Hugh Jessiman

Hugh Jessiman
Born	(1984-03-28) March 28, 1984 (age 40) New York City, U.S.
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight	224 lb (102 kg; 16 st 0 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Florida Panthers KHL Medveščak Zagreb Vienna Capitals
NHL draft	12th overall, 2003 New York Rangers
Playing career	2005–2015

Hugh S. Jessiman (born March 28, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger. Drafted by the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Jessiman played in two NHL games with the Florida Panthers, but spent the majority of his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Playing career

Jessiman grew up in Darien, Connecticut, attending Brunswick School in Greenwich.^{[ citation needed ]} As a youth, he played in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New Jersey Devils minor ice hockey team. ^[1] Jessiman was drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the New York Rangers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, which in turn made him the first New York City-born player to be drafted by the Rangers.^{[ citation needed ]}

After failing to meet the expectations of a first-round draft pick, on October 30, 2008, Jessiman was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for future considerations. ^[2]

On August 4, 2010, Jessiman signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2010–11 season. ^[3] After attending the Blackhawks' training camp, on September 27, 2010, he was waived by the team and assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. ^[4]

Jessiman contributed 5 points in 25 games with the IceHogs before he was traded to the Florida Panthers (along with Jack Skille and David Pacan) in exchange for Michael Frolík and Alexander Salák on February 9, 2011. ^[5] On February 27, 2011, Jessiman made his long-awaited NHL debut when Florida was defeated by the New Jersey Devils, 2–1. ^[6]

The following season, Jessiman was unable to secure an NHL contract, instead signing a professional try-out contract with the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL to begin the 2011–12 season. In 43 games with the Monsters, he matched his AHL career-highs of 20 goals before he was signed to a standard player contract for the remainder of the season with the Abbotsford Heat on February 13, 2012. ^[7]

On July 3, 2012, Jessiman signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators. ^[8] However, due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he was assigned directly to Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators. Over the duration of the 2012–13 season, he failed to recapture his previous season production, finishing with 10 goals in 68 games for Binghamton.^{[ citation needed ]}

On May 23, 2013, Jessiman signed his first contract abroad on a one-year deal with debut Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) team KHL Medveščak Zagreb of Croatia. ^[9] In the 2013–14 season, he was unable to show an offensive touch but found his place using physicality on the third line with Zagreb, scoring 8 goals and 11 points in 37 games.^{[ citation needed ]}

As free agent, on July 7, 2014, Jessiman continued his journeyman career after signing a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). ^[10]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2001–02	Brunswick School	HS-Prep		18	25	27	52	40		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Dartmouth College	ECAC		34	23	24	47	48		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Dartmouth College	ECAC		34	16	17	33	71		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Dartmouth College	ECAC		12	1	1	2	18		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Charlotte Checkers	ECHL		25	13	10	23	56		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		46	7	11	18	66		2	0	0	0	0
2006–07	Charlotte Checkers	ECHL		20	12	10	22	52		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		49	7	6	13	79		7	1	0	1	9
2007–08	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		71	18	24	42	154		5	0	1	1	21
2008–09	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		6	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		63	20	7	27	100		10	2	0	2	10
2009–10	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		78	20	22	42	111		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		25	3	2	5	27		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Florida Panthers	NHL		2	0	0	0	5		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Rochester Americans	AHL		25	5	3	8	47		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Lake Erie Monsters	AHL		43	20	5	25	75		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Abbotsford Heat	AHL		24	7	12	19	33		8	2	3	5	6
2012–13	Binghamton Senators	AHL		68	10	19	29	155		3	0	0	0	8
2013–14	KHL Medveščak Zagreb	KHL		37	8	3	11	72		4	0	0	0	2
2014–15	Vienna Capitals	EBEL		7	2	2	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				498	117	111	228	849		35	5	4	9	54
NHL totals				2	0	0	0	5		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team	2002–03
All-ECAC Hockey Second Team	2003–04

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
2. "Rangers trade Jessiman to Predators". New York Rangers. October 30, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2001.
3. "Blackhawks sign Brophey, Cullimore, Davis, Jessiman and Toivonen". Chicago Blackhawks. August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
4. "Rangers assign Redden to AHL as teams fill waiver wire". The Sports Network. September 27, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
5. "Florida Panthers trade Michael Frolik, get Jack Skille". Palm Beach Post. February 9, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
6. "Hugh Jessiman makes NHL debut with Florida Panthers". Miami Herald. February 27, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
7. "Heat sign Jessiman". Abbotsford Heat. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
8. "Senators sign forward Hugh Jessiman to a one-year, two way contract". Notified. July 3, 2012. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
9. "Former NHL center Hugh Jessiman signs for Zagreb". vecernji.com (in Croatian). May 23, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
10. "Hugh Jessiman has a fantastic future on the Right Wing". Vienna Capitals (in German). July 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database , or  TSN.ca

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Chris Higgins	ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year 2002–03	Succeeded by Brian Ihnacak David McKee
Preceded by Dan Blackburn	New York Rangers first-round draft pick 2003	Succeeded by Al Montoya