The Vienna Capitals were able to release star defender Nick Bailen from Graz. The 36-year-old American, who won the win2day ICE Hockey League championship with the 99ers last season, signed a one-year contract in the federal capital.
Bailen comes to the Danube with an impressive CV. The offensive right-handed shooter played in some of the best leagues in Europe and was named Defender of the Year in the KHL and DEL during his career. Bailen scored 50 points (11 goals + 39 assists) in 39 games in the last regular season, which results in an average of 1.28 points per game – the second best value in the win2day ICE Hockey League among all players who played more than six regular season games. On the way to the championship, Bailen contributed 62 points (13 goals + 49 assists) in a total of 49 games. In Vienna the defender will wear number seven.
Nick Bailen was born on December 12, 1989 in Fredonia, New York, USA. The defenseman played four seasons in the USHL for the Indiana Ice at the junior level from 2005 to 2010. His time in Indianapolis was interrupted in the 2008/09 season, when Bailen played for the Bowling Green State University ice hockey team. After his time in the USHL, the right-handed shooter returned to college ice hockey between 2010 and 2013. For the RPI, Bailen scored 89 points (27 goals + 62 assists) in 112 appearances. After the end of the college season, the defender played his first twelve professional games for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League in the 2012/13 season. Immediately afterwards, the American made the leap to Europe, where he joined the top Finnish team Tappara.
In the 2013/14 season, Bailen recorded 32 points (11 goals + 21 assists) in 59 regular season games, the third highest value of all Liiga defenders. On the way to the final, the American added 12 points (4 goals + 8 assists). No other defender scored more points in the playoffs. With his performances, Bailen earned a place in the team of the season. For the 2014/15 season, the defender moved to Dinamo Minsk in the KHL. By December 2016, the American had played 118 games for the team from the Belarusian capital. He scored 80 points (22 goals + 58 assists). In the 2014/15 season, Bailen took part in the KHL All-Star Game. During his time at Dinamo Minsk, the defender was granted Belarusian citizenship. Bailen played 25 international matches for the Eastern Europeans and took part in three World Cup tournaments, including the A World Cup in 2021.
Bailen finished the 2016/17 season in Sweden with the Växjö Lakers. In the SHL, the strong offensive defender recorded 16 points (4 goals + 12 assists) in 26 appearances. After his interlude in Sweden, the American moved back to the KHL, this time to Traktor Chelyabinsk. In five seasons, the American made 294 appearances, scoring 175 points (56 goals + 119 assists). In his final KHL season, the 2021/22 season, Bailen recorded 50 goal contributions (10 goals + 40 assists) in 64 games. The American, who had his best season in terms of points, was also his team’s top scorer including the playoffs. Bailen was named defender of the season by the KHL. Over the course of his career, the right-handed shooter played a total of 412 KHL games in which he recorded 255 points (78 goals + 177 assists).
Bailen then moved on to the Kölner Haien in the DEL. In his first season on the Rhine, the defender shone with 45 points (19 goals + 26 assists) in 56 regular season games. No other defender scored more points or goals that season. As a result, Bailen was named DEL defender of the season in the 2022/23 season. The American played a total of 112 times for the Haie, collecting 82 scorer points (25 goals + 57 assists). In December 2024, the right-handed shooter moved to the Moser Medical Graz99ers, where he was an integral part of the championship team last season. In the regular season, Bailen scored 50 goals (11 goals + 39 assists) in just 39 appearances. His 1.28 points per game is the second highest point average of all players who have played more than six regular season games. On the way to Graz’s premiere title, Bailen contributed twelve points (2 goals + 10 assists) in ten playoff games. The American played a key role in the 99ers having the best power play in the win2day ICE Hockey League. Over the course of the season, Bailen scored a whopping 27 points (6 goals and 21 assists), meaning the American was involved in more than half of Graz’s 50 power play goals.
Statement Nick Bailen
My family and I are very excited about this new chapter. Whenever we were in Vienna over the past year and a half, my children felt like they didn’t want to leave here. We love this city and are thrilled with what we’ve seen from the Capitals so far. We are excited to be part of the Caps family. I want to be an important part of the team on the ice and help win as many games as possible.
Statement Christian Dolezal, sporting director of the Vienna Capitals
With Nick Bailen we get an absolute top defender in the win2day ICE Hockey League. He has already shown his class in many other leagues in Europe. Nick is a winner who goes to the maximum every day and brings a high level of competition. He moves the puck excellently, brings a lot of creativity and will create enormous accents on offense from defense. He will take our power play in particular to an even higher level with his style of play. We are glad that Nick decided to join the Vienna Capitals despite other offers last season and warmly welcome him and his family.
vienna-capitals.at , Image: fodo.at
“), i.text = “window._taboola = window._taboola || ();_taboola.push({mode:’alternating-thumbnails-a’, container:’taboola-below-article-thumbnails’, placement:’below-article’, target_type: ‘mix’});”, n.appendChild(l), n.appendChild(i), e(n, t) } Array.prototype.filter || (Array.prototype.filter = function(e, t) { if (“function” != typeof e) throw TypeError(); let n = (); for (let l = 0, i = this.length >>> 0; l < i; l += 1) if (l in this) { let r = this(l); e.call(t, r, l, this) && n.push(r) } return n }), window.insertAfter = e, window.getElementByXPath = t, window.injectWidgetByXpath = function e(l) { let i = t(l) ||. document.getElementById("tbdefault"); i && n(i) }, window.injectWidgetByMarker = function e
