Hugh S. Jessiman (born March 28, 1984) is an American former 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 ...

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. Drafted by the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

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) in the first round, 12th overall, of the

2003 NHL Entry Draft The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was the 41st NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21 and 22, 2003. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. This wa ...

, Jessiman played in two NHL games with the Florida Panthers, but spent the majority of his professional career in the

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).

Playing career

Jessiman grew up in

Darien, Connecticut Darien ( ) is a coastal town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. With a population of 21,499 and a land area of just under 13 square miles, it is the smallest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It has the youngest population of any ...

, attending

Brunswick School Brunswick School is a private, college-preparatory school for boys in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. History Brunswick School was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. The school is a ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

. As a youth, he played in the 1998

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 New Jersey Devils

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. Jessiman was drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the

in the

, which in turn made him the first New York City-born player to be drafted by the Rangers. After failing to meet the expectations of a first-round draft pick, on October 30, 2008, Jessiman was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for future considerations. On August 4, 2010, Jessiman signed a one-year contract with the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

for the 2010–11 season. After attending the Blackhawks' training camp, on September 27, 2010, he was waived by the team and assigned to their

(AHL) affiliate, the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

. Jessiman contributed 5 points in 25 games with the IceHogs before he was traded to the Florida Panthers (along with Jack Skille and David Pacan) in exchange for

Michael Frolík Michael Frolík (; born 17 February 1988) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who is currently playing with HC Bílí Tygři Liberec in the Czech Extraliga. Frolík has played in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, the organization ...

and Alexander Salák on February 9, 2011. On February 27, 2011, Jessiman made his long-awaited NHL debut when Florida was defeated by the New Jersey Devils, 2–1. The following season, Jessiman was unable to secure an NHL contract, instead signing a professional try-out contract with the

Lake Erie Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

of the AHL to begin the 2011–12 season. In 43 games with the Monsters, he matched his AHL career-highs of 20 goals before he was signed to a standard player contract for the remainder of the season with the

Abbotsford Heat The Abbotsford Heat were a professional ice hockey team that played five seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) between 2009 and 2014. The team was based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and played its home games at the 7,046-seat A ...

on February 13, 2012. On July 3, 2012, Jessiman signed a one-year, two-way contract with 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 ...

. However, due to the

2012–13 NHL lockout The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barg ...

, he was assigned directly to Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators. Over the duration of the 2012–13 season, he failed to recapture his previous season production, finishing with 10 goals in 68 games for Binghamton. On May 23, 2013, Jessiman signed his first contract abroad on a one-year deal with debut

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

(KHL) team

KHL Medveščak Zagreb KHL Medveščak Zagreb ( hr, Klub hokeja na ledu Medveščak Zagreb), also known as KHL Medveščak Mladi, is a Croatian ice hockey club based in Zagreb, established in 1961. The team's name derives from the location of its original arena in the ...

of Croatia. In the 2013–14 season, he was unable to show an offensive touch but found his place using physicality on the third line with Zagreb, scoring 8 goals and 11 points in 37 games. As free agent, on July 7, 2014, Jessiman continued his journeyman career after signing a one-year contract with the

Vienna Capitals Vienna Capitals are an Austrian professional ice hockey club that participate in the Erste Bank Hockey League. Founded in 2001, the Capitals play their home games in Vienna, Austria, at Albert Schultz Eishalle. In the 2004–05 season, the Capit ...

of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL).

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jessiman, Hugh 1984 births Abbotsford Heat players American men's ice hockey right wingers Binghamton Senators players Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010) players Dartmouth Big Green men's ice hockey players Florida Panthers players Hartford Wolf Pack players Ice hockey players from Connecticut Ice hockey players from New York (state) KHL Medveščak Zagreb players Lake Erie Monsters players Living people Brunswick School alumni Milwaukee Admirals players National Hockey League first-round draft picks New York Rangers draft picks People from Darien, Connecticut Rochester Americans players Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Sportspeople from New York City Vienna Capitals players