It was an exciting day for Minnesota’s Blake Vanek. First, he was selected in the third round (93rd overall) by the Ottawa Senators at the 2025 NHL Draft. It certainly wasn’t the usual draft process for Vanek, since only the top 50 prospects were invited to the draft in L.A. this year.
So Vanek wasn’t in L.A., but he also wasn’t home in Minnesota, or in his future home in Ottawa.
Instead, Vanek, who couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, chatted with the Ottawa media on a Zoom call from Madison, Wisconsin.
“I’m actually going to the Morgan Wallen concert (here) tonight,” Vanek laughed. “So there’s kind of a lot going on tonight.”
Seeing one of the biggest names in country music was merely the cherry on top of a perfect day for Vanek, who realized the first step in his NHL dream. And to get to this far, to quote the classic Morgan Wallen/Post Malone song of the same name, Blake “Had Some Help.”
Blake’s father is Thomas Vanek, who had an outstanding NHL career, appearing in 1,029 games and recording 789 points, most of them with the Buffalo Sabres. Vanek spent eight and a half seasons in Buffalo before finishing his career as something of a journeyman, playing for seven teams in his final six seasons: the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and finally returning to Detroit to close out his career.
Now six years into retirement and settled in the State of Hockey, the 41-year-old is back to focusing on the NHL again, this time through the eyes of his son.
Like fellow Sens prospect Javon Moore (2024), Blake spent most of his draft year playing high school hockey in Minnesota, where he tallied 22 goals and 53 points in just 29 games. Blake fits Ottawa’s trend of drafting bigger players—he’s already almost 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds—and he doesn’t turn 18 until August.
“There’s a lot of hockey runway ahead with him,” Sens amateur scout Dan Boeser said. “He obviously comes from a hockey family with his dad, so there’s that piece we like. He knows the game well.”
Blake also saw limited action with the Chicago Steel in the USHL, posting 5 points in 9 games. Next season, he’s committed to a scholarship and development agreement with the Wenatchee Wild of the WHL. In addition, he represented the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U18 squad, where he picked up an assist in six games.
“He's a powerful kid,” Boeser said. “He's going to be a big man when he's all done. He competes, can shoot the puck, he scores in the dirty areas. So there's a lot to like about him. Like the path that he's going to take next year going to Wenatchee. So yeah, we're excited. We made that move for a reason to get him.”
Vanek says the excitement is mutual.
“I’m totally pumped to become an Ottawa Senator,” Vanek said in a Zoom call posted to the Sens website. “It's a dream come true to be drafted in the NHL Draft.”
Vanek is the latest in a long line of NHL players’ sons to join the Senators. While Blake admits he got a lot of his game from his dad, he says they’re not exactly the same. And then he couldn’t resist a little dig at his pops.
“I want to say my shot’s a little better than his was,” Vanek laughed. “That might be a little cocky.”
If/when Vanek makes it to Ottawa, Dad might feel a brief twinge of irony. Thomas’ best NHL season came in 2006–07, when he recorded 84 points for the Sabres, who won the Presidents' Trophy that year. However, they fell short in the Eastern Conference Final, losing to none other than his son’s new team, the Ottawa Senators.
The Sens advanced to their first and only Stanley Cup Final that year. But now that his son is on board, Thomas wouldn’t mind seeing that happen again.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa
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