Jack Anthony Ahcan (/əˈʃɔːn/ əh-SHAWN[1] born May 18, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Colorado Eagles in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Jack Ahcan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Ahcan with the Providence Bruins in 2023 | |||
| Born |
May 18, 1997 Savage, Minnesota, U.S | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Colorado Avalanche Colorado Eagles (AHL) Boston Bruins | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2020–present | ||
Early life
editAhcan was born on May 18, 1997, in Savage, Minnesota[2] to parents Tim and Michelle Ahcan.[3] Ahcan grew up in an athletic family as his father was an All-American forward at Gustavus Adolphus College and his younger brothers also play hockey.[4] Ahcan played both baseball and hockey in Minnesota before choosing hockey full time following his junior year of high school.[5] As a senior at Burnsville High School, Ahcan was a finalist for the Mr. Hockey Award as the "most outstanding senior high school boys hockey player in the state of Minnesota." At the time of his nomination, he stood at 5-foot-7 and led Burnsville with 23 points in 21 games.[6]
Playing career
editJunior
editAfter graduating from Burnsville, Ahcan played one season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. In his only season with the team, Ahcan recorded 15 goals and 32 assists and led all USHL defenders in goal scoring.[3] As a result, he finished the 2015–16 season as the USHL Defenseman of the Year[7] and was named to the USHL First All-Star Team.[8]
Collegiate
editAhcan joined the St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey team for their 2016–17 season.[2] By the end of October, Ahcan was the recipient of the Bauer National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Rookie of the Week after recording four points over two games, including the game-winning goal.[9] He concluded the season leading Huskie freshmen with 21 points[3] and was awarded both the Huskies' Roland Vandell Award as Rookie of the Year[10] and named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team.[11]
When Ahcan returned to the Huskies for his sophomore season, he increased his output and recorded 23 points in 40 games. Throughout the season he tallied 54 blocks on defense and had a season-high four blocks during a game against the Omaha Lancers.[3] Growing on his sophomore season, Ahcan set a career-high in goals, assists, and points in 39 games. As a result of his play, he was named to the NCHC Second All-Star Team[12] and West Second All-American Team.[13]
In his final season with the Huskies, Ahcan served as team captain alongside alternate captains Clark Kuster, Jack Poehling, and Nick Poehling.[14] When the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ahcan signed a professional contract with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) on March 26, 2020.[15]
Professional
editAhcan joined the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) for their 2021 training camp[16] and recorded his first professional point during a game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.[17] Ahcan made his NHL debut on March 18, 2021, against the Buffalo Sabres.[18] He scored his first NHL goal on March 10, 2022, against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Following three seasons within the Bruins organization, Ahcan left as a free agent and was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 1, 2023.[19]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Burnsville High | USHS | 25 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Burnsville High | USHS | 24 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Burnsville High | USHS | 24 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 56 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 50 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 32 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 40 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 39 | 6 | 28 | 34 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 33 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Jacksonville Icemen | ECHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 19 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 46 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 68 | 5 | 31 | 36 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 70 | 6 | 32 | 38 | 51 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United States
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2017 Canada | |
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | United States | WJAC | 
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2017 | United States | WJC | 
|
7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| USHS | ||
| All-USA Hockey Third Team | 2015 | |
| USHL | ||
| Defenseman of the Year | 2016 | [7] |
| First All-Star Team | 2016 | [8] |
| College | ||
| NCHC All-Rookie Team | 2017 | [11] |
| NCHC All-Tournament Team | 2018 | |
| NCHC Second All-Star Team | 2019, 2020 | [12] |
| West Second All-American Team | 2019 | [13] |
References
edit- ^ "Bruins sign free agent college defenseman Jack Ahcan - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
- ^ a b "Jack Ahcan". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Jack Achan". scsuhuskies.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Hatten, Mick (October 17, 2014). "College hockey: Burnsville 'D' man commits to SCSU". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Mullen, Logan (April 28, 2020). "How Jack Ahcan Rose From Undrafted NCAA Free Agent To Bruins Prospect". nesn.com. NESN. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Hatten, Mick (February 5, 2015). "4 SCSU recruits among 10 Mr. Hockey finalists". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Johnson, Jeff (May 9, 2016). "Jack Ahcan of Cedar Rapids RoughRiders named USHL Defenseman of the Year". The Gazette. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "2016 All-USHL Teams Announced". oursportscentral.com. May 11, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "SCSU's Jack Ahcan named NCHC Rookie of the Week". scsuhuskies.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "SCSU men's hockey team names its award winners for 2016-17". St. Cloud Times. May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "St. Cloud State's Jack Ahcan named to NCHC All-Rookie Team". scsuhuskies.com. March 7, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Huskies dominate NCHC postseason award nominees list". scsuhuskies.com. March 14, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "SCSU earns an unprecedented four CCM/AHCA All-America awards in 2018-19". scsuhuskies.com. April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "St. Cloud State Men's Hockey names new captains for 2019-20". scsuhuskies.com. April 19, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Bruins sign talented defenseman Jack Ahcan out of St. Cloud State". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. March 26, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "PROVIDENCE BRUINS ANNOUNCE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". providencebruins.com. January 27, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "SWAYMAN STANDS TALL AS P-BRUINS WIN REGULAR SEASON OPENER, 4-1". providencebruins.com. February 5, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Former Icemen Jack Ahcan Makes NHL Debut with Boston Bruins". oursportscentral.com. March 18, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Avalanche signs five players to two-way contracts". Colorado Avalanche. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database