Jake O'Brien (born June 16, 2007) is a Canadian

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

forward who plays for the

Brantford Bulldogs The Brantford Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) that began to play in the 2023–24 season. Based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at Brantford Civic Centre. The fr ...

in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

(OHL). He was selected eighth overall by the

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

in the

2025 NHL entry draft The 2025 NHL entry draft will be the 63rd entry draft for the National Hockey League. The draft is expected to be held on June 27 and June 28, 2025, and will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The New York Islanders hold the fir ...

Personal life

O'Brien was born on June 16, 2007, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada, to Dan O'Brien and Amy Turek. He was born into a hockey playing family as his mother played for the

Toronto Aeros The Toronto Aeros, often called Beatrice Aeros after their primary sponsor, the North York Aeros, and the Mississauga Aeros were a semi-professional women's ice hockey team that played in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario. The team played its home ...

while his father played collegiate hockey at

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York. Clarkson has additional graduate programs and research facilities in the New York Capital District. It was established in 1896 and enrolled over 4 ...

Playing career

O'Brien started his

journey with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the

Ontario Junior Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...

(OJHL). In the 2022–23 season, he captained the team and posted 16 goals and 17 assists over 34 games. At the 2023 OHL Cup, he led the team in scoring with seven goals and ten assists in seven games, setting a new franchise record for points in the tournament. His standout performance earned him the Tim Adams Memorial Trophy as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. O'Brien was selected eighth overall by the

in the 2023 OHL Draft and officially signed with the team on May 4, 2023. In his rookie campaign during the 2023–24 season, he tallied 13 goals and 51 assists over 61 games, setting new franchise records for assists and total points by a rookie. He led all first-year players in the OHL in points, assists, power-play goals, power-play assists, and points per game. His outstanding performance earned him the

Emms Family Award The Emms Family Award is presented annually to the Rookie of the Year (top first-year player) in the Ontario Hockey League. The winner is also nominated for the CHL Rookie of the Year. The award was donated by Hap Emms. Leighton "Hap" Emms was a ...

for OHL Rookie of the Year, along with selections to both the CHL All-Rookie Team and the OHL First All-Rookie Team. On January 9, 2025, O'Brien was appointed as the captain of the Eastern Conference team for the first-ever Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game. He tallied three assists during the game and earned MVP honors for Team East.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Jake 2007 births Living people 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) players Ice hockey people from Toronto NHL first-round draft picks Seattle Kraken draft picks