Brett Alex Pesce (born November 15, 1994) 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 ...

for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

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). He was drafted 66th overall by the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Pesce attended Irvington High School in New York, and played varsity on a joint Irvington-Sleepy Hollow hockey team, graduating in June 2012. He also played his amateur youth ice hockey within

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, eventually playing with the

New Jersey Hitmen The Jersey Hitmen are a junior and youth ice hockey organization with teams in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL), with its top level junior team playing in the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC). The organ ...

of the

Eastern Junior Hockey League The Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) was a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey league. Founded in 1993 by Dan Esdale, the EJHL had fourteen teams from across the Northeastern United States. The EJHL champion then competed for t ...

(EJHL). He committed to play collegiate ice hockey with the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

of the

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

. After his freshman season with the

New Hampshire Wildcats The New Hampshire Wildcats, or 'Cats, are the College athletics in the United States, American intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of New Hampshire (UNH), located in Durham, New Hampshire, Durham. The Bobcat, wildcat is the ...

, Pesce was selected by the

in the third round of the 2013 NHL entry draft. In his

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

season in 2013–14, Pesce set a personal best seven goals and 21

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

in 41 games with New Hampshire. In his

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

season, Pesce ranked second amongst Wildcats on the blueline in scoring with 16 points in 31 games. Having played 109 games with the Wildcats, Pesce opted to forgo his final year of eligibility signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on March 27, 2015. He was signed to an amateur try-out contract with the Hurricanes'

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) affiliate, the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the ...

, and made his professional debut on April 2, against the

Oklahoma City Barons The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11 AHL season, 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ...

. He appeared in the Checkers' final four homes games to conclude the 2014–15 regular season. After attending the Hurricanes' 2015 training camp, Pesce was re-assigned to begin his rookie 2015–16 season with the Checkers. On October 14, 2015, Pesce received his first NHL recall by Carolina and was a healthy scratch. He was returned to the Checkers, however during his second recall to the Hurricanes made his NHL debut in a 5–2 loss against the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

on October 24. On November 22, he scored his first NHL goal, and had an assist, to get the Hurricanes a 4–3 win over the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

. In the 2019–20 season, Pesce was used in a top-four role with the Hurricanes, posting four goals and 18 points in 61 games from the blueline. On February 22, 2020, Pesce suffered a right shoulder injury against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, and was later ruled out for the remainder of the campaign undergoing season-ending surgery. On July 1, 2024, as an unrestricted free agent, Pesce signed a six-year, $33 million dollar contract with the

Personal life

Pesce is of Italian descent.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pesce, Brett 1994 births American men's ice hockey defensemen Carolina Hurricanes draft picks Carolina Hurricanes players Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Living people New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey players New Jersey Devils players People from Irvington, New York Sportspeople from Greenburgh, New York USA Hockey National Team Development Program players 21st-century American sportsmen