Every NHL Team's Best American Player Ever

A generation or two ago, it wasn't a thing.

But these days, as U.S.-born players make up more than a quarter of the overall NHL rank and file, it makes some sense on Independence Day to consider the best of the best.

The B/R hockey team took a break from its cavalcade of patriotism and pyrotechnics to look at each of the NHL's franchises and decide upon its top American-born player ever.

And while it is possible for one player to make the list in two different places, it'll be based on merit while wearing each team's colors rather than just saying "so and so is the greatest American to be on the team."

So no, even though Edmonton briefly owned Brian Leetch's signing rights thanks to a trade with the New York Rangers on the eve of free agency in 2003, the former Calder, Conn Smythe and Norris (twice) winner doesn't qualify as an all-time great with the Oilers.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the comments.

Boston Bruins: Frankie Brimsek

We're taking a ride in the wayback machine for this one. For those unaware, Brimsek played from 1938 to 1950, primarily with the Bruins, and was a two-time Vezina Trophy winner. He became a Hall of Famer in 1966, the first U.S.-born goalie to be inducted.

Buffalo Sabres: Phil Housley

The 18-year-old arrived to Buffalo as the sixth pick in the 1982 draft and consistently delivered, posting no fewer than 15 goals and 62 points with the Sabres to start a 21-year career that ended with him as the fourth-highest scoring defenseman in NHL history.

Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin

We've gone old school and moderately old school, so here's a little recency bias. The native Michigander has somehow already played nine seasons with his home state team, scoring 30-plus goals in each of the last three and four times overall.

Florida Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk

Winning a Stanley Cup breaks a lot of ties. The 26-year-old winger has only spent two years in Florida since flexing his way out of Calgary, but they've been terrific. He rang up a career-best 109 points in 2022-23 before participating in the Panthers' first trophy hoist last month.

Montreal Canadiens: Chris Chelios

Perhaps the greatest U.S. player ever and among those with an argument to be included with multiple teams, people may forget Chelios began a Hall of Fame career in Montreal and spent seven seasons there, winning a Cup, a Norris and playing in two All-Star Games.

Ottawa Senators: Craig Anderson

Anderson isn't a Hall of Famer on the leaguewide level, but he's certainly reached that threshold when it comes to Ottawa, where he guarded the net for 10 seasons and wound up as the franchise's all-time leader in games, starts, wins and save percentage.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Ben Bishop

One of the tallest goalies, at 6'7", to ever tend an NHL net, Bishop played in St. Louis and Ottawa before finding his way to Tampa Bay, where his four full seasons included 218 starts, 128 victories, two top-three finishes in Vezina voting and a Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews

Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record will likely fall to Alex Ovechkin, and there are few players as poised to make a run at being next in line as Matthews, the California-born sniper who's scored no fewer than 34 goals in eight seasons while topping out at 69 and 60.

Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane

Another contender for the "best U.S. player ever" title, Kane was the first overall pick in 2007 and immediately began turning around a moribund Chicago franchise. By the time he left in 2023, he'd won three Cups and earned the Art Ross, Calder, Conn Smythe and Hart trophies.

Colorado Avalanche: Chris Drury

A Connecticut native who pitched his way to a Little League World Series title as a kid, Drury excelled on skates, too, and began his NHL career with four seasons in Colorado in which he won a Calder Trophy, scored 20-plus goals four times and played on a Cup winner in 2001.

Dallas Stars: Mike Modano

Another top overall pick who played his way to a Hall of Fame career, Modano played all but the final 40 of his 1,499 NHL games with the Stars franchise, scoring at least 30 goals nine times and topping out at 50 in 1993-94. He also hoisted a Cup with Dallas in 1999.

Minnesota Wild: Zach Parise

Though he was drafted by the Devils and spent his first seven NHL seasons in New Jersey, Parise made it to Minnesota for nine seasons with the Wild, exiting with the franchise's all-time lead in power-play goals and top-three placements in shots, goals and points.

Nashville Predators: David Legwand

A Detroit native, Legwand was the first player drafted by the Nashville franchise upon its NHL arrival in 1998 and spent parts of 15 seasons with the Predators before leaving for the Red Wings with all-time team records in games played, goals, assists and points.

St. Louis Blues: Joe Mullen

Though the quick reaction might be to go with another player for St. Louis, a closer look shows Mullen put up strong numbers with the Blues. He was signed as a free agent and played parts of five seasons while averaging 40 goals and 89 points per 80 games.

Utah Hockey Club: Keith Tkachuk

The elder half of a high-profile father-son duo, Tkachuk could be the best U.S. player in St. Louis, but it's a no-brainer for him with the original Jets/Coyotes/Utah franchise, where he spent 10 seasons, averaged 31 goals and remains the all-time leader in penalty minutes.

Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck

A native of Michigan who was a nondescript fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2012, Hellebuyck has been an elite since reaching the NHL in 2015-16, winning 30 or more games five times, reaching a career-best 44 in 2017-18, and winning the Vezina in both 2020 and 2024.

Carolina Hurricanes: Mark Johnson

It's back to the '80s for the Whalers/Hurricanes, where Johnson headed two years after helping the U.S. to its "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid. He did his best NHL work across three seasons as captain in Hartford, where he averaged 34 goals and played in an All-Star Game.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Cam Atkinson

Though Johnny Gaudreau or Zach Werenski may ultimately wear the Columbus crown, they'll have to catch Atkinson, who was a sixth-round pick in 2008 but reached the NHL in 2012 and strung together six straight 20-goal seasons in middle Ohio, including 41 in 2018-19.

New Jersey Devils: Bill Guerin

He ultimately played for eight NHL teams and did good work in every stop, but it all began for Guerin in New Jersey, where he scored 20 goals three times in parts of seven seasons, hoisted the franchise's first Stanley Cup and played for the U.S. in the World Cup of Hockey.

New York Islanders: Pat LaFontaine

A 1984 U.S. Olympian who graduated to the Stanley Cup Final, LaFontaine was electric from the start in the NHL and scored a career-best 54 goals with the Islanders in 1989-90. He was the league's 10th-leading scorer (370 points) across four seasons from 1987-88 to 1990-91.

New York Rangers: Brian Leetch

Without the aforementioned technicality, it would've been easy to slot Leetch with the Oilers, Maple Leafs and Bruins, but he surely belongs with the Rangers, with whom he played 1,124 games, won the Calder and Norris (twice), and took the Conn Smythe in the drought-ending 1994 Cup run.

Philadelphia Flyers: Mark Howe

He's the son of NHL legend Gordie Howe, but don't sleep on the career that the younger Howe built across 16 seasons, including 10 in Philadelphia. While there, he became the franchise leader for scoring defensemen, played in two Cup Finals and was third in MVP voting in 1986 behind Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Tom Barrasso

The Massachusetts native could be here with Buffalo, where he won a Calder and a Vezina in 1984 straight out of high school. But he made an all-time mark with the Penguins, backstopping Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992 and leading the league with 43 victories in 1993.

Washington Capitals: John Carlson

It's logical that the U.S. representative from the nation's capital ought to be a sturdy defenseman, a role Carlson fills admirably. He was a first-rounder in 2008 and debuted in 2009-10, finished fifth in Calder voting as a full-time rookie and posted 20 points in 24 games during a 2018 Cup run.

Anaheim Ducks: John Gibson

The Pittsburgh native was a second-rounder in 2011, reached the NHL as a 20-year-old and was a quick study, posting a goals-against average of 3.00 or below every season through 2020-21. He shared the Jennings Trophy with Frederik Andersen in 2016 and has played in three All-Star Games.

Calgary Flames: Gary Suter

A product of the University of Wisconsin, Suter spent at least four seasons with three NHL teams but was an immediate stalwart in Calgary, winning the Calder in 1986 and hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Flames three years later. He played in four All-Star Games before a late-season trade in 1994.

Edmonton Oilers: Doug Weight

Another Michigan native who was drafted by the Rangers but flourished after heading to Edmonton in a trade for Esa Tikkanen. He netted 24 goals in his first season with the Oilers in 1993-94 and posted a career-best 104 points two seasons later alongside a U.S. win at the World Cup of Hockey.

Los Angeles Kings: Jonathan Quick

The Kings grabbed Quick with a third-round pick in 2005 and never regretted the choice as the Connecticut-born goalie established a new netminding standard for the franchise. He stayed through 2023 and left with three Stanley Cup rings, two Jennings trophies and a Conn Smythe.

San Jose Sharks: Joe Pavelski

It's hard to imagine a seventh-round pick going better for a team than Pavelski with the Sharks, who grabbed him 205th overall in 2003 and had him for 13 seasons. He scored 355 goals in a San Jose sweater, and his 41 in 2013-14 were a career high, leading to a top-10 finish in MVP voting.

Seattle Kraken: Matty Beniers

Three-year-old franchises don't leave room for superlatives, so we'll go with the Kraken's first-ever draft pick. Beniers was selected second overall in 2021 and was a difference-maker as a rookie while producing 57 points and earning the Calder in 2022-23 after a U.S. win at world juniors in 2021.

Vancouver Canucks: Brock Boeser

There may be an argument for Quinn Hughes, but the established track record for Boeser wins the day at the moment. He arrived from the University of North Dakota in 2017 and has been a consistent producer, scoring 29 goals in his first full season and reaching 40 in 2023-24.

Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel

Only a guy named McDavid was picked before him in 2015, but Eichel beat his draft-mate to the Stanley Cup when he hoisted after his first season with the Golden Knights in 2023. His 26 points in those playoffs were tops in the league and made him just the second American (Leetch) to lead the NHL.