The 2021-2022 National Hockey League (NHL) season is in full swing. With cities like Hoboken and Jersey City being hot spots to live for young professionals, there’s no doubt a ton of NHL players have chosen to make Hudson County their home at some point while playing for a Metropolitan-area team. Read on to learn more about these NHL athletes who have resided in Hudson County and their careers.
Adam Henrique
(Photo credit: @adamhenrique)
Adam Henrique is a current center for the Anaheim Ducks but started his career with the NJ Devils. The native of Brantford, Canada played in the Ontario Hockey League before being drafted in the NHL during the third round, 82nd overall by New Jersey in 2008. Adam debuted on the ice in the 2010 season but ended up only playing one game that year.
Adam quickly became an explosive forward for the team come next year, scoring 16 goals and collecting 35 assists in his first full season. He eventually became a part of the veteran Devils group who all lived in Hoboken while playing for the team. He continued to put up numbers for the Devils through the beginning of the 2017-2018 season when he was acquired by the Anaheim Ducks in a trade. Adam just started his fifth season with Anaheim, where he is still putting pucks in the back of the net. Over his 13-year, 715-game career so far, Adam has a total of 199 goals and 203 assists.
Andy Greene
Andy Greene is a well-known league veteran. He joined the NHL as an undrafted player in 2006. Andy is a defenseman from Trenton, Michigan who played college ice hockey at Miami University (Ohio) before debuting with the Devils in January 2007. Andy spent a huge chunk of his career living in Hoboken alongside other Devils while with New Jersey. While in town, Andy took advantage of Hoboken’s great food scene, listing Anthony David’s, Augustino’s, Johnny Pepperoni’s, and Court Street among his favorites.
Andy played for the Devils from 2006 to 2020. He was named an alternate captain in 2012 and was named Captain of the Devils during the 2015-2016 season, leading the team for five years. In 2020, Andy was traded to the New York Islanders. As he nears his 1,000th NHL game, Andy has 50 goals and 205 assists to his name, mostly with New Jersey.
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Blake Coleman
(Photo credit: @bcoles25)
Current Calgary Flames center Blake Coleman was the 75th pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He grew up in Plano, Texas before going on to play ice hockey at Miami University, and started his professional career with the New Jersey Devils. During his tenure with the team, Blake lived in a West New York condo overlooking the Hudson River.
Since making his NHL debut in 2017, Blake has scored 72 goals and collected 55 assists in just over 300 games. He played with the Devils until February 2020, when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the two years he spent in Florida, Blake and the Lightning went on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons. After proving his place and emerging as an essential forward over the years, he signed a six-year, $29 million dollar contract with Calgary this past offseason. Blake scored his first goal of the year in the season opener.
Cory Schneider
Cory Schneider is another former Devil that decided on living in Hudson County. The goaltender out of Marblehead, Massachusetts played for New Jersey from 2013-2020, living in Hoboken for the first two years. He was drafted 26th overall by Vancouver in the 2004 NHL Draft and went on to play five years with them.
Cory appeared in 98 games, 86 of which he started, with the Canucks. He accumulated a 55-26-8 record to start off the first few years of his career and was the backup goalie in Vancouver’s 2011 Stanley Cup Final appearance before going over to New Jersey.
Cory spent seven years as a key Devils goaltender. He started off as a backup to Martin Brodeur, but in the years after he solidified a role as the team’s starter and became a key part of the squad. Over his lengthy goaltending career, Cory put up a .918 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average with a total record of 170-159-58. He has not played an NHL game since becoming a member of the Islanders in the 2020-2021 season but has played a few with the organization’s AHL team in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Damon Severson
(Photo credit: @dseves7)
Current Devils defenseman Damon Severson has lived in his fair share of North and Central Jersey locations. Being with New Jersey for the entirety of his eight-year career, Damon has lived in Union County and West Orange as well as Jersey City during his time here. He is originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, and was drafted in the second round, 60th overall by the Devils in 2012. He first hit the ice with the Devils in 2014 and has since recorded 41 goals and 145 assists while establishing himself as one of the team’s veteran leaders. Damon currently serves as an alternate captain for New Jersey.
David Clarkson
Known as one of the toughest NHL players of his time, former New Jersey Devil David Clarkson rented a place in Hoboken. He is originally from Toronto, Canada, and went undrafted into the league after playing junior hockey. His career, which spanned from 2006-2016, was played largely in New Jersey as well as two seasons each with Columbus and Toronto. Of the 114 times David scored in his 570-game career, three of those were key to the Devils 2012 Stanley Cup Final run.
In that postseason his goals were all game-winners, and the defenseman’s focused, determined play combined with his ability to be an aggressive force when needed helped them get so far. Aside from goals, David also has 86 assists and almost 1,000 penalty minutes to his name.
Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk is a Russian-born winger that is still involved in professional hockey at 38 years old. He was drafted #1 overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2001 and went on to play 926 NHL games before going back to Russia for good to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
This was not the first time Ilya chose to do this. In NHL lockout seasons he did the same, as well as taking a break from the NHL from 2013-2018 to play for SKA St. Petersburg in Russia. Ilya played his first eight seasons in the league with Atlanta (who are no longer a team), putting up massive points in each one. He averaged about 86 points a year from 2003-2009 and was awarded the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in the 2003-2004 season for most goals.
Ilya joined the Devils in 2010 and was with the team for four seasons while he lived in the Hoboken area. He became a necessary piece of the team and was key in helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012 with league records of 11 shootout goals and seven game-deciding goals that season. Since then, the NHL teams he has played with are the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and the Washington Capitals. Ilya has participated in five NHL All-Star Games and was a member of the 2002 NHL All-Rookie Team. Although he is still an active KHL player, he is currently unsigned and was most recently named General Manager of the Russian Olympic team.
Kyle Palmieri
(Photo credit: @palms21)
Kyle Palmieri is a New Jersey-raised NHL winger who is currently with the New York Islanders. He was born in Smithtown, New York, but grew up in Montvale and started his ice hockey journey playing for the New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey Club.
Kyle was drafted 26th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2009 and went on to play five years there. In the summer of 2015, he was brought back to Jersey in a trade to play for his hometown team, the New Jersey Devils. Kyle’s career picked up here, and the former Hoboken resident put up 140 goals and 126 assists in his six years with the team. After serving as one of the alternate captains from 2018-2021, Kyle was then traded to the Isles along with teammate Travis Zajac. He has 11 points since with New York, and has now played over 600 NHL games.
Mark Fayne
Mark Fayne is an NHL defenseman who played in the league from 2010-2017. He grew up in Bourne, Massachusetts, and played collegiate hockey at Providence College from 2006-2010. Mark was drafted in the fifth round by the Devils in 2005, finished his college career in 2010, and made the Devils roster in the 2010-2011 season. During the 2011-2012 season, he played in all of the team’s playoff games as part of its run to the Eastern Conference Championship, where the Devils beat the Rangers to go on to the Stanley Cup Championship game, where the Devils lost to the LA Kings 4-2.
Mark lived in Hoboken during this time, and his contribution to the Devils’ success probably isn’t a coincidence. Mark played from 2010-2014 in New Jersey, and from 2014-2017 with the Edmonton Oilers before ending his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL). Mark played in 389 NHL games, adding up 17 goals and 48 assists.
Michael Grabner
Michael Grabner has been in the league since the 2009-2010 season. The Villach, Austria native was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks 14th overall in 2006. After playing some years in the Western Hockey League, Michael ended up playing for a variety of NHL teams, one in which he lived in Hoboken while there. Michael only played 20 games for the team that selected him and ended up with the New York Islanders for the next season. He spent five years with the Isles, earning 144 points during f his time there, and was eventually traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015.
In 2016, Michael returned to the Tri-State area, signing a contract with the New York Rangers. In 2018, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils. With that trade, Michael became one of the few players known to have completed a ‘Hudson River Triple,’ which is an NHL player having played with all three local teams. Over the span of his 640-game career, Michael has a total of 175 goals and 101 assists.
Patrik Elias
(Photo credit: @patrikeliasofficial)
Patrik Elias is one of the five Devils to have his jersey retired. The center spent the entirety of his career in the Garden State and was known to own multiple Hoboken properties. He is originally from Czechoslovakia and was drafted 51st overall by New Jersey in the 1994 NHL Draft.
Aside from being the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Patrik also holds the records for assists, and points in the regular season as well as the postseason. His 1,025 career points – 408 goals, and 617 assists – are ranked second by any Czech-born player. Within Patrik’s accolades he has two Stanley Cups (2000 + 2003), was a part of the 1998 NHL All-Rookie team, and played in five All-Star games. He is well known as a Devils legend and an essential part of the team’s success during his time there as an offensive power.
Scott Niedermayer
Scott Neidermayer is a former NHL defenseman and four-time Stanley Cup Champion. He grew up in British Columbia, Canada, and was drafted 3rd overall by New Jersey in the 1991 NHL Draft, where he later played 13 seasons. Scott was known to stay in Patrick Elias’ Hoboken condo along with living in Essex County spots while playing for the team.
In his 1,263-game career, Scott has 172 goals and 568 assists for 740 points. Three of his Stanley Cups came with New Jersey, and one was with Anaheim. He played for the Ducks following his time with the Devils from 2005-2010 until he retired there. Scott has his jersey retired with both of the teams he made an immense impact on, as well as one James Norris Memorial Trophy for Best Defenseman, and a Conn Smythe Trophy for Most Valuable Player in the postseason.
See More: NHL Players Who Have Lived in Essex County
Taylor Hall
(Photo credit: @hallsy09)
Taylor Hall is a current NHL left wing for the Boston Bruins. The Calgary, Canada native started playing hockey in his hometown before moving to Ontario, where he continued to further his skills. Taylor lived in a Jersey City condo while playing for the Devils.
The power forward was selected 1st overall at the 2010 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers after playing in the Ontario Hockey League. He immediately cracked the lineup and eventually had 42 points (22 goals + 20 assists) in his first NHL season. Taylor went on to put up incredible numbers with Edmonton for the next five years, including an 80-point season, before being traded to New Jersey in 2016.
Of the four years, he was a Devil, 2017-2018 was the best for Taylor. In this breakout season, he tallied up 39 goals and 54 assists for 93 points, winning him the Hart Memorial Trophy for MVP in the league and bringing his team to the postseason for the first time since their Stanley Cup Final run in 2012.
Taylor was traded to Arizona in 2019, then signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres 2020 before being traded to the Bruins in April 2021.
Zach Parise
(Photo credit: @zachparise)
Zach Parise is a current NHL left wing for the New York Islanders. He also played with the Devils for seven years after being drafted 17th overall by the team in 2003. Zach had homes in Hoboken as well as West Orange while playing with New Jersey.
After captaining the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, Zach was signed in free agency by his hometown team, the Minnesota Wild. He spent nine years with the team, putting up consistent points throughout. He’s only played six games with the Islanders so far and has yet to notch a point, but his current totals come out to 393 goals and 417 assists in his 1,066-game career.
