Hugh S. Jessiman (born March 28, 1984) is an American former 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 ...

right winger. Drafted by the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

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) in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Jessiman played in two NHL games with the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

, but spent the majority of his professional career 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).

Playing career

Jessiman grew up in Darien, Connecticut, attending Brunswick School in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

. As a youth, he played in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New Jersey Devils

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team. Jessiman was drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the

in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, which in turn made him the first New York City-born player to be drafted by the Rangers. After failing to meet the expectations of a first-round draft pick, on October 30, 2008, Jessiman was traded to the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

in exchange for future considerations. On August 4, 2010, Jessiman signed a one-year contract with the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

for the 2010–11 season. After attending the Blackhawks' training camp, on September 27, 2010, he was waived by the team and assigned to their

(AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. Jessiman contributed 5 points in 25 games with the IceHogs before he was traded to the

(along with Jack Skille and David Pacan) in exchange for Michael Frolík and Alexander Salák on February 9, 2011. On February 27, 2011, Jessiman made his long-awaited NHL debut when Florida was defeated by 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 ...

, 2–1. 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. On July 3, 2012, Jessiman signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators. However, due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he was assigned directly to Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the

Binghamton Senators The Binghamton Senators were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2002 to 2017. Nicknamed the B-Sens, they played in Binghamton, New York, at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The B-Sens w ...

. 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. 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. 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. 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).

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jessiman, Hugh 1984 births Abbotsford Heat players American men's ice hockey right wingers Binghamton Senators players Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010) players Dartmouth Big Green men's ice hockey players Florida Panthers players Hartford Wolf Pack players Ice hockey players from New York (state) KHL Medveščak Zagreb players Lake Erie Monsters players Living people Brunswick School alumni Milwaukee Admirals players NHL first-round draft picks New York Rangers draft picks Sportspeople from Darien, Connecticut Ice hockey people from Fairfield County, Connecticut Rochester Americans players Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from New York City Vienna Capitals players