Players who made their NHL debut in playoff / late in the season?

Aug 25, 2009
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So with Ivan Demidov coming in for the Canadiens I'm looking for some comparables. Who are the other high profile players who joined their club from junior/europe/NCAA late in the season?

I can think of Thomas Harley, Vladislav Gavrikov, Cale Makar, Chris Kreider, Charlie McAvoy, Tom Wilson, Mark Stnoe recently. Anyone else comes to mind?
 
Torey Krug got 2 April call up games in 2012 then only had 1 March NHL game in 2013 before getting put in the line up in the 2nd round against NY and making a statement with 4 goals in 5 games.

also Ken Dryden. late 71 call up with 6 games in March-April then proceeds to win the Cup and Smythe before winning the Calder.

though they were both from the AHL so may not be what you're looking for
 
Many guys joined after Olympics - e.g. LaFontaine, Flatley, Chelios in spring of '84.

Joe Juneau joined the Bruins for the last 14-games of the 1991-92 season following the Olympics and scored 19 points in those 14-games before adding 12 more in 15-playoff games.

The following year, his "rookie" season, he posted 102 points for Boston.
 

I really liked Jeff Farkas back in the day, unfortunately injuries derailed his career. Whirlwind for him in spring 2000. Farkas is a senior on Boston College who lose in the NCAA title game on April 8. He signs with Toronto a week later and is a black ace for the playoffs. Toronto loses Yanic Perreault and Nik Antropov to injury in the opening round. Farkas make his NHL debut in Game 4 of the 2nd round against the Devils. Scores his first NHL goal in Game 5.

More recently Luke Hughes signed in time to play in the Devils final two regular season games in spring 2023. He'd start the playoffs as a healthy scratch but ended up dressing in three games.

Not uncommon nowadays for the NCAA guys to sign after their sophomore seasons have wrapped up. Bit of a CBA quirk since most would be "20" in the eyes of the CBA so they wouldn't be subject to the 10 game slide rule. So the first year of the ELC would be burned just by signing and having the contract registered for the current season.
 
Darren Helm was 21 years old when He won the cup and only played 7 regular season games and 18 in the playoffs (2008) and contributed. His first career goal and points were in the playoffs too.

The crazy thing about his career, is that he bookended it with a Stanley cup For Colorado (Detroit's rival) when he hung up his skates when he was 35. Pretty Cool career

Justin Abdelkader is another guy who had only 4 regular season games. He scored his first goal and points in the 2009 playoffs, but didn't win the cup.

But to officially answer the question of big names NOT MENTIONED YET

1.Brett Hull
2. Esa Tikananen
3.Tom Wilson




Brennan Evans takes the cake. His entire 2 game career were playoff games when Calgary was dressed something like 10 dmen during that playoff injury in 2004​

 
To name a few:

Brett Hull made his NHL debut in the 1986 Stanley Cup finals with the Flames against Montreal.

Esa Tikkanen made his NHL debut in the 1985 Stanley Cup finals with the Oilers against the Flyers - he won the Cup.

Cale Makar began his NHL career in the post-season against the Flames in 2019.

Mark Stone and Jakub Silfverberg made their NHL debuts in the playoffs for Ottawa against the Rangers back in 2012.

Don Cherry played his only NHL game in the 1955 playoffs.
 
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Joe Juneau joined the Bruins for the last 14-games of the 1991-92 season following the Olympics and scored 19 points in those 14-games before adding 12 more in 15-playoff games.

The following year, his "rookie" season, he posted 102 points for Boston.
Juneau's a good one

There are many of those Olympics guys....Morrow, Ramsey, etc. from Lake Placid; Leetch, Zalapski, etc. from Calgary....

I'd like to see a conplete list.
 
To name a few:

Brett Hull made his NHL debut in the 1986 Stanley Cup finals with the Flames against Montreal.

Esa Tikkanen made his NHL debut in the 1985 Stanley Cup finals with the Oilers against the Flyers - he won the Cup.

Cale Makar began his NHL career in the post-season against the Flames in 2019.

Mark Stone and Jakub Silfverberg made their NHL debuts in the playoffs for Ottawa against the Rangers back in 2012.

Don Cherry played his only NHL game in the 1955 playoffs.
Remember those Tikkanen and Hull debuts very well. I had seen Tikkanen in the WJC so I knew how good he was. But, in general, prospects were a lot less known in those days.

Claude Lemieux's debut was somewhat similar, but it doesn't quite fit, as he had been up on the Habs a few times before sticking in spring '86.
 
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Seeing Ian Moran's name made me chuckle. He'd get to play "Chris Chelios" in the JCVD movie Sudden Death which filmed during the summer of 1994 when Moran was a minor leaguer. Didn't realize Moran would make his NHL debut in the 1995 playoffs.
 



Seeing Ian Moran's name made me chuckle. He'd get to play "Chris Chelios" in the JCVD movie Sudden Death which filmed during the summer of 1994 when Moran was a minor leaguer. Didn't realize Moran would make his NHL debut in the 1995 playoffs.

And on that note Jean Claude Van Damme made his NHL debut in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals vs the Black Hawks.
 
He played that game wearing #24.

#12 was being worn by winger Paul Kruse. The following year, Iginla's rookie season, Kruse was traded to the Islanders and Jerome made the switch to his more familiar #12.

Reminds me of one of my favorite Patrick Roy stories - his number was #30 in junior, but that number was already taken in Montreal by someone who rookies probably shouldn't ask for their number (Chris Nilan), so Roy took #33.

(And Martin Brodeur started as #29 for the Devils because #30 was being worn by the great Chad Erickson.)
 

I really liked Jeff Farkas back in the day, unfortunately injuries derailed his career. Whirlwind for him in spring 2000. Farkas is a senior on Boston College who lose in the NCAA title game on April 8. He signs with Toronto a week later and is a black ace for the playoffs. Toronto loses Yanic Perreault and Nik Antropov to injury in the opening round. Farkas make his NHL debut in Game 4 of the 2nd round against the Devils. Scores his first NHL goal in Game 5.
God we were so excited about Farkas.
 
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Guys I might have a good one, and correct me if I'm wrong....didn't Jason Spezza make his debut in the 03 Conference Finals for the Sens versus the Devils? Game 6 maybe? I hope I don't get egg on my face missing that he played some regular season games or even before the one I mentioned...but I have a hunch I remember this correctly *crossing fingers*
 
Guys I might have a good one, and correct me if I'm wrong....didn't Jason Spezza make his debut in the 03 Conference Finals for the Sens versus the Devils? Game 6 maybe? I hope I don't get egg on my face missing that he played some regular season games or even before the one I mentioned...but I have a hunch I remember this correctly *crossing fingers*

You're sort of close - he made his professional debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the 2002 Calder Cup playoffs. He then split time between Binghamton and Ottawa in 2002-03 before playing in the playoffs.
 
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Colin White won the Stanley Cup prior to his rookie season, but he did play 21 games.
 

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