The 25 greatest American-born hockey players of all-time

Hailing from Hingham, Mass., the venerable Amonte spent 17 seasons (1992-2007) in the NHL and ranks 10th among American-born skaters with 416 goals. He's also one of 15 such players to record 900 or more points. Most of Amonte's success came with Chicago, where he posted three seasons with at least 41 goals. A five-time All-Star, Amonte also earned a silver medal with Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics. 

From Boston, Barrasso won both the Calder (NHL's top rookie) and Vezina (NHL's top goaltender) Trophies with Buffalo during his first NHL season. Entering the 2025-26 NHL season, Barrasso ranks fourth among American-born goaltenders with 369 wins. With Pittsburgh, Barrasso proved to be a standout playoff netminder. The veteran owned a 2.60 GAA during the 1991 postseason, but exited Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Minnesota North Stars due to a groin injury. With Pittsburgh up 3-2 in the series, Barrasso was questionable for Game 6, but got the go-ahead and delivered a stellar 39-save performance during the Cup-clinching 8-0 rout. Barrasso, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023, also helped the Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions in 1992. 

To the casual NHL fan, Brimsek might not be a well-known name when it comes to great U.S. players. However, from 1938-39-1949-50, Minnesota's Brimsek won 230 games, all but 22 coming while spending his first nine seasons with the Boston Bruins. In 1939, Brimsek won both the Calder and Vezina Trophies. He won the Vezina again in 1942. Brimsek was also part of two Stanley Cup champion clubs as a Bruin (1939, '41), and named to eight All-Star teams. He finished his Hall-of-Fame career with 40 shutouts, which are currently tied for fifth among U.S.-born goalies.

Part of the talented Broten family from Minnesota, Neal Broten officially made a name for himself when he scored the winner for the University of Minnesota in the 1979 national championship game, as a freshman. Not long after, Broten helped the U.S. make their improbable run to the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. Shortly after that, Broten, who also won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top college player, made his NHL debut with the home-state North Stars. That marked the beginning of a 20-year run in the NHL. When it ended, Broten totaled 289 goals and 634 assists (ninth-best by a U.S. player). A member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Broten joins Ed Belfour as the only players to win an NCAA title, Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup (with New Jersey in 1995).

Raised in Chicago, before moving to California, Chelios leads all American-born NHL players with 1,651 games. The defenseman's Hall-of-Fame career spanned 27 years (1984-2010), notably with Montreal, Chicago and Detroit. During that time, Chelios amassed 948 points, won the Norris Trophy three times (1989, '93, '96) and hoisted three Stanley Cups -- with the Canadiens (1986) and as a Red Wing (2002, '08). In many circles, Chelios is regarded as the best American to ever play the game.

There was plenty of hype surrounding Eichel, a Hobey Baker Award winner while at Boston University, when he was drafted second overall by Buffalo in 2015. Expected to be the Sabres' savior, Eichel never filled that role in Buffalo, but did have an 82-point season in 2018-19. Then Eichel landed in Vegas, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2023, and set career highs with 66 assists and 94 points in 2024-25. A four-time All-Star, Massachusetts' Eichel still has plenty of time to pad his legacy.

One of the more underrated names on this list. During an NHL season that spanned more than 20 years (1991-92-2009-10), the Worcester, Mass., native played for eight different franchises, winning the Stanley Cup with New Jersey (1995) and Pittsburgh (2009), and ranks among all U.S.-born players with 429 goals. Guerin, who has also achieved success as an NHL executive, played in three All-Star games and is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Michigan's Hellebuyck just finished his 10th NHL season of 2024-25-- all with the Winnipeg Jets, and long ago established himself as one of the game's top netminders. As of June 2025, Hellebuyck ranks in the top five among U.S.-born goalies for wins (322), win percentage (.624), shutouts (45) and save percentage (.918). In 2025, Hellebuyck won his third Vezina Trophy, and also became the first goaltender since Carey Price in 2014-15 to win the Hart Trophy, as NHL MVP. 

Entering the 2025-26 NHL campaign, no U.S.-born player has recorded more NHL assists than Saint Paul's Housley with 894. His 1,232 points and 338 goals, spanning 23 years in the league (1983-2003), are also the most by any American-born defenseman. And, makes him one of two such blue-liners to record at least 1,000 points. A seven-time All-Star, Housley played nearly 1,500 NHL games, most notably with Buffalo, Winnipeg and Calgary, and also coached the Sabres for two seasons. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

Hockey royalty, the son of the iconic Gordie Howe, Mark had no trouble making a name for himself as one of the best NHL defensemen during a career that spanned more than 15 seasons (1980-1995). The Detroit native, Howe, ranks sixth among all U.S.-born defenseman with 742 points recorded during a career mostly spent with the Philadelphia Flyers, and his 28 short-handed goals are the most by any NHL blue-liner. Howe was a five-time All-Star, three-time runner-up for the Norris Trophy and played in the Stanley Cup Final on three occasions. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

The No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft by Chicago, Kane is still contributing in the league, most recently with the Detroit Red Wings. Another name in the mix for the best player to come out of the United States, Kane helped the Blackhawks win three Stanley Cups (2010, '13, '15), and took home both the Hart and Art Ross (NHL scoring leader) Trophies for the 2015-16 campaign. Entering the 2025-26 season, Kane has 1,343 career points, and could end up becoming the all-time leader among American-born players during the season. He's also seven goals shy of 500 for his career, and ranks second for U.S. skaters with 851 assists. 

Born in St. Louis, LaFontaine grew up in Michigan and enjoyed one of the greatest junior hockey careers in the game's history. By his third NHL season of the 1985-86, LaFontaine began a streak of eight straight seasons with at least 30 goals. The Hall of Famer, who starred for both the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres, also registered seven seasons with at least 40 goals, and two of more than 50 during an NHL run that spanned 15 seasons. For that career, LaFontaine recorded 468 goals and is one of 10 Americans with at least 1,013 points -- entering the 2025-26 season.

Also in the conversation for the greatest American-born hockey player, Leetch ranks second among all U.S. defensemen with 1,028 points -- joining the aforementioned Phil Housley as the only such blue-liners to reach 1,000. He spent 19 years in the NHL, with all but 76 of his 1,205 career games played as a member of the New York Rangers. The Calder Trophy winner, as the league's top rookie in 1989, Leetch twice won the Norris Trophy (1992, '97). Leetch was also an integral part of helping New York win the Stanley Cup in 1994, when he became the first American-born player to claim the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP.

Johnson didn't enjoy the sustained NHL success like most everyone else on this list, but he is one of the heroes of the U.S.'s famed "Miracle on Ice" squad, and played 669 regular-season NHL games between 1979-80-1989-90. He totaled more than 200 goals and 300 assists while mainly playing for Pittsburgh, Hartford, and New Jersey. An All-Star in 1984, Johnson followed his pro career by developing one of the most dominant women's hockey programs at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin. Johnson, who also coached Team USA's women's squad, is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

The poster boy for West Coast hockey, the electrifying Matthews was born in California and raised in Arizona, and since 2016, he has been among the elite players in the NHL while starring for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored four goals in his NHL debut, and in nine seasons has lit the lamp an impressive 401 times, ranking 13th on the list of American-born players heading into the 2025-26 campaign. A seven-time All-Star, Calder and Hart Trophy winner, Matthews has yet to register a season with fewer than 33 goals. 

At the moment, Modano is the all-time leader among American-born players with 561 goals and 1,374 points. However, as noted, Patrick Kane is nipping at his heels in taking over that top spot. The Michigan native Modano tends to come to mind quickly when discussing the greatest U.S.-born players of all time. The Hall of Famer spent more than 20 years in the league, and all but one as a member of the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise. He helped Dallas win the Cup in 1999, five years after he posted his only 50-goal campaign.

From 2019-'24, Michigan's Miller held the top spot for career wins by an American-born goaltender with 391. In addition, Miller ranks in the top five among such netminders for games played (804), shutouts (44), and save percentage (.914) during an NHL career that spanned 19 years. Mostly remembered for his years in Buffalo, Miller won the Vezina Trophy as a Sabre in 2010. The winner of the Hobey Baker Award while playing for Michigan State, Miller also won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2010 Olympics. 

A member of both the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame, Mullen grew up in the gritty Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. After starring at Boston College, Mullen enjoyed a 16-season NHL career (1982-97), and ranks highly among the American-born leaders with 1,063 points. As of July 2025, Mullen ranks fourth among such players with 502 goals. A two-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanlike conduct), Mullen won three Stanley Cups -- with Calgary in 1989 and two for Pittsburgh in 1991 and '92.

A recent retiree, Pavelski sits fifth all-time among American-born skaters with 1,068 points and sixth with 476 goals -- spanning 18 seasons (2007-24). Mostly spent with San Jose, then the final five seasons as a member of the Dallas Stars. The Wisconsin native, who starred for his home-state Badgers, never won a Stanley Cup, but was a four-time All-Star. Pavelski has also been hailed for his team leadership and ability to mentor younger players.

Connecticut's Quick began his NHL career in 2007 with the Los Angeles Kings, and by the end of the 2024-25 campaign (which he spent with the New York Rangers), was the all-time U.S.-born leader for wins (404) and shutouts (63). In fact, Quick, a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist and three-time Stanley Cup champion, is the only American-born goalie to win at least 400 games. During the Kings' postseason run to the 2012 Stanley Cup, Quick was absolutely brilliant while going 16-4 with a 1.41 goals-against average, .946 save percentage, and three shutouts to take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.

A teammate of the aforementioned Brian Leetch, Richter spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the New York Rangers (1990-2003). The Pennsylvania product starred at the University of Wisconsin, and by his fifth NHL season of 1993-94, Richter was among the stars of the Stanley Cup-champion Rangers. That season, Richter set career bests for wins (42) and goals-against average (2.57). A member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Richter ranks among the all-time American leaders for games played (666) and wins (301).

A 2024 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Roenick played 20 seasons in the NHL, most notably with the Chicago Blackhawks. Entering the 2025-26 season, Roenick, who hails from Massachusetts, ranks in the top 10 among U.S.-born players in games played (1,363), goals (513), assists (703) and points (1,216). He played in nine All-Star Games, and many hockey historians consider Roenick among the greatest NHL players never to have won a Stanley Cup. 

It's possible Tkachuk's sons, Matthew and Brady, will join their old man on this list down the road. At the moment, Keith is still the king of the ice within the Tkachuk family. A native of Massachusetts, the brooding Tkachuk is a five-time All-Star and a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. However, many NHL pundits question his absence from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Tkachuk ranks second among American-born players with 538 goals and sixth with 1,065 points throughout his 18-year career, notably spent with the original Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes franchise and the St. Louis Blues. 

No American-born goaltender has played or started more NHL games than Vanbiesbrouck at 882 (841 starts). The Detroit native's NHL career began in 1981-82, and spanned parts of 21 years. He's best known for playing 11 seasons with the New York Rangers, where he won the Vezina Trophy in 1986, and shared goaltending duties with the aforementioned Mike Richter later in that tenure. Entering the 2025-26 season, Vanbiesbrouck also ranks first among American-born netminders in saves (22,203), third in wins (374) and is tied for fifth in shutouts (40).

Not flashy by any means, Weight was dependable as they came and deserves a spot on this list. Another Michigan product, Weight played from 1991-92-2010-11, and ranks in the top 10 among American-born skaters with 1,033 points and 755 assists. He suited up for six different teams (notably Edmonton, St. Louis and New York Islanders), and won his lone Stanley Cup in 2006 with Carolina, after being acquired from the Blues during that season. Weight is a four-time All-Star, won the King Clancy Trophy (NHL humanitarian award) and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.