Alumni

NHL Players From Maryland

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One of the more fun stories for Marylanders over the past two weeks has been the dominance of the state at the Rio Olympics. For those of us eagerly waiting for the return of  hockey, here’s what Maryland has accomplished in producing NHL players.

By far, the most well-known player is former Capitals captain Jeff Halpern. He was born and raised in Potomac and attended Winston Churchill High School, which did not have a hockey team at the time. He moved on to attend St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. Halpern played with seven different NHL clubs, including two stints with the Caps from 1999-2006 and the 2011-2012 season. He even played six games for the Portland Pirates, the Caps’ AHL affiliate at the time, after graduating from Princeton. Halpern had 373 points in 976 regular season games. Halpern is currently the assistant coach of the Syracuse Crunch, which is the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The only active player from Maryland is Jarred Tinordi. The son of former Capitals’ defenseman Mark Tinordi, Jarred was raised in Millersville, was drafted 22nd overall by Montreal in 2010 and currently plays for the Arizona Coyotes. Tinordi was part of the infamous John Scott trade. In March, Tinordi was suspended 20 games, without pay, for violating the NHL and NHLPAs drug policy. “I did not knowingly take a banned substance,” Tinordi said, via a statement from the NHLPA. “I understand, however, that I am responsible for what enters my body as a professional athlete and I accept the suspension.”

A lesser known player from Maryland is Jeff Brubaker. He was born in Hagerstown in 1958, and grew up in Lansing, Michigan. While playing for seven different NHL teams, including the Hartford Whalers, he racked up 512 PIMs in only 178 games.

A couple of obscure players from Maryland are Jeremy Duchesne and Jamie Fritsch. Each played a single game in their NHL careers both for the Flyers. They both played against the Rangers.

Duchesne, a goalie, played 17 minutes in relief in 2010, giving up a single goal. Jeremy’s father, Gaetan Duchesne (who died in 2007), played for the Caps for six seasons before being dealt to Quebec in the trade the sent Dale Hunter to DC.

Fritsch signed an amateur-tryout-agreement with the Flyers in 2009 after completing his senior year at the University of New Hampshire. The Flyers played him that same day. He earned a plus in that game and had a hit while playing in just 4:34.

The latest player from Maryland is Graham McPhee. He’s the son of George McPhee, the former Capitals general manager and now current general manager of the team that will play in Las Vegas starting in the 2016-2017 season. McPhee grew up in Bethesda, and was drafted in the 5th round, 149th overall this past June by Edmonton. Graham played in 101 games in the United States Development Program, registering 37 points.

With the Capitals’ rise in popularity, plus more ice rinks in the area than ever before, it’s likely more Marylanders will more eventually make their way to the NHL.

Brandon Alter

Brandon Alter covers all three teams in the Washington Capitals Organization. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in May of 2021.

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