Black Hockey Players in the National Hockey League (NHL)

Black Hockey Players in the National Hockey League (NHL). Immediately after we published our post on hockey players, our friend Deena wondered whether there are enough hockey players of African descent for a separate post on black hockey players.

It turns out that there are. In fact, the Ice Hockey wikia lists 27 black hockey players who are currently playing for an NHL team. There are tons more who played in the NHL but who have since retired or are no longer playing professional hockey.

Anyhoo, here’s our list of shirtless black hockey players in 2015:

Evander Kane. Evander was picked 4th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2009 NHL draft but he’s now playing for the Buffalo Sabres (left wing position). Named after boxing icon Evander Hollyfield, Kane is reportedly making US$6 million in 2015. Relationship status: Evander is dating girlfriend Mara Teigen, a model.

black hockey players - shirtless Evander Kane underwear - altanta thrashers - sportsnet

Kyle Okposo (seen here with NY Islanders teammate Eric Boulton) plays right wing and is the alternate captain for the NY Islanders which picked him 7th overall in 2006. He will reportedly make US$3.5 million in 2015. Kyle’s dad is originally from Nigeria while his mom is from the U.S. Relationship status: Kyle tied the knot with Danielle Okposo in 2012; the couple is now blessed with a baby girl.

black hockey players - kyle okposo with eric boulton - ny islanders

P.K. Subban. P.K. Subban is a defenceman and an alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens. For those who are wondering, P.K. stands for Pernell Karl. At only 25 years old, he is already a millionaire and reportedly banked US$7 million in 2014. Relationship status: We have no info whether PK Subban has a girlfriend or is dating anyone. We will update this post when we find out his dating status.

black hockey players - PK Subban shirtless with Montreal Canadiens teammate Alex Galchenyuk

Akim Aliu is currently playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. Akim was born in Okene, Nigeria but he grew up in Kiev, Ukraine. His parents (dad from Nigeria and mom from Ukraine) moved their family to Toronto, Canada when Akim was 7 years old. Relationship status: We have no information whether Akim Aliu is single or has a girlfriend or is dating anyone.

black hockey players - shirtless akim aliu - rochester americans

Johnny Oduya plays defence for the Chicago Blackhawks. Originally from Sweden (of partial Kenyan Luo descent), he was drafted 221st overall in 2001 by the Washington Capitals. His last reported salary is US$ 2.825 million in 2015. Relationship status: He may still or may no longer be dating Kristen Jones.

black hockey players - shirtless johnny oduya

Jarome Iginla is a right-winger for the Colorado Avalanche for which he also is the alternate captain. His dad is from Nigeria while his mom is from Oregon. Jarome has been playing in the NHL for nearly 20 years — he was picked 11th overall in the 1995 NHL draft — and he reportedly made US$5.5 million in 2015. Relationship status: Jarome married high school sweetheart Kara Kirkland with whom he has three children.

black hockey players nhl - Jarome Iginla - colorado avalanche

Joel Ward. Joel has been playing pro hockey since 2005. He currently plays for the Washington Capitals but he also played for the Minnesota Wild as well as the Nashville Predators. His parents are originally from Barbados who immigrated to Canada. Joel’s last reported salary is US$ 3 million in 2012. Relationship Status: A recent article by the Washington Post states that Joel spent his Christmas break with his girlfriend in NYC but does not mention her name.

black hockey players nhl - Joel Ward shirtless reebok - washinton capitals

Seth Jones, who currently plays defense for the Nashville Predators, was the 4th overall draft pick in 2013. Seth’s father is retired NBA basketball player Popeye Jones. The young hockey player (he’s only 20) reportedly banked US$925,000 in 2014. Relationship status: Does Seth Jones have a girlfriend or dating anyone? We don’t know at the moment.

black-nhl-players-seth-jones-nhl-combine-hockey

Malcolm Subban. The younger brother of P.K., Malcolm is currently the goaltender of the Boston Bruins which picked him in the 1st round (24th overall) in the 2012 draft. Malcolm will reportedly take home US$925,000 in salary this year. Relationship status: We have no info whether Malcolm is single or is dating a girlfriend.

malcom-subban-shirtless-boston-bruins

That’s it for now fellow HockeyHunkWatchers. Who is your favorite in our group of black hockey players? Who would you bring home to mama? Too bad we don’t have the information on the dating or relationship status of most of this guys. But we hope to update this post once we find out the relevant info.

Black Hockey Players in the National Hockey League (NHL) published 20 February 2016.