Brogan Rafferty

Brogan Rafferty (born May 28, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Rafferty played as a forward for most of his youth career but chose to switch to defense while in high school.

Rafferty was born on May 28, 1995, in West Dundee, Illinois, United States, to parents Brian and Deirdre.

He was born with amblyopia and was later diagnosed with scoliosis.

As a young teenager, Rafferty was informed that competitive hockey was not an option for him due to his disabilities.

Due to his eye issues, Rafferty wore glasses as a child while playing roller and ice hockey before transitioning to contacts when he was 11 or 12.

He refused surgery for his scoliosis and instead worked to build up muscle to support his spine.

Growing up in Illinois, Rafferty played as a forward for most of his youth career.

Rafferty was playing for the AA team for Team Illinois, but chose to switch to defense after his father printed out a list of undrafted free agents that made it to the NHL.

After switching to defense, Rafferty tried out for the AAA team for Team Illinois which also earned him attention from various North American Hockey League (NAHL) teams.

His success as a defenseman was also aided with a growth spurt that saw him grow from 5'8 to 6'2.

He played one game with the Topeka RoadRunners of the NAHL but spent the majority of the season for the Team Illinois 18U team.

In his rookie season, Rafferty became the fifth freshman in Quinnipiac's NCAA Division I history to lead the team in assists, and the first since 2011.

Following his junior season, Rafferty concluded his collegiate career with the Bobcats by signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League.

Rafferty subsequently became the fifth freshman in Quinnipiac's NCAA Division I history to lead the team in assists, and the first since 2011.

After spending the 2012–13 season with the AAA team, Rafferty joined the Coulee Region Chill in 2013–14.

In his rookie season with the Chill, Rafferty tallied 22 points through 53 games.

After his rookie season with the Chill, Rafferty tried out for numerous United States Hockey League (USHL) teams and spent a month in training camp before being cut and sent back to the NAHL.

After switching to defense, Rafferty earned attention from various North American Hockey League teams and eventually joined the Coulee Region Chill in 2013–14.

After his rookie season with the Chill, Rafferty committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

In his debut on March 22, 2013, Rafferty scored his first NAHL goal to give the RoadRunners a 1–0 lead in an eventual 4–1 win.

His offensive skills helped the Bobcats finish the 2016-17 season ranked 20th after posting a 23–15–2 record including a 13-8-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play.

Rafferty spent the entirety of the 2014–15 season with the Chill where he continued to produce offensively and impress college scouts.

Prior to the start of his sophomore campaign, the Bobcats were ranked 14th in the USCHO.com Preseason Poll.

By February 2015, he had tallied two goals and 21 assists through 47 games and was invited to participate in the 2015 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament.

As a result of his play, Rafferty committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC).

However, he chose to delay his enrollment for one year in order to play in the USHL and continue his development.

Rafferty subsequently joined the Bloomington Thunder of the USHL for the 2015–16 season where he scored two goals and 26 assists for 28 points through 60 games.

Rafferty played for the Quinnipiac Bobcats at Quinnipiac University from 2016 to 2019 while majoring in finance.

His offensive defensive skills helped lead the Thunder to two comeback wins during the USHL 2016 Playoffs against the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Rafferty played for the Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team at Quinnipiac University from 2016 to 2019 while majoring in finance.

While paired with Connor Clifton, Rafferty spent time on the team's first power-play unit and recorded at least one point in 10 of his first 17 games as a freshman.

Within his first five games, he scored his first collegiate goal and added four assists.

Within two months with the Quinnipiac Bobcats, Rafferty had tallied two goals and 11 assists to rank ninth in the ECAC Hockey conference in points and third in the conference for assists.

By February, he had maintained a four-game point streak to lead the Bobcats in assists with 20 and total points with 22.

As the Bobcats competed in the 2017 ECAC Hockey men's ice hockey tournament, Rafferty recorded an assist in their 5–1 win over Brown University in Game 2 of the First Round series.

The team was eventually eliminated from the tournament in the semi-finals after falling to Harvard University.

Rafferty finished the season by earning ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team honors.

Following his freshman season, Rafferty was invited to participate in the Chicago Blackhawks National Hockey League (NHL) Development Camp as a free-agent invitee.

He was subsequently cut from the camp and returned to the Bobcats for the 2017–18 season.