Alex Daniel Tuch ( ; born May 10, 1996) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

forward for the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). He was drafted by the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

in the first round, 18th overall, in the

2014 NHL Entry Draft The 2014 NHL Entry Draft was the 52nd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 27–28, 2014 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The top three selections were Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart and Leon Draisaitl, going to the F ...

Playing career

Youth and college

As a youth, Tuch played in the 2008

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with the Lemieux Academy

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

team from

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. Tuch was ranked 12th by the

NHL Central Scouting Bureau The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League that ranks prospects for the NHL Entry Draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate to the profe ...

on their final list of the top draft-eligible North American skaters leading into the

, where he was projected to be selected in the first round. Tuch was eventually selected by the

as the draft's 18th overall pick. Tuch trained with the

USA Hockey National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program: under-17 and under- ...

team from 2012 to 2014, winning a bronze medal with Team USA at the

2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge The 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge was an ice hockey tournament held in Drummondville and Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada between December 29, 2012 and January 4, 2013. The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is held b ...

and gold at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships. From 2014 to 2016, Tuch played college hockey for Boston College in the

Hockey East Association The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

. He was named to the 2014–15 Hockey East Association Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team, tallying 14 goals and 14 assists his freshman year. In 2015–16, he contributed with 18 goals and 16 assists in 40 games, while heading to the NCAA Frozen Four with the Eagles.

Minnesota Wild

On April 13, 2016, Tuch signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild to begin his professional career. In his rookie professional season, after attending the Wild's training camp, he was reassigned to the club's

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

Iowa Wild The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, that began play for the 2013–14 season. The team plays at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, as the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. The team was f ...

, for the 2016–17 season. Tuch provided a power-forward presence for Iowa, recording 18 goals and 37 points in 57 games. In the second half of the season, he received his first recall to Minnesota and made his NHL debut on February 4, 2017, against the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. That season, he appeared in six NHL games with the Wild, but did not score a goal.

Vegas Golden Knights

On June 21, 2017, Tuch was traded to the expansion

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...

as part of an agreement with Vegas that the team would select

Erik Haula Erik Haula (born 23 March 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey center for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panther ...

in the

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. On October 3, 2017, Tuch was assigned to the AHL's

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

to begin the 2017–18 season. He was recalled from the Wolves on October 15, and he scored his first NHL goal against

Tuukka Rask Tuukka Mikael Rask (born 10 March 1987) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. Rask was drafted 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 2006, where he played ...

of the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

that night. Tuch went on with Vegas to the

2018 Stanley Cup Finals The 2018 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2017–18 season and the culmination of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals defeated the Western Co ...

, where they eventually lost in five games to the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

. On October 19, 2018, the Golden Knights signed Tuch to a seven-year, $33.25 million contract extension. In July 2021, Tuch underwent off-season shoulder surgery, which would prevent him from playing the majority of the 2021–22 NHL season

Buffalo Sabres

On November 4, 2021, Tuch was traded by the Golden Knights along with Peyton Krebs, a

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

first-round draft pick, and a

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second-round draft pick to the

in exchange for

Jack Eichel John Robert Eichel (born October 28, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eichel was selected second overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. Befo ...

and a 2023 third-round draft pick. Eichel, the former 2015 second overall draft pick considered a generational talent, had been enmeshed in an acrimonious dispute with the Sabres for some time prior to the trade. Tuch, a Sabres fan as a child, expressed enthusiasm about joining the team. He made his debut in a December 29, 2021 loss to the New Jersey Devils, recording an assist. He soon became a fan favorite in Buffalo, with many citing him as a natural choice to the take up the team captaincy previously stripped from Eichel. A notable game came on March 10, 2022, when Eichel made his first appearance in Buffalo against the Golden Knights, culminating in Tuch stealing the puck from Eichel in the final minute to bury it in the empty net, resulting in a 3–1 Sabres victory. On October 20, 2022, Tuch scored his first career

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

in a 6–3 win over the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

Personal life

Tuch was born to Carl and Sharon in Syracuse, New York. He grew up in Baldwinsville, New York. Tuch is of Slovak ancestry through his great grandmother. Tuch has a younger brother and sister who are twins; Luke Tuch was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

and is committed to play hockey for

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

, and Leah Tuch plays field hockey. Tuch grew up as a fan of the

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuch, Alex 1996 births Living people American men's ice hockey right wingers Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players Buffalo Sabres players Chicago Wolves players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Iowa Wild players Minnesota Wild draft picks Minnesota Wild players National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from Baldwinsville, New York USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Vegas Golden Knights players