TOP NHL forwards born in the USA
Here along the Lake Before (RW) Patrick Kane was born and before (C) Mike Modano played in the NHL, there was the “first” American NHL player who scored over 50 goals in one season, for transparency there are 16 American born NHL players that have scored more career goals and points, but (C) Bobby Carpenter is the first American born NHL player to score (1984-85) 50 or more goals in a season.
Teenager (C) Carpenter was 18 years old when drafted in the first round, third overall by the inept Washington Capitals right out of high school and played five games for the U20 World Championship, the Capitals were improving going from winning only 8 Games in their inaugural season to winning as much as 27 games in one season, but not yet a playoff team.
Washington’s (C) Carpenter played a full schedule his first five seasons and scored 32 goals in each of first two seasons, then in his fourth season the Capitals center scored an unheard of 53 goals and 95 points which began the legitimization of American born players in a league dominated by Canadians.
After 22 games in the 1986-87 season the Capitals (7 seasons) traded their star American to the New York Rangers (1 season) who after 28 games traded the center to the Los Angeles Kings (3 seasons) who then traded him to Boston (4 seasons) where he was a 25-goal man twice before resigning with Washington for one season before they let him go and he signed with the New Jersey Devils (6 seasons) where (C) Carpenter won his Stanley Cup.
(RW) Kane and (C) Modano are superior in their statistical accomplishments but not before the first true American NHL superstar broke the ice and paved the way for elite American born centers & wingers, and youth development in the USA as well as disproving that Americans are at a disadvantage and cannot develop/play as well as their Canadian counterparts.
Buffalo Winter 