South Bend, Ind. 一 Through the first few months of the 2021-22 NHL season, 13 former Notre Dame players have seen action for teams across the league. With the NHL season underway in the new year, here are the current statistics of former Irish standouts in the NHL at the near halfway point in the season:
Former Fighting Irish in the NHL (As of Dec. Jan. 21, 2022)
- F Anders Bjork (2014-17) | Buffalo Sabres
- Season: GP: 35 | G: 4 | A: 2 | P: 6 | PIM: 8
- Career: GP: 188 | G: 23 | A: 28 | P: 51 | PIM: 40
- D Ian Cole (2007-10) | Carolina Hurricanes
- Season: GP: 34 | G: 1 | A: 6 | P: 7 | PIM: 43
- Career: GP: 629 | G: 28 | A: 125 | P: 153 | PIM: 582
- F Jake Evans (2014-18) | Montreal Canadiens
- Season: GP: 31 | G: 4 | A: 3 | P: 7 | PIM: 8
- Career: GP: 91 | G: 9 | A: 14 | P: 23 | PIM: 37
- D Jordan Gross (2014-18) | Colorado Avalanche
- Season: GP: 1 | G: 0 | A: 0 | P: 0 | PIM: 4
- Career: GP: 10 | G: 0 | A: 4 | P: 4 | PIM: 6
- F Vinnie Hinostroza (2013-15) | Buffalo Sabres
- Season: GP: 36 | G: 8 | A: 9 | P: 17 | PIM: 8
- Career: GP: 308 | G: 46 | A: 83 | P: 129 | PIM: 77
- F Anders Lee (2010-13) | New York Islanders
- Season: GP: 27 | G: 10 | A: 2 | P: 12 | PIM: 10
- Career: GP: 547 | G: 194 | A: 138 | P: 332 | PIM: 325
- F Kyle Palmieri (2009-10) | New York Islanders
- Season: GP: 25 | G: 1 | A: 6 | P: 7 | PIM: 37
- Career: GP: 637 | G: 186 | A: 180 | P: 366 | PIM: 345
- D Andrew Peeke (2016-19) | Columbus Blue Jackets
- Season: GP: 37 | G: 1 | A: 8 | P: 9 | PIM: 26
- Career: GP: 70 | G: 2 | A: 13 | P: 15 | PIM: 34
- G Cal Petersen (2014-17) | Los Angeles Kings
- Season: GP: 15 | W: 8 | SV: 364 | SV%: .899 | GAA: 2.74
- Career: GP: 69 | W: 27 | SV: 1859 | SV%: .912 | GAA: 2.78
- F Bryan Rust (2010-14) | Pittsburgh Penguins
- Season: GP: 17 | G: 9 | A: 13 | P: 22 | PIM: 8
- Career: GP: 381 | G: 109 | A: 125 | P: 234 | PIM: 130
- F Riley Sheahan (2009-12) | Seattle Kraken
- Season: GP: 26 | G: 1 | A: 4 | P: 5 | PIM: 0
- Career: GP: 592 | G: 71 | A: 111 | P: 182 | PIM: 91
- F Alex Steeves (2018-21) | Toronto Maple Leafs
- Season: GP: 3 | G: 0 | A: 1 | P: 1 | PIM: 0
- Career: GP: 3 | G: 0 | A: 1 | P: 1 | PIM: 0
- F T.J. Tynan (2010-14) | Los Angeles Kings
- Season: GP: 2 | G: 0 | A: 0 | P: 0 | PIM: 0
- Career: GP: 21 | G: 0 | A: 1 | P: 1 | PIM: 2
Former Irish 2021 NHL Statistic Totals
— Games: 289
— Goals: 39
— Assists: 54
— Points: 93
— PIM: 152
Season Highlights
From one former Irish to another: Vinnie Hinostroza assists Anders Bjork’s fourth goal of the season in Buffalo’s 4-2 win over Winnipeg (Dec. 14).
https://twitter.com/BuffaloSabres/status/1470942777433337863?s=20
Cole’s first of the year: Ian Cole nets his first goal of the season and 28th of his career in a 6-2 win over Buffalo (Dec. 4).
https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1467309876766556163?s=20
Irish on Irish crime: Jake Evans uses nifty stickwork and goes shortside-high to tally a goal past former ND goaltender/teammate Cal Petersen. Petersen got the final say as the Kings beat the Canadiens in overtime, 3-2 (Nov. 9).
GOTTA SEE IT: Jake Evans Undresses Björnfot And Roofs It On Peterson For Beautiful Goal
Multi-goal game for Vinnie: Vinnie Hinostroza recorded his fourth mulit-goal game of his career in his third multi-goal period in the first against Florida (Dec. 2).
https://twitter.com/BuffaloSabres/status/1466567639816417281?s=20
Irish duo help find the net in season opener: Kyle Palmieri assisted on Anders Lee’s first goal of the year in the Islander’s season opener against Carolina (Oct. 14).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzAyCYxEp1o
(Start 5:37 end 6:00)
The Irish’s First for Seattle: Riley Sheahan found the net against the Devils to pick up the first goal by a former Notre Dame player for the Seattle Kraken (Oct. 19).
https://twitter.com/SeattleKraken/status/1450621735972179972?s=20
A first for Steeves: Alex Steeves made his NHL debut this season, and he tallied his first career point as an assist in a 5-4 win for the Maple Leafs over the Blackhawks (Dec. 11)
https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1469839664551018499?s=20
A new year hat trick for Rust: Bryan Rust led the way for the Penguins in their first game of the new year with two assists and his fifth NHL hat trick in a 8-5 win over the San Jose Sharks (Jan. 2).
https://www.nhl.com/penguins/video/rust-nets-5th-nhl-hat-trick/t-277437428/c-1007942
Current Irish Players Drafted
Nine current players on Notre Dame’s roster have been drafted by NHL teams:
| Name | Team | Year | Round | Pick |
| Jack Adams (F) | Detroit Red Wings | 2017 | 6th | 162 |
| Nick Leivermann (D) | Colorado Avalanche | 2017 | 7th | 187 |
| Jake Pivonka (F) | New York Islanders | 2018 | 4th | 103 |
| Spencer Stastney (D) | Nashville Predators | 2018 | 5th | 131 |
| Trevor Janicke (F) | Anaheim Ducks | 2019 | 5th | 132 |
| Landon Slaggert (F) | Chicago Blackhawks | 2020 | 3rd | 79 |
| Jake Boltmann (D) | Calgary Flames | 2020 | 3rd | 80 |
| Ryder Rolston (F) | Colorado Avalanche | 2020 | 5th | 139 |
| Justin Janicke (F) | Seattle Kraken | 2021 | 7th | 195 |
Burke & Morris Ink NHL Deals
Former Fighting Irish All-American goaltender Cale Morris (Chicago) and former captain Cal Burke (Colorado) recently inked NHL deals and were recalled to their teams’ respective taxi squads.
Morris, who played from 2016-20 and led the Irish to the 2018 NCAA Championship game, signed a one-year entry-level deal on Dec. 31.
Burke, who also played from 2016-20 with the Irish, signed a one-year contract with Colorado on Dec. 16 and later was recalled to the taxi squad.
Up Next
The Irish host Minnesota at Compton Family Ice Arena for a two-game series on Jan. 28 (7:30 p.m.) and Jan. 29 (6:00 p.m.) to kick off a four-game homestand. Tickets are still available.
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