Hockey is a popular winter sport in countries like Canada and the US, but some people still don’t know much about it. It’s time to change that, because here’s a fun fact: Letterkenny is the home of the MacLeman Hockey Club, who are currently competing in the Irish Hockey League (IHL). The team was founded in 1898 and plays its home games at the 7,500-capacity Letterkenny Stadium. It is widely considered to be one of the most historic clubs in the game. Their biggest rivals are the Clontarf Devils. They also have a women’s team called The Lassies, who recently secured their first ever league title. Let’s take a look at the hockey players in Letterkenny:
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Connor McLeod
Connor McLeod is a professional hockey player currently playing for the Adirondack Thunder of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was born in New York City and raised in Calgary. He has played for the Canadian national team on multiple occasions. In 2012, he was named to the AHFPS all-star game and won the Jack Simpson Most Valuable Player Award. More recently, he was named the AHL MVP for the 2018-19 season. On October 22nd, 2019, he signed a one-year contract with Adirondack, the team he helped lead to the Calder Cup in 2017.
Dmitry Kulikov
Dmitry Kulikov is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL. He was born in Moscow, Russia and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He joined the Montreal Juniors organization at the age of 12 and played in the NHL after the 2017–18 season. Kulikov won a gold medal with Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The defenseman was also named to the Olympic All-Star team for his country.
John McGinnis
John McGinnis is a former professional hockey player and coach who currently works for the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach. He was named top defensive forward in the Swedish league for four consecutive seasons from 2003-07. He won a silver medal with Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. In 2009, he became head coach of the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
Dmitry Vasilevich Novikov
Dmitry Vasilevich Novikov is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the New York Islanders of the NHL. He was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, but grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. He won a gold medal with Team Russia at the 2017 World Championship and a bronze medal at the 2014 World Championship. In September 2019, Novikov was named to the Russian national team for the 2019 World Cup of Hockey in Canada.
Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray is a professional hockey player who currently plays for the New Jersey Devils of the NHL. He was raised in Montreal, Quebec and began his career with the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as Team Quebec’s player of the year in 2011 and was named MVP of the 2011 Memorial Cup. In 2012, he was signed by the New Jersey Devils and made his NHL debut a year later. He currently plays on their top line and has recorded 38 goals and 74 assists for 112 points in 341 career games.
Brad Fushan
Brad Fushan is an American professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche. He was drafted in the third round of the 2005 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks. Fushan has also played for the Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders. This season will be his first in the NHL. He is the son of former NHL referee Brad Fushan Sr. and nephew of former NHL referee Kerry Fushan.
Darryl Reischer
Darryl Reischer is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who currently coaches ice hockey in the USA and the Czech Republic. He was a member of Team Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Reischer played 12 seasons in the minors and had a brief stint in the NHL. He currently coaches the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, as well as two teams in the Czech Republic, the Hradec Kralove team and HC Vivid Pro. He previously coached the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Milwaukee Admirals, the Norfolk Admirals, and the Texas Stars. He also had a stint as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2016-17 season.
Scott McCullough
Scott McCullough is the Head Coach of Hockey Operations for the Colorado Avalanche and has held this position since 2015. Prior to joining the Avalanche, he held various head coaching positions in the AHL and internationally. He has also worked in the NHL as a scout for the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning. McCullough played in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He is a former captain of the Moncton Hawks and won the Jean Ratelle Trophy as QMJHL coach of the year in 1992-93.
Kerry Ellefson
Kerry Ellefson is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche. He was drafted in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. He went on to play four seasons in the AHL with the St. John’s IceCaps. In 2011, Ellefson was signed by the Phoenix Coyotes and made his NHL debut the following year. He was traded to the Avalanche at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. Ellefson’s father, Mike, also played in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Dean Chynoweth
Dean Chynoweth is a professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL. He was named the MVP of the 2010 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championship after scoring 16 points in just 13 games. Chynoweth was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He has since played for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, and New York Rangers. He was also traded to the Avalanche during the 2019 NHL Winter Classic. Chynoweth also played for Canada at the 2018 Olympics, helping the team win a gold medal.
That’s a pretty talented group of hockey players! If you want to see more, here are a few more teams and players from the IHL that are worth checking out:
Mackenzie Banner
Mackenzie Banner is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche. He was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Avalanche and played with them in the NHL until he was traded to the Dallas Stars at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. He made his NHL debut in October 2019 and scored a goal in his first game. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Joey Anderson
Joey Anderson is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who plays for the Colorado Avalanche. He was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Avs and played with them in the NHL until being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. He made his NHL debut in October 2019 and scored a goal in his first game. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympic.
Jared McIsaac
Jared McIsaac is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche, the New York Islanders, and the Carolina Hurricanes. He was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators. After his junior career with the Windsor Spitfires, he joined the Avalanche for the 2013–14 season. McIsaac missed an entire season after being sidelined with an injury. In 2017, he was traded to the Islanders and played several seasons with them before being dealt to the Hurricanes in 2019. Despite the move, he still plays for the Canes in the AHL. On October 18th, 2019, the Hurricanes promoted McIsaac to the NHL and he made his debut that same day against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his first game, he scored a goal and added an assist as the Canes defeated the Lightning 4-2. McIsaac has yet to score or assist in another game but has shown glimpses of his talent, especially on the power play.