| Nikos Tselios | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born | (1979-01-20)January 20, 1979 (age 46) Glen Ellyn,Illinois, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Carolina Hurricanes KalPa Färjestads BK | ||
| NHL draft | 22nd overall,1997 Carolina Hurricanes | ||
| Playing career | 1996–2007 | ||
Nikos Tselios (Greek:Νίκος Τσέλιος; born January 20, 1979) is aGreek-American former professionalice hockey defenseman. Tselios became the first draft pick in the history of theCarolina Hurricanes when he was selected 22nd overall in the1997 NHL Entry Draft.
As a youth, Tselios played in the 1993Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Chicago Blackhawksminor ice hockey team.[1]
Tselios was the first draft pick for the inauguralCarolina Hurricanes in the1997 NHL Entry Draft. After he was drafted, Tselios returned to theOHL to play for theBelleville Bulls.[2]
Tselios made his NHL debut with theCarolina Hurricanes during the2001–02 season, playing two games.[3][2] Those would be the only NHL games he would play as he spent the next four seasons playing in the minor leagues. In October 2005, Tselios signed withKalPa of the FinnishSM-liiga and played with them until January 31, 2006, when he moved toFärjestads BK of the SwedishElitserien. He scored his first goal at Färjestad on March 25 in the semifinal of the Swedish Championship againstHV 71. He then played in theUnited Hockey League with theChicago Hounds before returning to Sweden, signing with HK Örebro in the Swedish First Division, the country's third-tier level.[4]
Tselios is a cousin of long-time NHL defensemanChris Chelios.[5] Tselios also tried for theGreece national team in the 2006.
Tselios owns and operates an instructional hockey business called Infinity Hockey Selects, and resides in Illinois with his wife and son.[6]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995–96 | Chicago Young Americans | Midget | 27 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 64 | 9 | 37 | 46 | 61 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 20 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 41 | 20 | 8 | 28 | 27 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 27 | ||
| 1998–99 | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 60 | 21 | 39 | 60 | 60 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 8 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Cincinnati Cyclones | IHL | 80 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 75 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Cincinnati Cyclones | IHL | 79 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 98 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 70 | 3 | 16 | 9 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 61 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 75 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 105 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Utah Grizzlies | AHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 35 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | KalPa | SM-l | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Färjestad BK | SEL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2006–07 | Chicago Hounds | UHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Örebro HK | Div.1 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 2007–08 | Örebro HK | Div.1 | 32 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 132 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | ||
| NHL totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AHL totals | 259 | 16 | 41 | 57 | 287 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | United States | WJC |  | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 1998 | United States | WJC | 5th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | ||||
Carolina defenseman Nikos Tselios made his NHL debut in the game.
"It's pronounced the same, but ours is the Greek spelling," says Nik Tselios, a cousin of Blackhawks captain Chris Chelios.
| Preceded by | Carolina Hurricanes first round draft pick 1997 | Succeeded by |