Noah Hanifin (born January 25, 1997) 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 hock ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

for 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 ...

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 has previously played for the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

, who drafted him fifth overall in the

2015 NHL Entry Draft The 2015 NHL Entry Draft was the 53rd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 26–27, 2015, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The first three selections were Connor McDavid going to the Edmonton Oilers, Jack Eichel going to the Buffa ...

Playing career

Amateur

Hanifin was to be a top-three pick for the

, and the number-one rated defenseman. He was picked fifth overall by the

. Hanifin played for the USA Hockey's U17 program based out of

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

, but was added to the U18 national team as an underage player, helping to lead Team USA to the gold medal at the

2014 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2014 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 16th IIHF World U18 Championship, and was hosted by Lappeenranta and Imatra, Finland. The tournament began on 17 April 2014, with the gold medal game played on 27 April 2014. Top Division Officials ...

. He was the highest-scoring American defenseman of the tournament with one goal and five points. After fast-tracking his high school graduation, Hanifin matriculated at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

as a 17-year-old, playing for the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

and becoming the second-youngest player in the team's history.

Professional

Carolina Hurricanes

Hanifin was selected fifth overall by the

in the

. On July 11, 2015, Hanifin signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Hurricanes forgoing the remainder of his college eligibility. He made his NHL debut October 8, 2015, against the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

. Hanifin scored his first NHL goal against

Anton Khudobin Anton Valerievich Khudobin (russian: Антон Валерьевич Худобин; born 7 May 1986) is a Kazakhstani-born Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract w ...

of the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

on November 16, 2015. Hanifin finished his rookie season with 4 goals and 22 points in 79 games. On January 15, 2018, Hanifin was selected as the sole representative of the Hurricanes at the

2018 NHL All-Star Game The 2018 National Hockey League All-Star Game took place at Amalie Arena in Tampa, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 28, 2018. Tampa last held the NHL All-Star Game in 1999. The All-Star Game was played in lieu of NHL participation in t ...

. On March 19, 2018, Hanifin was diagnosed with a concussion and was ruled out indefinitely. After missing just three games, Hanifin returned to the Hurricanes' lineup on March 24 in a 5–2 win over the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

. Hanifin scored what ended up being the game-winning goal. Despite the Hurricanes not qualifying for the

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on April 11, 2018, after the 2017–18 regular season and concluded on June 7, 2018, with the Washington Capitals winning their fir ...

, Hanifin ended the regular season with a career-high 10 goals and 32 points.

Calgary Flames

On June 23, 2018, Hanifin was traded to the

(along with teammate

Elias Lindholm Elias Viktor Zebulon Lindholm (born 2 December 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round (5 ...

) in exchange for

Dougie Hamilton Douglas Jonathan Hamilton Jr. (born June 17, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, and Carolina ...

Micheal Ferland Micheal Ferland (born April 20, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who is currently under contract for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with the Canucks, he has previously played for the Calgary Fla ...

, and prospect

Adam Fox Adam Fox (born February 17, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Fox was selected by the Calgary Flames, 66th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry D ...

. On August 30, the Flames signed Hanifin to a six-year, $29.7 million contract extension worth $4.95 million annually. On February 6, 2021, in a regular season game against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

, Hanifin became the sixth youngest U.S.-born player to reach the milestone of 400 NHL games played. Calgary defeated Edmonton 6-4.

International play

Hanifin has represented the United States internationally at the 2014 U17 World Hockey Challenge, 2014 U18 IIHF World Championships, the 2015 World Junior Championships, the

2016 IIHF World Championship The 2016 IIHF World Championship was the 80th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), being held from 6 to 22 May 2016 in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia. Canada entered the tournament as the defending 2015 cha ...

, and the

2017 IIHF World Championship The 2017 IIHF World Championship, the 2017 edition of the annual Ice Hockey World Championships, was held from 5 to 21 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany and Paris, France. The official tournament mascots were Asterix and Obelix, the main characters f ...

Personal life

Born to Bob and Tina Hanifin, Hanifin grew up in

Norwood, Massachusetts Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Norwood is part of the Greater Boston area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,611. The town was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is ...

, with two younger siblings: Cole and Lily. His father was diagnosed with colon and kidney cancer when Hanifin was 13. Growing up, he attended

Saint Sebastian's School Saint Sebastian's School is an independent, all-boys Catholic secondary school located in Needham, Massachusetts on . The school instructs young men in grades seven through twelve. Founded in 1941 by William Cardinal O'Connell, Archbishop of Bo ...

, where he played for the varsity team in the eighth grade.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and achievements

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanifin, Noah 1997 births Living people American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada American men's ice hockey defensemen Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players Calgary Flames players Carolina Hurricanes draft picks Carolina Hurricanes players Ice hockey people from Boston National Hockey League first-round draft picks National Hockey League All-Stars People from Norwood, Massachusetts USA Hockey National Team Development Program players