Daniel Tkaczuk was born June 10, 1979 in Toronto, Ontario. The first round, sixth overall selection of the Calgary Flames in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Tkaczuk is a graduate of the OHL's Barrie Colts.
An offensively gifted player, Tkaczuk spent four seasons in Barrie where he registered 334 points (145G - 189A) in 238 career games and was an OHL First Team All-Star in 1999 before making his professional debut with the AHL's Saint John Flames in 1999-00. In his first seasons with Saint-John, Tkaczuk finished with 66 points (25G - 41A) and was a member of the AHL's All-Rookie Team.
After a solid rookie year in Saint-John, Tkaczuk split his 2000-01 season with the baby flames and the parent club in Calgary. Even though he suited up for 19 games with Calgary, Tkaczuk was a key contributor to the baby Flames Calder Cup victory over the Wilkes/Barre Scranton Penguins.
Coming off a Calder Cup victory with Saint-John, the Calgary Flames dealt the young prospect the St. Louis Blues in a package deal that brought netminder Roman Turek to Calgary. Upon his arrival in St. Louis, Tkaczuk joined the team's AHL affiliate in Worcester before joining the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2002-03.
On the international stage, Tkaczuk is a two-time member of Canada's World Junior Team (1998, 1999).
