Brogan Rafferty | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | West Dundee, Illinois, U.S. | May 28, 1995||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
Position | Defense | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams | Detroit Red Wings Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) Vancouver Canucks | ||
NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
Playing career | 2019–present |
Brogan Rafferty (born May 28, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Rafferty played as a forward for most of his youth career but chose to switch to defense while in high school. After switching to defense, Rafferty earned attention from various North American Hockey League teams and eventually joined the Coulee Region Chill in 2013–14. After his rookie season with the Chill, Rafferty committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Rafferty played for the Quinnipiac Bobcats at Quinnipiac University from 2016 to 2019 while majoring in finance. In his rookie season, Rafferty became the fifth freshman in Quinnipiac's NCAA Division I history to lead the team in assists, and the first since 2011. Following his junior season, Rafferty concluded his collegiate career with the Bobcats by signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League.
Rafferty was born on May 28, 1995, in West Dundee, Illinois, United States, [1] to parents Brian and Deirdre. [2] He was born with amblyopia and was later diagnosed with scoliosis. As a young teenager, Rafferty was informed that competitive hockey was not an option for him due to his disabilities. [3] Due to his eye issues, Rafferty wore glasses as a child while playing roller and ice hockey before transitioning to contacts when he was 11 or 12. [4] He refused surgery for his scoliosis and instead worked to build up muscle to support his spine. [3]
Growing up in Illinois, Rafferty played as a forward for most of his youth career. [5] Rafferty was playing for the AA team for Team Illinois, [6] but chose to switch to defense after his father printed out a list of undrafted free agents that made it to the NHL. [5] After switching to defense, Rafferty tried out for the AAA team for Team Illinois which also earned him attention from various North American Hockey League (NAHL) teams. [6] His success as a defenseman was also aided with a growth spurt that saw him grow from 5'8 to 6'2. [7] He played one game with the Topeka RoadRunners of the NAHL but spent the majority of the season for the Team Illinois 18U team. [8] In his debut on March 22, 2013, Rafferty scored his first NAHL goal to give the RoadRunners a 1–0 lead in an eventual 4–1 win. [9] After spending the 2012–13 season with the AAA team, Rafferty joined the Coulee Region Chill in 2013–14. [6] In his rookie season with the Chill, Rafferty tallied 22 points through 53 games. [8]
After his rookie season with the Chill, Rafferty tried out for numerous United States Hockey League (USHL) teams and spent a month in training camp before being cut and sent back to the NAHL. [6] Rafferty spent the entirety of the 2014–15 season with the Chill where he continued to produce offensively and impress college scouts. By February 2015, he had tallied two goals and 21 assists through 47 games and was invited to participate in the 2015 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. As a result of his play, Rafferty committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC). [8] However, he chose to delay his enrollment for one year in order to play in the USHL and continue his development. [5] Rafferty subsequently joined the Bloomington Thunder of the USHL for the 2015–16 season where he scored two goals and 26 assists for 28 points through 60 games. [1] His offensive defensive skills helped lead the Thunder to two comeback wins during the USHL 2016 Playoffs against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. [10]
Rafferty played for the Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team at Quinnipiac University from 2016 to 2019 while majoring in finance. [11] While paired with Connor Clifton, Rafferty spent time on the team's first power-play unit and recorded at least one point in 10 of his first 17 games as a freshman. [5] Within his first five games, he scored his first collegiate goal and added four assists. [12] Within two months with the Quinnipiac Bobcats, Rafferty had tallied two goals and 11 assists to rank ninth in the ECAC Hockey conference in points and third in the conference for assists. [6] By February, he had maintained a four-game point streak to lead the Bobcats in assists with 20 and total points with 22. [13] Rafferty subsequently became the fifth freshman in Quinnipiac's NCAA Division I history to lead the team in assists, and the first since 2011. [11] His offensive skills helped the Bobcats finish the 2016-17 season ranked 20th after posting a 23–15–2 record including a 13-8-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play. [14] As the Bobcats competed in the 2017 ECAC Hockey men's ice hockey tournament, Rafferty recorded an assist in their 5–1 win over Brown University in Game 2 of the First Round series. [15] The team was eventually eliminated from the tournament in the semi-finals after falling to Harvard University. [16] Rafferty finished the season by earning ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team honors. [17]
Following his freshman season, Rafferty was invited to participate in the Chicago Blackhawks National Hockey League (NHL) Development Camp as a free-agent invitee. [18] He was subsequently cut from the camp and returned to the Bobcats for the 2017–18 season. Prior to the start of his sophomore campaign, the Bobcats were ranked 14th in the USCHO.com Preseason Poll. [14] The team began the season with a 1–1–1 record, during which Rafferty picked up his assist against the University of Vermont in a 3–2 win on October 14. [19] Rafferty helped the Bobcats qualify for the 2018 ECAC Hockey men's ice hockey tournament where they competed against Yale University and Cornell University. In their first-round series against Yale, Rafferty tallied a goal and an assist in the 5–1 and 4–1 wins to qualify for the Quarterfinal round. [20] As they fell to Cornell in the second round, Rafferty recorded four shots in the eventual 2–0 sweep. [21]
During the summer prior to his junior season, Rafferty was invited to participate at the New York Rangers NHL Development Camp as a free-agent invitee. [22] He returned to the Bobcats prior to the 2018–19 season where he recorded his second 20-point season with four goals and 20 assists for 24 points through 38 games. [11] In October, Rafferty was assessed a charging penalty after hitting UConn freshman Ruslan Iskhakov which left him motionless on the ice for minutes before being stretchered off. [23] Rafferty began the season strong by recording a three game point streak [24] and maintaining a team-leading nine assists in the month of November. [25] He continued to produce near the conclusion of the regular season as he recorded 12 points over his final 14 games. [26] His late offensive output helped the Bobcats win their fourth Cleary Cup and clinch the top seed in the 2019 ECAC Hockey men's ice hockey tournament. [27] Despite their high ranking, the Bobcats were swept by Brown University in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals. [28]
Rafferty concluded his collegiate career with the Bobcats by signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on April 1, 2019. [29] Due to a quirk in the NHL's contract rules and because Rafferty's one-year deal was signed with just 4 days left in the season, his cap hit was $5.1 million, despite his total salary being just $925,000. [30] He played in his first National Hockey League game in the final stages of the 2018–19 season, on April 4 against the Nashville Predators, finishing with one shot on goal in 12:03 played. [31] At the end of the season, the Canucks extended a qualifying offer to Rafferty in order to retain his negotiating rights. [32]
Rafferty attended the Canucks training camp prior to the 2019–20 season but began the season on their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets. [33] During his first month with the Comets, Rafferty helped the team remain undefeated while also scoring his first professional AHL goal and leading the league in plus/minus. [34] By December, Rafferty had led all league rookies with 16 points through 22 games, on pace for a 55 point season. [35] His point production increased during December and he finished 2019 ranking third in the league with 25 assists while leading all league defensemen with 30 points. As a result of his productive month, Rafferty was recognized as the AHL Rookie of the Month for December. [36] He was also added to the AHL All-Star Game roster alongside teammate Reid Boucher. [37] In February 2020, Rafferty surpassed Bobby Sanguinetti to claim the Comet's new single-season points leader by a defenseman with 41 points. [38] At the time the season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Comets had a record of 34–22–3–2 to rank third in the North Division and tied for 10th overall. [39] Rafferty finished the season earning 2019-20 AHL All-Rookie Team honors after accumulating seven goals and 38 assists for 48 points through 57 games. [40] He was also named to the 2019–20 Second All-Star Team. [41] Once the season was canceled, Rafferty joined the Canucks in the playoff bubble as they played in the Stanley Cup qualifiers. [42]
Once the Canucks were eliminated from the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Rafferty returned to the NHL level in the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season. He was a mainstay of the Canucks taxi squad alongside Jack Rathbone, Marc Michaelis, Guillaume Brisebois, and Michael DiPietro. [43] As a member of the squad, Rafferty made his season debut on January 21 where he recorded his first NHL point, an assist, in a 7–3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. [43] [44] At the conclusion of the season, Rafferty signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, on July 28, 2021. [45] Rafferty attended the Ducks training camp prior to the 2021–22 season but was reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls on October 6. [46] Although the Gulls started the season with a 0–3 record, he led the team with three points on the power play unit while averaging a point per game. He also maintained a three-game point streak through the losing span and was tied for third in the league in power-play points. [47] In January 2022, Rafferty was recalled to the NHL level as Cam Fowler was placed on the COVID-19/non-roster list. [48] He did not make his season debut during the recall and shortly thereafter rejoined the Gulls in the AHL. [49] Rafferty continued to produce into February as he recorded two points through four games to help the Gulls maintain a 3–1–0 record. [50] However, the Gulls did not maintain this momentum towards the end of the season and occurred a seven-game losing streak before Rafferty scored to help snap the streak on April 23. [51] Despite their losing streak, the Gulls qualified for the 2022 Calder Cup playoffs but lost in the first round to the Ontario Reign. [52]
After a lone season within the Ducks organization, Rafferty was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken on July 13, 2022. [53] Following the signing, Rafferty was re-assigned to the Kraken's AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, for the 2022–23 season. [54]
On July 1, 2023, Rafferty signed as a free agent to a two-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings. [55]
Rafferty shares the same name with the Craigslist Killer, Brogan Rafferty. As such, an Ohio news station ran a photo of Brogan Rafferty the hockey player on their newscast saying he was Brogan Rafferty the killer. [2] Rafferty is a practicing Christian. [56]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2012–13 | Topeka Roadrunners | NAHL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | Coulee Region Chill | NAHL | 53 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Coulee Region Chill | NAHL | 56 | 4 | 28 | 32 | 50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
2015–16 | Bloomington Thunder | USHL | 60 | 2 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
2016–17 | Quinnipiac University | ECAC | 40 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2017–18 | Quinnipiac University | ECAC | 38 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | Quinnipiac University | ECAC | 38 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2019–20 | Utica Comets | AHL | 57 | 7 | 38 | 45 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2020–21 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 65 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2022–23 | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 72 | 9 | 42 | 51 | 42 | 26 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 | ||
2023–24 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 62 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
Awards | Year | |
---|---|---|
AHL | ||
Rookie of the Month | December 2019 | [36] |
All-Star Game | 2020 | [37] |
AHL All-Rookie Team | 2020 | [40] |
Second All-Star Team | 2020 | [41] |
Christopher Robert Higgins is an American former professional ice hockey winger and current Skills and Development coach for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He finished a two-year career with the Yale Bulldogs, earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before turning professional for the 2003–04 season. After two seasons with the Canadiens' minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), he joined the NHL in 2005–06. He recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 2009. After brief stints with the Rangers, Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers, he joined the Vancouver Canucks in February 2011. Internationally, Higgins has competed for the United States in two World Junior Championships and one World Championship (2009).
The Quinnipiac Bobcats women's ice hockey program represents Quinnipiac University. The Bobcats have competed in ECAC Hockey since the 2005-2006 season where they replaced Vermont when the Catamounts moved to Hockey East. Prior to that season the Bobcats competed in College Hockey America for the 2004-2005 season, played as a Division I Independent for the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons, and in the ECAC Division I Eastern division for the 2001-2002 season.
Alex Biega is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Biega was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 5th round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and played the majority of his career with the Vancouver Canucks.
Sam Anas is an American professional ice hockey forward for HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). While growing up in Potomac, Maryland, he attended Landon School. Later, he attended Quinnipiac University. He became the second player that played in the Montgomery Youth Hockey Association (MYHA) to sign an NHL contract when he agreed to terms with the Minnesota Wild.
Jordan Blaine Samuels-Thomas is an American National Hockey League referee and former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He signed his first NHL contract with the Buffalo Sabres following his senior season, playing six years professionally before becoming an official.
Matthew Peca is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. After playing four years at Quinnipiac University, he made his NHL debut during the 2016–17 season.
Reid Cashman is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman, who currently serves as the head coach for the Dartmouth Big Green of the NCAA.
Michael Garteig is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for ERC Ingolstadt in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Garteig has previously played for Utica Comets and Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Matt Lorito is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings.
Jonah Gadjovich is a Canadian ice hockey left winger for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 55th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He previously played for the Canucks and the San Jose Sharks.
Connor Clifton is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played collegiate hockey with Quinnipiac University.
Devon Toews is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Tazer", Toews was drafted 108th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Toews won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
Jack Rathbone is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Rathbone was drafted 95th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he began his NHL career.
The 2021–22 AHL season was the 86th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 15, 2021, and ended on April 30, 2022. The regular season was followed by the Calder Cup playoffs, which had not been held since 2019 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The playoffs began on May 2, 2022, and ended on June 25, 2022, with the Chicago Wolves winning their third Calder Cup.
Odeen Peter Tufto is an American professional ice hockey center who is currently playing with EHC Olten in the Swiss League (SL). After spending four seasons with the Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team, he signed an entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2021–22 season.
Andrew Shortridge is an American professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently an unrestricted free agent. He has played with the San Jose Barracuda and the Stockton Heat in the American Hockey League (AHL). He was an All-American for Quinnipiac.
Zach Metsa is an American professional ice hockey defenceman for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Yaniv Perets is a Canadian professional goaltender currently under contract with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played collegiate hockey for Quinnipiac University. Yaniv Perets attended West Island College in Dollard-des-Ormaux.
Collin Graf is an American professional ice hockey player for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey for Union College and Quinnipiac University.
Jacob Quillan is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey for Quinnipiac University, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2023 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.