Nathan Bastian

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Nathan Bastian
Nathan Bastian 2025-01-06 (cropped).jpg
Bastian with the New Jersey Devils in 2025
Born (1997-12-06) December 6, 1997 (age 28)
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 217 lb (98 kg; 15 st 7 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Dallas Stars
New Jersey Devils
Seattle Kraken
NHL draft 41st overall, 2016
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 2017present

Nathan Bastian (born December 6, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a right winger for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the New Jersey Devils and the Seattle Kraken. He was selected by the Devils in the second round, 41st overall, in the 2016 NHL entry draft.

Contents

Playing career

Junior

On April 6, 2013, Bastian was selected by the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the seventh round, 127th overall, in the 2013 OHL priority selection. [1] [2] Bastian played at the midget level with the Brantford 99ers of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League to begin the 2013–14 season, collecting 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points through 29 games. [3] He then joined the Steelheads later that season, contributing two goals and one assist in 21 games. During the 2014–15 season, his first full campaign, he was the only Steelhead to play in all 68 games, while tallying 17 goals and 29 assists, earning him the honor of being Mississauga's Hardest Working Player. [4]

During the 2015–16 season, Bastian played on the Steelheads' top line, registering four goals and an assist through his first six games. [5] On September 25, 2015, Bastian recorded two goals and an assist in a 7–0 victory over the Ottawa 67's. [6] On December 6, Bastian scored the first goal in the Steelheads' teddy bear toss night, while also registering two assists in the game. [7] On January 7, 2016, he was named to Team Orr to participate at the 2016 CHL/NHL Top Prospects game. [8] At the game on January 28, he helped Team Orr to victory over Team Cherry. [9] On February 15, he recorded two goals as part of a 6–2 victory over the Niagara IceDogs. [10] He finished the season with 19 goals and 40 assists in 64 games. During the playoffs, he notched four assists through five games. [11] After the season, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Bastian 35th overall among North American skaters in their Final Rankings before the 2016 NHL entry draft. [12] On June 25, 2016, he was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round, 41st overall, of the draft. [11] [13]

Bastian signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils on October 20, 2016. [14] In 58 games during the 2016–17 season, he collected 16 goals and 29 assists. [15] During the playoffs, on March 30, 2017, he recorded a hat-trick in a 6–4 victory over the Ottawa 67's. [16] He finished the playoffs with seven goals and seven assists in 20 games, [15] as the Steelheads advanced to the Final, but lost in five games to the Erie Otters. [17]

Professional

New Jersey Devils

After attending the New Jersey Devils' training camp, [18] Bastian was assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, on September 26, 2017, to start the 2017–18 season. [19] In the season opener on October 7, he scored his first professional goal on a penalty shot against Christopher Gibson, helping the Devils to a 2–1 win over the Bridgeport Islanders. [20] On December 8, he scored two goals against the Syracuse Crunch, the only Devils goals in a 5–2 loss. [21] He finished the season managing 10 goals and eight assists through 68 games. [22]

On September 23, 2018, Bastian was assigned to Binghamton to start the 2018–19 season. [23] Through his first 21 games of the season, he recorded six points. [22] After totaling five goals and 10 assists through the first 43 games, he received his first recall to New Jersey on January 19, 2019. [24] He made his NHL debut that night, getting into his first NHL fight against Josh Manson and registering 9:32 of ice time in a 3–2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, [25] [26] but he was returned to the AHL soon after. [27] On February 24, he was recalled to New Jersey again. [28] The next day, he scored his first NHL goal as part of a 2–1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens. [29] On March 1, in a contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, Bastian left the game in the third period, with what was later determined to be an upper-body injury. [30] [31] On March 25, he returned to practicing with the team, [31] and on April 1, he joined the team in their 4–2 win against the New York Rangers, in which he got into another fight, this time against Tony DeAngelo. [32] On April 6, he recorded two goals as part of a 4–3 overtime win against the Florida Panthers, [33] finishing his time in the NHL with three goals through seven games. [34] He was reassigned to Binghamton the next day, [35] playing with the team until he ended the season with 18 goals and 24 points in 58 games. [34]

After participating in the preseason with the Devils, [36] Bastian was assigned to Binghamton to start the 2019–20 season on September 27, 2019. [37] Through his first 13 games, he managed two goals and seven assists to start the season. [38] On February 19, 2020, he recorded a goal and an assist in a 5–3 win over the Toronto Marlies. [39] He ended the season with 22 assists and 38 points through 62 games. [40] [41] For the first time in his career, Bastian was named to New Jersey's opening roster for the 2020–21 season. [42] On February 3, 2021, after recording four points through the first nine games of the campaign, he was added to the Devils' COVID-19 list, [43] [44] staying there until he was removed 12 days later. [45] On March 18, Bastian in a 3–2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bastian left the game in the second period. [46] Two days later, it was announced that he would be week-to-week with a lower-body injury. [47] He returned to the lineup in a 6–3 win over the New York Rangers on April 17 after missing 15 games. [48] He finished the season with three goals and seven assists in 41 games, while leading the team in hits with 136. On June 15, Bastian was re-signed to a two-year, US$1,650,000 contract by the Devils. [49] [50]

Seattle Kraken, second stint with New Jersey, and Dallas Stars

On July 21, 2021, Bastian was selected from the Devils at the 2021 NHL expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken. [51] He was named to the team's opening roster for their inaugural 2021–22 season. [52] He scored his first goal with the team in a 5–4 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on November 6. [53] He played 12 games with the Kraken and added an assist before he was placed on waivers on November 24. [54] He claimed off waivers the next day by his former team, the New Jersey Devils. [55] [56] After registering five points in 17 games with the Devils, [57] he was placed on the team's COVID-19 list on January 8. [58] After missing one game, he was taken off the list on January 13, [57] returning to the lineup that day in a 3–2 loss to the New York Islanders, in which he scored. [59] On April 3, he left the first period of a 4–3 loss to the Islanders with an undisclosed injury. [60] He missed three games due to the injury, but tallied two assists in three games after returning. [61] He finished the season notching 11 goals and five assists in 60 games with the Devils. [62]

On May 3, 2023, Bastian scored his first career NHL playoff goal in a 5–1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. [63]

On July 1, 2023, Bastian signed a two-year, $2.7 million contract to stay with the Devils. [64] On February 22, 2024, in a game in which the Devils lost 5–1 to the New York Rangers, Bastian left after two periods, suffering an injury. [65] The following day he was placed on injured reserve by the Devils. [66]

As a free agent, Bastian left the Devils and was signed to a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Dallas Stars for the 2025–26 season on August 9, 2025. [67]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2013–14 Brantford 99ers GOJHL 4817294624
2013–14 Mississauga Steelheads OHL 21213640002
2014–15 Mississauga SteelheadsOHL6817122922
2015–16 Mississauga SteelheadsOHL641940595050440
2016–17 Mississauga SteelheadsOHL581629454320771416
2017–18 Binghamton Devils AHL 681081845
2018–19 Binghamton DevilsAHL581862463
2018–19 New Jersey Devils NHL 730310
2019–20 Binghamton DevilsAHL6216223855
2020–21 New Jersey DevilsNHL41371021
2021–22 Seattle Kraken NHL1211231
2021–22New Jersey DevilsNHL601151634
2022–23 New Jersey DevilsNHL436915311211216
2023–24 New Jersey DevilsNHL54571232
2024–25 New Jersey DevilsNHL5946103150000
NHL totals2763335681901711216

Awards and honours

AwardYear
OHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2016 [8]

References

  1. "Priority Selection Results". Ontario Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  2. Sweetland, Josh (April 6, 2013). "2013 OHL Priority Selection Summary". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  3. Davidson, Alana (December 6, 2013). "Nathan Bastian commits to Steelheads". Mississauga Steelheads. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  4. "Bastian Named Hardest Working Player". Brampton Steelheads. April 2, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  5. "Nathan Bastian Shouldn't Be Overlooked in Mississauga". Brampton Steelheads. October 14, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  6. "Ottawa 67's lose on road again — and this time it's not even close". Ottawa Citizen. September 26, 2015. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  7. "Bastian makes it rain teddy bears!". Brampton Steelheads. December 7, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Trio of Hounds named to 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Roster". Soo Greyhounds. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  9. "Team Orr Wins 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". Moose Jaw Warriors. January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
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  37. Mastracco, Abbey (September 27, 2019). "NJ Devils cut Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian ahead of preseason finale". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
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  47. Ryan, Chris (March 20, 2021). "Devils' Nathan Bastian week-to-week with injury; Mackenzie Blackwood out against Penguins on Saturday". NJ.com. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
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  49. "Release: Devils Re-Sign Forward Nathan Bastian To A Two-Year Contract". National Hockey League. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  50. "Devils re-sign forward Bastian to two-year deal". ESPN. June 15, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
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  55. "Devils claim Bastian". New Jersey Devils. November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
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  61. "Devils' Nathan Bastian: Posts assist against old team". CBS Sports. April 17, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  62. Bogart, Catherine (July 1, 2023). "Bastian's Back | Three Things". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  63. Lazerus, Mark (May 3, 2023). "Hurricanes race to Game 1 victory as Devils look sluggish, unprepared". The Athletic. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  64. "Bastian Inks Two-Year Deal with Devils". NHL.com. July 1, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  65. Flannery, Kristy (February 23, 2024). "Devils' Nathan Bastian Injured in 5-1 Loss to Rangers". The Hockey News. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  66. Flannery, Kristy (February 23, 2024). "Devils' Bastian Placed on Injured Reserve, Halonen Recalled from Comets". The Hockey News. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  67. "Dallas Stars sign forward Nathan Bastian to one-year, one-way contract". Dallas Stars. August 9, 2025. Retrieved August 9, 2025.