Ed Jovanovski |
Wiki |
Edward Jovanovski (born June 26, 1976) is a Canadian professional hockey defenceman currently playing for the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Florida Panthers, with whom he was originally drafted in 1994, and Vancouver Canucks.
Jovanovski was born in Windsor, Ontario, to Macedonian immigrants. Coming from an athletic family, his father Kostadin was a professional soccer player in Yugoslavia. Jovanovski played minor hockey in his hometown before beginning his major junior career in 1993–94.
Jovanovski played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with his hometown team, the Windsor Spitfires. In his rookie season with the Spitfires, Jovanovski led all team defencemen in scoring, with 50 points in 62 games, and was named to the OHL All-Rookie Team, as well as the OHL Second All-Star Team. That off-season, Jovanovski was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted, Jovanovski played one more season for Windsor and was named to the OHL First All-Star Team before joining the Florida Panthers in 1995–96.