Jake McCabe (born October 12, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (44th overall) of the

2012 NHL Entry Draft The 2012 NHL Entry Draft was the 50th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held June 22–23, 2012, at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first time that Pittsburgh hosted the draft since the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. The top th ...

Playing career

Collegiate

McCabe played his high school hockey at Eau Claire Memorial, before going to play college hockey at Wisconsin where he spent three seasons playing for the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA Men's Division I Big Ten Conference. In his first year with the Badgers, McCabe suffered a severed tendon in his finger, cutting his season to only 26 games. In his junior year, McCabe's outstanding play was rewarded with a selection to the 2013–14 All-Big Ten First Team.

Professional

Buffalo Sabres

On April 2, 2014, the Sabres signed McCabe to a three-year entry-level contract, with the intent of having him join the Sabres' active roster. He made his NHL debut the following day, skating 16:20 with the Sabres in a 2–1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He recorded his first career NHL goal on October 15, 2015, in a loss to the

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

. After playing in nearly all 82 games with the Sabres during the 2015–16 season, McCabe signed a three-year contract extension with the Sabres on June 30, 2016. On January 7, 2017, McCabe delivered a hit on

Patrik Laine Patrik Laine (; born 19 April 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. Laine formerly played in his native Finland with Tappara in the Finnish Liiga befor ...

of the Winnipeg Jets. Laine suffered a concussion and left the game after the hit but McCabe was not disciplined or fined. McCabe ended the regular season with career highs in assists and points. During the 2017–18 season, McCabe suffered a thumb and shoulder injury that cut his season short. Entering the 2019–20 season under new head coach Ralph Krueger, McCabe was named an alternate captain of the Sabres.

Chicago Blackhawks

On July 28, 2021, McCabe left the Sabres as a free agent and signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Personal life

McCabe comes from an athletic family, his cousin is Eric Decker who played in the NFL. He also comes from a hockey playing family; his father played collegiate hockey at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and his brother Andrew played one season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha before transferring to the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* 1993 births Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Chicago Blackhawks players Ice hockey players from Wisconsin Sportspeople from Eau Claire, Wisconsin Rochester Americans players Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans {{US-icehockey-defenseman-stub