Canucks Sports & Entertainment announced today that President & General Manager Mike Gillis has agreed to terms on a contract extension.
“This is a significant announcement for our hockey club,” said Francesco Aquilini, Chairman, Canucks Sports & Entertainment. “These past four years have been the most successful in Canucks history.
Mike and his management team have done an excellent job to position us for long term success on and off of the ice.
We believe Mike’s presence in this organization is important to the long term success of this hockey club and we are confident that we will continue to compete at the highest level under his leadership.” “I am very pleased to be signing this extension to remain the President & General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks,” said Gillis.
We are driven every day to try and win the Stanley Cup and will continue to focus on being a strong organization both on and off of the ice.”Mike Gillis is the 10th General Manager in the history of the Canucks and is completing his fourth season with the team. As President & General
Manager, Gillis has led the Canucks to Northwest Division titles every season since joining the organization and to two Presidents’ Trophies.
He also set a franchise record with 117 points in the regular season, and winning the Clarence Campbell Bowl as the Western Conference playoff champions in 2010.11.
He received the General Manager of the Year Award at the 2011 NHL Awards.
Gillis is responsible for the overall strategic direction of Canucks Sports & Entertainment working in partnership with Chief Operating Officer, Victor de Bonis.
He provides strategic leadership to the Hockey Operations Department, overseeing the Canucks top minor league affiliates, negotiating player contracts and executing viable, long-term strategies for player growth and development.
Over the past four seasons Gillis has secured core players on the Canucks roster to long-term deals through the 2012.13 season including Kevin Bieksa, Chris Higgins, Dan Hamhuis, Manny Malhotra, Ryan Kesler, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Roberto Luongo, Alex Burrows and Alex Edler.
Gillis was selected 5th overall by the Colorado Rockies in the 78 Entry Draft and played 246 games managing 76 points (33-43-76) with Colorado and Boston before injury forced him to retire.
A native of Kingston, Ontario, Gillis earned a law degree from Queen’s University, where he later served as a professor of sports law.
Prior to joining the Canucks, Gillis enjoyed a successful 15-year career as a NHL player representative.