Jack Studnicka (born February 18, 1999) is a Canadian 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 ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
*Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Smal ...
for 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 ...
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). Studnicka was drafted in the second round (53rd overall) by 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 ...
in the
2017 NHL Entry Draft.
After moving to
Novi, Michigan
Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...
, in 2013, Studnicka played minor and midget hockey for Compuware and Belle Tire U14 teams. Following the 2014–15 season, in which he scored 29 goals and 56 assists through 67 games, Studnicka was drafted 21st overall by the
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...
in the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
(OHL) Priority Selection Draft. He played four seasons with the Generals, serving them as captain for one and a half, before being traded to the
Niagara IceDogs
The Niagara IceDogs are a Canadian Hockey League, major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in St. Catharines, Ontario, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was originally known as the Mississauga IceDogs and found ...
in 2019.
Early life
Studnicka was born on February 18, 1999, in
Tecumseh, Ontario
Tecumseh () is a town in Essex County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on Lake St. Clair east of Windsor and had a population of roughly 23,300 as of the 2021 census according to Statistics Canada. It is part of the Windsor census me ...
to parents Todd Studnicka and Mary Beth Laing. He was born into an athletic family as his father Todd played
college ice hockey
College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America.
In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...
for the
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...
while his older brother Sam played in the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
(OHL). Likewise, his step brother Ryan McInchak plays goaltender for
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
and his cousin Joey most recently played in the
Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League
The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada. The league is c ...
. In 2013, Studnicka moved to
Novi, Michigan
Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...
, with his father after he got a job with
Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy is an investor owned utility that provides natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state's Lower Peninsula counties. It is the primary subsidiary of C ...
in order to have his support while preparing for
major junior hockey
Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...
.
Playing career
Amateur
Although he grew up in Canada, Studnicka played minor and midget hockey for Compuware and Belle Tire in Michigan.
During his time with the Belle Tire, Studnicka was coached by Kyle Krug, the father of NHL defenceman
Torey Krug
Torey Krug ( ; born April 12, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Krug previously played for the Boston Bruins from 2012 to 2020.
Being undrafted, he played Nation ...
. In his final season with the Belle Tire, Studnicka scored 29 goals and 56 assists for 85 points through 67 games and played for the TPH Thunder Minor Midget program at the 2015 OHL Cup.
He finished the OHL Cup leading the team with one goal and three assists through four games. Upon concluding the 2014–15 season with the Belle Tire, Studnicka was drafted 21st overall by the
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...
in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft.
Leading up to the draft, Studnicka was described as a power pivot who displays a methodical stick handling attack, using subtle puck placement over dangling options." Prior to starting his rookie season with the Generals, Studnicka was invited to the Team Canada U17 development camp where he scored one goal and one assist for two points over three games. He began his rookie season with the Generals during the
2015–16 season and immediately tallied five assists through six games. As a result of his play, Studnicka represented Team Canada at the
2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge
The 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge was an ice hockey tournament held in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada between November 5 and 11. The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is held by Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada ...
where he tallied five points in six games.
Upon returning to the OHL, Studnicka eventually tallied his first goal on December 13 against the
Saginaw Spirit
The Saginaw Spirit are a Junior ice hockey#Major junior, major junior ice hockey team based in Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw, Michigan. They are members of the West Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the ...
after recording 12 assists through 26 games. He finished the 2015–16 season leading all team rookies with four goals and 22 assists for 26 points over 62 games. Following his rookie season, Studnicka again represented Team Canada on the international stage at the
2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
The 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia from 8 to 13 August 2016.
Preliminary round
''All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2 ...
.
Leading up to the
2017 NHL Entry Draft, Studnicka was ranked 80th among North American skaters by the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau
The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League (NHL) that ranks prospects for the NHL entry draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate t ...
in their midterm ranking list. He was eventually drafted in the second round, 53rd overall, by 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 ...
after finishing the 2016–17 season with a career-high 18 goals and 34 assists.
He was also able to graduate from
Northville High School
Northville High School is the public high school of Northville Public Schools located in Northville Charter Township, Michigan, with a Northville postal address.
Within Wayne County the school serves most of Northville Township and the county ...
by taking online classes for his final semester.
Following the draft, Studnicka participated in the Bruins 2017 Rookie Camp and at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo where he scored one goal and two assists. After impressing at the tournament, Studnicka also participated in the Bruins Training Camp and made his preseason debut against the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
on September 18 before being returned to Oshawa on September 21.
Upon returning to the Generals, Studnicka was named team captain for the
2017–18 season. He became the youngest team captain in franchise history since
Boone Jenner
Boone Robbie Jenner (born June 15, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
As a teenager, Jenner played four seasons of major junior hockey with the Oshawa ...
in the 2011–12 season. In his first two games as captain, Studnicka posted two goals and three assists for five points and he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Bruins on September 26, 2017.
At the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, Studnicka joined the Bruins
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
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 ...
, for the remainder of the season. In five regular season games, he tallied one goal and four assists for five points in the AHL.
He scored his first professional goal on April 14 to help lead the Bruins to a 5–0 shutout win over the
Springfield Thunderbirds
The Springfield Thunderbirds are a professional ice hockey team based in Springfield, Massachusetts. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues. The Thunderbirds play their home games at th ...
.
After again participating in the Bruins training camp and preseason, Studnicka returned to the Generals for the
2018–19 season. While with the Bruins, he centred
Brad Marchand
Bradley Kevin Marchand ( ; born May 11, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Boston Bruins selected Marchand in the third round, 71st overall, of the 2006 NH ...
and
David Pastrňák for one game during their exhibition series in China. On January 8, 2019, Studnicka and teammate Matt Brassard were traded to the
Niagara IceDogs
The Niagara IceDogs are a Canadian Hockey League, major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in St. Catharines, Ontario, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was originally known as the Mississauga IceDogs and found ...
in exchange for Lleyton Moore and six draft picks. He made an immediate impact on the team upon joining them, scoring seven goals and eight assists for 15 points over nine games. At the end of January, Studnicka was named an assistant captain for the IceDogs. On February 21, Studnicka recorded a career-high four goals in one game to lead the IceDogs 10–2 over the
Kitchener Rangers
The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The Rangers have won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL ...
. The following month, he recorded a career-high five points in one game to help lift the IceDogs 7–4 over the
Barrie Colts
The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League (OHL), based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The Colts play home games at the Sadlon Arena. The Colts joined the OHL in 1995, and previously competed at lower levels of junio ...
. Studnickaup finished the regular season with 36 goals and 47 assists for 83 points over 60 games between Niagara and Oshawa. His scoring prowess continued into the 2019 playoffs as he led the team in their first round series against the
North Bay Battalion
The North Bay Battalion are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was founded as the Brampton Battalion on December 3, 1996, and began play in 1998. The team relocated to North ...
with four goals and four assists. During Game 5 of the IceDogs first round playoff series against the Battalion, Studnickaup tallied a goal and two assists to push the IceDogs into the second round for the fourth time in five years. Studnicka and the IceDogs then faced his former team in the second round, where they lost to the Generals.
Professional
Boston Bruins
Following the IceDog's elimination from the 2019 playoffs, Studnicka joined the Providence Bruins to help them in the
2019 Calder Cup playoffs
The 2019 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 17, 2019 with the playoff format that was introduced in 2016. The sixteen teams that qualified, four from each division, play a best-of-five series in the division semifin ...
run. He scored his first playoff goal and assist with the Bruins in his second game to help lead them to an eventual 4–2 win over 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 ...
. These would prove to be his only points as the Bruins fell to the Checkers in four games.

Studnicka returned to the Bruins for their 2019 training and development camp with an added 10 pounds of muscle. On September 30, Studnicka was one of four players assigned to the AHL to start the
2019–20 season. Studnicka made an immediate impact with the Providence Bruins upon joining them and quickly accumulated nine goals and nine assists for 18 points through 21 games. Following an injury to
Patrice Bergeron
Patrice Bergeron-Cleary (born July 24, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre (ice hockey), centre who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, all with the Boston Bruins. He served as Captain (sports), team captain f ...
in late November, Studnicka earned his first NHL call up on November 26. He subsequently made his NHL debut that night against the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
, where he registered his first career NHL assist to help lead the Bruins to an 8–1 win. Studnicka went on to play one more game with the Bruins that season before being re-assigned to Providence. Despite missing a few games while in the NHL, Studnicka continued to improve upon returning to Providence and ranked second among rookies in goals by the end of December. His 14 goals and 12 assists earned him a selection for the 2020
AHL All-Star Game
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 ...
.
Following the All-Star Break, Studnicka continued to score and quickly tallied eight goals and eight assists for 16 points over 12 games. His efforts also helped the Providence Bruins win 11 consecutive games to match a franchise record set in 1998–99. When the 2019–20 season was cut short in March 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 ...
, Studnicka was leading the Providence Bruins in goals with 23, assists with 26, and points with 49. As such, he was selected for the
20219–20 AHL All-Rookie Team.
While the AHL season had concluded in March, the NHL resumed play for the
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2019–20 season. The playoffs began on August 1, 2020, and concluded on September 28, 2020, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second ...
on August 1, 2020. When the Bruins initiated their
return to play training camp, Studnicka was one of the players included on their roster. While the league had been paused, Studnicka trained and tested himself out in a winger position in an effort to be more versatile and crack a strong Bruins lineup. While attending the Bruins 2021 training camp, Studnicka replaced an injured David Pastrnak on right wing beside Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. For the first time in his career, Studnicka began the
2020–21 season at the NHL level while playing right wing on the Bruins top line. In this role, he scored his first career NHL goal on January 21 against the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
. Following an injury in February, Studnicka was assigned to the AHL to get some more playing time as a winger. He finished the regular season with a team leading 23 goals, seven of which came on the power-play.
During the 2021 offseason, Studnicka again tried to put on more weight before training camp began in an effort to become more stable when receiving hits.
While he spent the majority of the
2021–22 season in the AHL, Studnicka appeared in 15 NHL games where he recorded three assists. As a restricted free agent, Studnicka was re-signed by the Bruins to a two-year contract extension on July 23, 2022.
Vancouver Canucks
Studnicka began the
2022–23 season with the Bruins, primarily serving as a healthy scratch and appearing in just one game before he was traded by the Bruins to the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
in exchange for goaltender
Michael DiPietro
Michael DiPietro (born June 9, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in ...
and defensive prospect Jonathan Myrenberg on October 27, 2022. Shortly after joining the Canucks, Studnicka was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury on November 15. Although Studnicka also earned limited ice time in Vancouver, he often played between with
Nils Åman
Nils Åman (born 7 February 2000) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 167th ...
and
Dakota Joshua. The line was often referred to as the "Crazy 8s" due to their jersey numbers all having the number 8.
Following the
All-Star break in January, Studnicka scored four goals and four assists through 47 games.
He averaged 10:39 minutes per outing but remained scratched for nearly every game in March.
Studnicka later explained his lack of scoring due to him being tentative with a new team.
Entering the last year of his contract, Studnicka returned to Vancouver for the
2023–24 season with 10 pounds of added muscle.
Although he was originally re-assigned to the Canucks AHL affiliate, the
Abbotsford Canucks
The Abbotsford Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The team began play in the 2021–22 season with home games at Abbotsford Centre as the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hocke ...
, to start the season, he was an emergency recall on October 12.
San Jose Sharks
On December 15, 2023, Studnicka was traded to 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 ...
in exchange for
Nick Cicek and a
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
sixth-round pick.
Los Angeles Kings
After the 2023–24 season and having concluded his contract with the Sharks, Studnicka signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with 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. ...
on July 1, 2024.
Florida Panthers
After the 2024–25 season, Studnicka was not extended a qualifying offer, making him an
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
. On July 2, 2025, he signed a one-year, two-way contract 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 ...
.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Studnicka, Jack
1999 births
Living people
Abbotsford Canucks players
Boston Bruins draft picks
Boston Bruins players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Canadian ice hockey centres
Niagara IceDogs players
Ontario Reign (AHL) players
Oshawa Generals players
Ice hockey people from Essex County, Ontario
Providence Bruins players
San Jose Barracuda players
San Jose Sharks players
Vancouver Canucks players
21st-century Canadian sportsmen