Good morning, and Chag Sameach to those celebrating Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah this weekend.
The MLB playoffs are moving into the second round, with Max Fried and the New York Yankees facing the Tampa Bay Rays and Rowdy Tellez’s Atlanta Braves facing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Alex Bregman and the Chicago Cubs were eliminated on Wednesday, while Garrett Stubbs and the Philadelphia Phillies were booted last night.
Meanwhile, Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf joked about the support his ALDS-bound squad has received from Pope Leo, saying, “Imagine a Jewish kid from Brooklyn getting a letter from the Pope… I’m going to convert.”
A Jewish NHL season preview
The NHL season began this week, as we approach the glorious period of the year when all five major sports overlap. The Jewish crop of talent in the league continues to grow, with at least 11 players starting the season on an NHL roster and more waiting in the wings.
Here’s who you should watch this NHL season:
Zeev Buium, Vancouver Canucks defenseman: The 2024 first-round pick enters his first full season in Vancouver after a blockbuster trade last season that swapped him and fellow Jewish star Quinn Hughes. Buium is the son of Israeli parents, and his brother, Shai Buium, plays in the minor league AHL.
Adam Fox, New York Rangers defenseman: The 28-year-old star is beginning his eighth season with the Rangers, where he’s a three-time All-Star and in 2020-21 won the league’s award for best defenseman. Fox has embraced his Jewish identity publicly — including through a partnership with a local bagel shop in 2023.
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils center: Perhaps the best Jewish player in the league, Hughes is fresh off his golden goal in the 2026 Olympics. The Hugheses are the first American family to have three siblings picked in the first round of the NHL draft, and Jack, a two-time All-Star, was the first Jewish player to go No. 1 overall. They are also the first trio of Jewish brothers to play in the same NHL game.
Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils defenseman: Luke, the youngest Hughes brother, signed a big extension before last season and is viewed as a potential breakout star this year.
Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild defenseman: The eldest Hughes brother, who played with Jack on the Olympic team, is also a two-time All-Star and a former winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy for top defenseman. He was the captain of the Canucks prior to the trade.
Zach Hyman, Edmonton Oilers winger: The 12-year NHL veteran will look to recapture his dominance from a few seasons ago, when he posted 83 and 77 points in ’22-23 and ’23-24, respectively. Hyman, 34, is a Jewish day school graduate, a Maccabiah Games alum, and has been active in Edmonton’s Jewish community. He has also said he wears No. 18 in part because of its symbolic meaning in Judaism, and has spoken out against antisemitism.
Two goalies, a forward, a defenseman, and a winger
Devon Levi, Edmonton Oilers goalie: Levi, who has 39 games of NHL experience with the Buffalo Sabers, made the Oilers squad as a backup goalie to start the year. The 24-year-old is a native of the Montreal suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, which has a sizable Jewish population, and he attended a Modern Orthodox day school.
Max Sasson, Vancouver Canucks forward: Sasson started his third NHL season with a bang, scoring a goal and tallying an assist in his first game. The 26-year-old scored 13 goals with six assists in 66 games last season.
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins goalie: Swayman, who also played for Team USA in the Olympics, is in his seventh season with the Bruins. He co-won the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the 2022–23 season. The Alaska native had a bar mitzvah and wore a tallis made by his great-grandmother.
Jake Walman, Edmonton Oilers defenseman: Walman, the third Jewish member of the Oilers, nabbed 20 points in 53 games last season after signing a seven-year contract extension. The 30-year-old Toronto native is in his eighth NHL season.
Jason Zucker, Buffalo Sabres winger: The 34-year-old is entering his 15th season in the NHL, with 832 games and 468 points to his name. Zucker is beginning the season on the injured reserve after undergoing sports hernia surgery. He has a Hebrew tattoo on his left forearm, and though he never had a bar mitzvah, he celebrated Jewish holidays with his family growing up.
A number of Jewish players are beginning the season in the AHL, the primary developmental league for the NHL: Andrew Cristall, Shai Buium, Ozzy Wiesblatt, Cole Guttman, Sam Lipkin, Yaniv Perets and Oasiz Wiesblatt. NHL veterans Jordan Harris and Luke Kunin are free agents.
A handful of players with reported Jewish heritage either practice another religion or have unconfirmed Jewish status, including Artemi Panarin, Kiefer Sherwood, Brett Pesce, Andre Burakovsky, and Jakob Chychrun.