Black History Month 2024

With the current celebration of Black History Month, we want to take a moment to acknowledge currently some of the great Black hockey players right now in the NHL. While this is not a complete list of all the current NHL players, we wanted to rank them in the top ten this season. Here are the Top 10 current Best Black Hockey Players playing in the NHL.

Honorable Mention

Pierre-Edouard Bellemere

Team: Seattle Kraken 

With a more than worthy mention, Pierre-Edouard Bellemere was never drafted into the NHL, but has played 689 games so far. After playing most of his career in the SEL, PED came over and played for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2014–2015 season.

Bellemare would play three seasons in Philadelphia before being selected by Vegas in the Expansion Draft. Since then, he has also played for the Avalanche, Lightning and Kraken. In 689 games played, PED has scored 64 goals and 72 assists and is well known for his leadership abilities.

Top 10 Black NHL Players

10. Darnell Nurse

Team: Edmonton Oilers 

Starting the Top 10 of the Top 10 Black Hockey Players 2024 Rankings is Darnell Nurse. Nurse was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers seventh overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and has since become a staple on the Oilers backend.

He will seemingly be an Oiler for his entire career, as he signed an eight-year deal just three years ago. Not including this season, Nurse has played 559 games, scoring 66 goals and 169 assists.

This season, however, he has only six goals and 11 assists in 45 games played. Nurse is also an assistant captain for the team. 

9. Jalen Chatfield

Team: Carolina Hurricanes 

Jalen Chatfield has had an interesting path to the NHL, never being drafted. After three seasons with the Spitfires in the OHL, he signed a professional contract with the Vancouver Canucks, spending three seasons with the Utica Comets and playing 18 games during the 2020-2021 season with the Canucks.

After his entry-level contract expired, he signed with the Hurricanes, splitting time between the Wolves and Hurricanes. So far this season, Chatfield has four goals and nine assists in 45 games. 

8. Dakota Joshua

Team: Vancouver Canucks

Dakota Joshua has also had a long run to get where he is now making him #8 on the Top Black Hockey Players list. After playing four full years with the Ohio State University, he had his rights traded from Toronto, who drafted him 128th overall in 2014, to St. Louis.

After finishing his entry-level contract with the Blues, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks. So far this season, he has scored 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. 

7. Ryan Reaves

Team: Toronto Maple Leafs 

Ryan Reaves was drafted 156th overall during the 2005 NHL Draft. Since being drafted, he has also played for the Leafs, Penguins, Golden Knights, Rangers and Wild.

Reaves is a notorious enforcer, generating over 1,023 penalty minutes in his career so far. This season with the Maple Leafs, he has only scored two goals in a bottom-six role. 

6. Caleb Jones

Team: Colorado Avalanche 

Caleb Jones was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers 117th overall during the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, he has played with the Oilers, Blackhawks, and Colorado Avalanche, where he is currently contracted.

Internationally, he has represented the United States three times, winning gold in all three. Jones is playing on a stacked Avalanche backend and splitting time in the AHL. While he has only scored four points this season, his play off the scoresheet has been great for him and the team. 

5. K’Andre Miller

Team: New York Rangers 

Now in the Top 5 of the best Black Hockey Players list is K’Andre Miller. Miller is now in the midst of his fourth season in the NHL. After two years in the US Development Program, he played for two years at the University of Wisconsin.

He initially and still does look like a steal at 22nd overall. Now a top-four defenseman, Miller has played 262 games, scoring 28 goals and 66 assists for 94 points. 

4. Seth Jones

Team: Chicago Blackhawks 

Seth Jones has quite the NHL career thus far. Most thought he was going first overall in the 2013 Draft, but he ended up sliding to fourth.

Jones was drafted fourth overall by the Predators and was traded to the Blue Jackets in 2016 in a player for-player deal.

The Jackets would then trade him five years later, and has played for the Blackhawks ever since. Jones has played 765 games in his career, scoring 83 points and 306 assists. 

3. Kyle Okposo

Team: Buffalo Sabres

Kyle Okposo is the oldest player currently on our Top 10 Black Hockey Players 2024 list and has been in the NHL since 2008. After being drafted 7th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, he played for the Islanders until the 2015–2016 season.

In a shock to Isles fans, he signed a free agent deal with the Sabres in 2016, where he has played ever since. Okposo has played 1,030 games, scoring 239 goals and 369 assists for 608 points. 

2. Anthony Duclair

Team: San Jose Sharks

Anthony Duclair has been a journeyman in the NHL. He is now on his seventh team in the NHL and looks like he is a career rental.

Originally drafted by the Rangers in 2013, he has also played for the Panthers, Senators, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Coyotes, and is currently with the Sharks.

So far, in 536 NHL games played, Duclair has scored 131 goals and 147 assists for 278 points. Given the Sharks current standing, he will more than like to play for his eighth team this season. 

1. Evander Kane

Team: Edmonton Oilers 

Now at #1 on the Top 10 NHL Black Hockey Players 2024 Rankings is Evander Kane. Kane is one of the last Atlanta Thrashers-drafted players in the NHL, as he was drafted fourth overall by the now relocated team in 2009.

Kane went with the Thrashers to Winnipeg, where he played for three seasons before going to Buffalo, then San Jose and is currently playing for the Oilers. So far in his career, Kane has played 897 games, scoring 317 goals and 285 assists.

Related Links:

• Top 10 NHL Draft Grades 2023 Rankings
• Top 10 Best NHL Teams 2023-2024 Rankings
• Top 10 Best NHL Players 2023-2024 Rankings
• Top 10 Best NHL Rookies 2023-2024 Rankings