Jimmy Vesey

A highly decorated player in college, Jimmy Vesey landed on Broadway in the summer of 2016. Growing up Boston, Massachusetts, Vesey played with South Shore in New England in 2011-12 and was named the Eastern Junior Hockey League MVP after scoring 48 goals and 91 points -- both league records -- in 45 games. That caught the attention of the Nashville Predators, who selected him in the third round (No. 66) of the 2012 NHL Draft. Vesey would go on to play the next four seasons at Harvard University, where he would become one of the top players in college hockey. As a freshman in 2012-13, Vesey was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and made the East Coast Athletic Association All-Rookie team and the ECAC All-Academic team. Vesey enjoyed a breakout season as a junior in 2014-15. He led the NCAA Division I with 32 goals, was named the ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year, was named to the NCAA East First First All-American Team. Vesey also won the Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best U.S.-born college hockey player in New England. Vesey continued to develop and shine as a senior in 2015-16, and after getting 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 33 games, he won the Hobey Baker Award, repeated as the ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year, again was named to the NCAA East First First All-American Team, and became the fifth player in 64 years to win the Walter Brown Award for the second time. But after his successful collegiate career, Vesey opted not to sign with Nashville, which traded his rights to the Buffalo Sabres on June 20, 2016. Vesey also chose not to sign with the Sabres 2016. Four days later, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers. Vesey made an immediate impact with the Rangers as a rookie, scoring his first NHL goal in his third game against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 17. Five days later, he recorded his first multigoal game in a 4-2 win against the Washington Capitals. After scoring 17 goals in each of the following two seasons, Vesey was traded by New York to Buffalo for a third-round pick it the 2021 NHL Draft on July 1, 2019. In his first season with the Sabres, Vesey had 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 64 games before the season was paused on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.