Background
Bancks was born in Calgary, Alberta, but grew up in Marysville, British Columbia.
Bancks was born in Calgary, Alberta, but grew up in Marysville, British Columbia.
He played the 2013-2014 season under contract to with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (National Hockey League). An undrafted player, Bancks played four seasons of junior in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and four more in the American Hockey League (AHL) before making his National Hockey League debut in 2013. As a Junior, Bancks played with the Junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League in 2005-2006 before earning a late season appearance with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
He played four full seasons with the Hurricanes between 2006 and 2010, scoring 58 goals and 120 assists in 262 games.
Bancks went unselected at the National Hockey League draft, and upon graduating from junior, was signed to an American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Abbotsford Heat. He played his first full season of professional hockey in 2010-2011 and while a concussion limited him to 29 games, Bancks still scored 19 points.
He made a positive impression with his team Head coach Jim Playfair argued that if Bancks had been healthy throughout the season, Abbotsford would not have missed the AHL playoffs.
His performance was enough for the Calgary Flames, the parent club of the Heat, to sign him to an National Hockey League contract.
He remained with the Heat for the following two seasons, scoring 10 points in 55 games in 2011-2012, and 12 in 59 games the following year. Upon the conclusion of the 2012-2013 AHL season, Bancks was one of several players recalled by Calgary. He made his National Hockey League debut on April 23, 2013, against the Nashville Predators.
As an unsigned free agent from the Flames heading into the 2014-2015 season, Bancks accepted an invite to the Vancouver Canucks training camp.
He was later reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, on September 27, 2014. His father, Jerry Bancks, is the head coach of the Kimberley Dynamiters of the KIJHL.
