Jack Studnicka

Jack Studnicka (born February 18, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Studnicka was born on February 18, 1999, in Tecumseh, Ontario to parents Todd Studnicka and Mary Beth Laing.

He was born into an athletic family as his father Todd played college ice hockey for the University of Maine while his older brother Sam played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Likewise, his step brother Ryan McInchak plays goaltender for Cornell University and his cousin Joey most recently played in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

He became the youngest team captain in franchise history since Boone Jenner in the 2011–12 season.

After moving to Novi, Michigan, in 2013, Studnicka played minor and midget hockey for Compuware and Belle Tire U14 teams.

In 2013, Studnicka moved to Novi, Michigan, with his father after he got a job with DTE Energy in order to have his support while preparing for major junior hockey.

Although he grew up in Canada, Studnicka played minor and midget hockey for Compuware and Belle Tire in Michigan.

During his time with the Belle Tire, Studnicka was coached by Kyle Krug, the father of NHL defenceman Torey Krug.

Following the 2014–15 season, in which he scored 29 goals and 56 assists through 67 games, Studnicka was drafted 21st overall by the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection Draft.

Upon concluding the 2014–15 season with the Belle Tire, Studnicka was drafted 21st overall by the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft.

In his final season with the Belle Tire, Studnicka scored 29 goals and 56 assists for 85 points through 67 games and played for the TPH Thunder Minor Midget program at the 2015 OHL Cup.

He finished the OHL Cup leading the team with one goal and three assists through four games.

Leading up to the draft, Studnicka was described as a power pivot who displays a methodical stick handling attack, using subtle puck placement over dangling options." Prior to starting his rookie season with the Generals, Studnicka was invited to the Team Canada U17 development camp where he scored one goal and one assist for two points over three games. He began his rookie season with the Generals during the 2015–16 season and immediately tallied five assists through six games. As a result of his play, Studnicka represented Team Canada at the 2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he tallied five points in six games. Upon returning to the OHL, Studnicka eventually tallied his first goal on December 13 against the Saginaw Spirit after recording 12 assists through 26 games. He finished the 2015–16 season leading all team rookies with four goals and 22 assists for 26 points over 62 games.

Following his rookie season, Studnicka again represented Team Canada on the international stage at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

He was eventually drafted in the second round, 53rd overall, by the Boston Bruins after finishing the 2016–17 season with a career-high 18 goals and 34 assists.

He was also able to graduate from Northville High School by taking online classes for his final semester.

Studnicka was drafted in the second round (53rd overall) by the Boston Bruins in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Leading up to the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Studnicka was ranked 80th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau in their midterm ranking list.

Following the draft, Studnicka participated in the Bruins 2017 Rookie Camp and at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo where he scored one goal and two assists.

After impressing at the tournament, Studnicka also participated in the Bruins Training Camp and made his preseason debut against the Montreal Canadiens on September 18 before being returned to Oshawa on September 21.

Upon returning to the Generals, Studnicka was named team captain for the 2017–18 season.

In his first two games as captain, Studnicka posted two goals and three assists for five points and he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Bruins on September 26, 2017.

At the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, Studnicka joined the Bruins American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins, for the remainder of the season.

In five regular season games, he tallied one goal and four assists for five points in the AHL.

He scored his first professional goal on April 14 to help lead the Bruins to a 5–0 shutout win over the Springfield Thunderbirds.

After again participating in the Bruins training camp and preseason, Studnicka returned to the Generals for the 2018–19 season.

While with the Bruins, he centred Brad Marchand and David Pastrňák for one game during their exhibition series in China.

He played four seasons with the Generals, serving them as captain for one and a half, before being traded to the Niagara IceDogs in 2019.

On January 8, 2019, Studnicka and teammate Matt Brassard were traded to the Niagara IceDogs in exchange for Lleyton Moore and six draft picks.

He made an immediate impact on the team upon joining them, scoring seven goals and eight assists for 15 points over nine games.

At the end of January, Studnicka was named an assistant captain for the IceDogs.

On February 21, Studnicka recorded a career-high four goals in one game to lead the IceDogs 10–2 over the Kitchener Rangers.

The following month, he recorded a career-high five points in one game to help lift the IceDogs 7–4 over the Barrie Colts.

Studnickaup finished the regular season with 36 goals and 47 assists for 83 points over 60 games between Niagara and Oshawa.

His scoring prowess continued into the 2019 playoffs as he led the team in their first round series against the North Bay Battalion with four goals and four assists.

During Game 5 of the IceDogs first round playoff series against the Battalion, Studnickaup tallied a goal and two assists to push the IceDogs into the second round for the fourth time in five years.

Studnicka and the IceDogs then faced his former team in the second round, where they lost to the Generals.

Following the IceDog's elimination from the 2019 playoffs, Studnicka joined the Providence Bruins to help them in the 2019 Calder Cup playoffs run.

He scored his first playoff goal and assist with the Bruins in his second game to help lead them to an eventual 4–2 win over the Charlotte Checkers.