"Thanks to one of his father's former Czech teammates, Vanek hooked up with a bantam team in Red Deer, Alberta, at age 14. Two years later, he moved to Sioux Falls to play Junior A.
By 2002 Vanek wanted to experience college life, so he decided not to opt into the NHL draft that year. Recruited by Motzko, Vanek warmed to Minnesota after seeing its passion for hockey on his first visit to the Minneapolis campus. Vanek also read up on the Golden Gophers' history, which included 18 trips to the Frozen Four and four NCAA titles. "People breathe hockey in Minnesota," says Vanek. "They are so into it."
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So it was as simple as that, though there's no doubting that his draft stock took a major rise by winning MVP honours and scoring the game-winning goals in the semi and finals of the Frozen Four with the Gophers. Compare with David Backes, who was right behind Vanek in USHL scoring in '02, but drafted in the 2nd round out of the USHL in '03 while Vanek went top 5.
