Adam Pelech

He was eventually selected in the third round, 65th overall, by the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Adam Pelech (born August 16, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Born and raised in Toronto, Pelech followed his older brothers Michael and Matthew into playing ice hockey.

He played minor ice hockey with the Toronto Marlboros before being drafted by the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

During his time with the Otters, Pelech became the first player in program history to win the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award, the Bobby Smith Trophy, and represent Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

Pelech was born on August 16, 1994, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to former all-Canadian basketball player Bo Pelech.

Growing up, Adam followed his older brothers Michael and Matthew into playing ice hockey.

He played minor ice hockey with the Toronto Marlboros under Connor Brown's father, whom he later listed as a huge influence on his career.

Pelech helped the Marlboros qualify for the 2010 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Cup by tallying six goals and 28 assists in 69 games.

They eventually lost to the Mississauga Rebels led by captain Sean Monahan.

As a result of his play with the Marlboros, Pelech was drafted in the second round by the Erie Otters during the OHL's 2010 Priority Draft.

Following the 2010 OHL draft, Pelech joined the Otters for the 2010–11 season.

He played in 22 games, tallying five points, before being selected to represent Team Ontario at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.

At the same time, Pelech was named the Midwest Division OHL Academic Player of the Month for October for maintaining a high GPA while attending McDowell Senior High School.

During his rookie season, Pelech was partnered with Brett Cook and they became a shutdown pair.

He finished the season with one goal and 12 assists for 13 points through 65 games and earned the Otters' Rookie of the Year award.

Prior to his sophomore season, Pelech was invited to attend Canada's Mens Summer Under-18 Team selection camp leading up to the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

He subsequently helped Team Canada win their fourth straight gold medal at the tournament before returning to North America.

As the 2011–12 season continued, Pelech recovered from an injury and recorded six assists in eight games to become the first Otters defenceman since 2002 to be selected for the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

As a result of his major junior ice hockey play, Pelech was selected by the Islanders in the third round, 65th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Pelech spent the majority of his first two seasons with the Islanders organization with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, before making the jump to the NHL level.

He made his NHL debut on November 13, in a 4–1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Upon becoming a mainstay on the Islanders lineup, Pelech was utilized in shutdown and penalty-killing roles.

He was soon considered an elite stay-at-home defenceman and was subsequently selected to represent the Islanders at the 2022 National Hockey League All-Star Game.

Following the game, Pelech earned a midterm ranking of 54th from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships.

At the time of the selection, Pelech had recorded two goals and 18 assists for 20 points in 44 games.

He finished the season as the first OHL player in history to win the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award, the Bobby Smith Trophy, and represent Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

Leading up to the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Pelech earned a final ranking of 120th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Following the draft, Pelech was selected to participate in the 2012 CHL Canada/Russia Series.

He was also named an alternate captain for the Otters alongside Troy Donnay and Stephen Harper.

By November 2012, Pelech led Otters defencemen with 19 points in 20 games and tied for third among league defencemen.

On March 15, 2014, Pelech signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders.

At the time of the signing, he ranked third among OHL defencemen with 54 points in 59 games.

Following the Islanders' 2014 training camp, Pelech was loaned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, to start the 2014–15 season.

He spent the entire season with the Sound Tigers and tallied 11 assists through 65 games.

Pelech returned to the Islanders for the 2015–16 season where he was again reassigned to the Sound Tigers.

After tallying four points through 14 games, Pelech received his first NHL recall on November 9, 2015.

He eventually made his debut a few games later on November 13, in a 4–1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Pelech was reassigned to the AHL shortly thereafter but was again recalled to the Islanders later in the season on January 1, 2016, after Johnny Boychuk was injured.

While playing with the Islanders, Pelech left warmups prior to a game with a seemingly minor injury, and was subsequently diagnosed with an "undisclosed injury".