–06 	Kokudo 	AL 		16 	7 	19 	26 	48 		12 	9 	7 	16 	54
2006–07 	Seibu Prince Rabbits 	AL 		24 	16 	28 	44 	175 		7 	8 	9 	17 	16
2007–08 	Seibu Prince Rabbits 	AL 		27 	17 	30 	47 	147 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2008–09 	Seibu Prince Rabbits 	AL 		35 	13 	30 	43 	174 		11 	9 	7 	16 	48
2009–10 	KHL Medveščak 	EBEL 		54 	15 	28 	43 	143 		11 	0 	4 	4 	46
2010–11 	KHL Medveščak 	EBEL 		51 	13 	36 	49 	163 		5 	0 	2 	2 	12
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		18 	0 	3 	3 	4 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==References==
== External links ==
* 
* 
* Joel Prpic's profile at Colorado Avalanche Database
Category:Born in 1974
Category:Boston Bruins draft picks
Category:Boston Bruins players
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Cleveland Barons (2001–2006) players
Category:Colorado Avalanche players
Category:Hershey Bears players
Category:KHL Medveščak players
Category:Kokudo Keikaku players
Category:Providence Bruins players
Category:St. Lawrence Saints players