Jack Anthony Ahcan ( born May 18, 1997) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

currently playing for the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) while under contract to the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL).

Early life

Ahcan was born on May 18, 1997, in

Savage, Minnesota Savage ( ) is a suburban city south-southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city is on the south bank of the Minnesota River in a region commonly called ''South of the River,'' comprising the south ...

to parents Tim and Michelle Ahcan. Ahcan grew up in an athletic family as his father was an All-American forward at

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavu ...

and his younger brothers also play hockey. Ahcan played both baseball and hockey in Minnesota before choosing hockey full time following his junior year of high school. 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.

Playing career

Junior

After graduating from Burnsville, Ahcan played one season in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL) for the

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Before moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1999, the team was based in Mason City, where they were known as the North Iowa Huski ...

. In his only season with the team, Ahcan recorded 15 goals and 32 assists and led all USHL defenders in goal scoring. As a result, he finished the 2015–16 season as the USHL Defenseman of the Year and was named to the USHL First All-Star Team.

Collegiate

Ahcan joined the St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey team for their 2016–17 season. By the end of October, Ahcan was the recipient of the Bauer

National Collegiate Hockey Conference The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is an NCAA men's Division I hockey conference. The league was formed on July 9, 2011 and began playing for the 2013–14 season, the same season that the Big Ten Conference began competition, as a ...

(NCHC) Rookie of the Week after recording four points over two games, including the game-winning goal. He concluded the season leading Huskie freshmen with 21 points and was awarded both the Huskies' Roland Vandell Award as Rookie of the Year and named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team. 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. 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 and West Second All-American Team. In his final season with the Huskies, Ahcan served as team captain alongside alternate captains Clark Kuster, Jack Poehling, and Nick Poehling. When the season was cut short due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Ahcan signed a professional contract with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

of the

(NHL) on March 26, 2020.

Professional

Ahcan joined the

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Providence, Rhode Island. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Hi ...

of the

(AHL) for their 2021 training camp and recorded his first professional point during a game against the

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...

. Ahcan made his NHL debut on March 18, 2021, against the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

. 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.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahcan Jack 1997 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American men's ice hockey defensemen Boston Bruins players Cedar Rapids RoughRiders players Colorado Avalanche players Colorado Eagles players Jacksonville Icemen players People from Savage, Minnesota Sportspeople from Scott County, Minnesota Ice hockey players from Minnesota Providence Bruins players St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey players Undrafted National Hockey League players 21st-century American sportsmen