Andrew Phillip Peeke (born March 17, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Peeke was selected 34th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Andrew Peeke
Peeke with the Boston Bruins in 2024
Born (1998-03-17) March 17, 1998 (age 26)
Parkland, Florida, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Boston Bruins
Columbus Blue Jackets
National team  United States
NHL draft 34th overall, 2016
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2019–present

Early life

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Peeke was born on March 17, 1998, in Parkland, Florida,[1] to parents Mary Ruth and Cliff.[2] He began skating by the age of three and played ice hockey in the Junior Panthers program alongside baseball.[3] Growing up, he was a fan of the Florida Panthers but favored Shea Weber.[4] While playing with the Florida Panthers Alliance program, he helped their Major AAA team win the 2010 Early Bird Tournament Bantam A championship.[5] However, due to the lack of ice hockey opportunities in Florida, Peeke moved to South Kent, Connecticut, when he was 14 to skate with the Selects Hockey Academy.[3]

Playing career

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Peeke with the Blue Jackets in 2022.

Peeke played three seasons with the South Kent Prep School (USPHL) before being drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and finishing his schooling at Ashwaubenon High School.[2] During his time in the USPHL, he was named their Defensive Player of the Year[6] and committed to play NCAA Division I ice hockey with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey team.[7] Upon joining the Gamblers for their 2015–16 season, he became their youngest defenseman on the roster at the age of 17.[6] Peeke played one season with the Gamblers, during which he recorded four goals and 26 assists for 30 points through 56 games.[1] He also finished the season being named to the 2016 recipient of the USHL Scholar-Athlete Award and USHL All-Academic Team.[8]

Collegiate

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Peeke played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey team for three seasons while majoring in management consulting.[2] Prior to joining the team, he was drafted 34th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the 13th American selected in the draft.[9] Upon joining the Fighting Irish for the 2016–17 season, Peeke recorded 14 points in 40 games as the program transitioned from the Hockey East to Big Ten Conference.[10] Before and during his rookie season, Peeke was encouraged by Blue Jackets management to work on his skating, shot, and release. Following his rookie season, he earned praise from the Jackets development coach Chris Clark for exceeding their expectations.[11]

He returned to the Fighting Irish the following season for his sophomore campaign, where he set a new career-high in goals scored with five.[1] Peeke served as captain for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey team during the 2018–19 season.[12]

Professional

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Following his junior season with Notre Dame, Peeke was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 1, 2019.[13] He scored his first career goal on February 16, 2020, against the New Jersey Devils.[14] On August 9, 2021, Peeke signed a two-year, $1.575 million contract extension to remain with the Blue Jackets.[15]

On March 8, 2024, the Blue Jackets traded Peeke to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Jakub Zbořil and a 2027 third-round pick.[16]

Peeke provided a stable force on Boston's blue line with his physicality.[17] Peeke scored his first point as a Bruin in his second game with the team, an assist on a John Beecher goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 16, 2024. Peeke was injured in Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[18] Peeke would end up missing the rest of the series, but the Bruins beat the Leafs in seven games, and Peeke would return to the Boston lineup in Game 3 of their second round matchup against the Florida Panthers.[19]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Selects Academy 18U AAA USPHL 28 8 12 20 8 4 1 1 2 2
2015–16 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 56 4 26 30 30 4 1 1 2 2
2016–17 University of Notre Dame HE 40 4 10 14 16
2017–18 University of Notre Dame B1G 39 5 9 14 22
2018–19 University of Notre Dame B1G 40 3 21 24 24
2019–20 Cleveland Monsters AHL 29 5 11 16 6
2019–20 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 22 1 2 3 4
2020–21 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 11 0 3 3 4
2020–21 Cleveland Monsters AHL 7 0 4 4 2
2021–22 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 82 2 13 15 60
2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 80 6 7 13 22
2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 23 1 7 8 6
2023–24 Boston Bruins NHL 15 0 2 2 8 6 0 0 0 2
NHL totals 233 10 34 44 104 6 0 0 0 2

International

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Medal record
Representing   United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
  2018 United States
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 United States IH18 5th 4 0 1 1 4
2018 United States WJC   7 1 1 2 2
2022 United States WC 4th 10 0 6 6 8
Junior totals 11 1 2 3 6
Senior totals 10 0 6 6 8

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
USHL
All-Rookie Team 2016
Scholar-Athlete Award 2016
College
Hockey East All-Rookie Team 2017
Big Ten All-Tournament Team 2019 [20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Andrew Peeke". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "#22 Andrew Peeke". University of Notre Dame. July 9, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  3. ^ a b McPherson, Jordan (December 8, 2019). "Parkland native back on home ice". The Miami Herald. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "GETTING TO KNOW ANDREW PEEKE". University of Notre Dame. November 8, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  5. ^ "Rinks". South Florida Sun Sentinel. September 26, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Pekarek, Andrew (January 6, 2016). "Peeke performing at high level for Gamblers". Green Bay Press Gazette. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Bruneteau, Brett; Pfeffer, Sarah (July 6, 2015). "Peeke Selected to Represent Team USA at Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament". USPHL. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Andrew Peeke Named USHL Scholar-Athlete of the Year". Our Sports Central. May 13, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Lukan, Alison (July 7, 2016). "Non-traditional is just fine with Andrew Peeke". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (December 21, 2017). "2018 WJC: Team USA's Andrew Peeke is repping Florida to the fullest". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  11. ^ Merz, Craig (July 28, 2017). "Peeke focused on fitting into Blue Jackets model for defensemen". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Myers, Jacob (December 5, 2019). "Blue Jackets' Andrew Peeke to make NHL debut against New York Rangers". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  13. ^ "Blue Jackets sign Peeke to entry-level contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  14. ^ "Blue Jackets' Andrew Peeke: Picks up first NHL goal". CBS News. February 16, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  15. ^ "Blue Jackets re-sign defenceman Andrew Peeke to two-year contract". Sportsnet. August 9, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Bruins Acquire Andrew Peeke from Columbus Blue Jackets". NHL.com. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  17. ^ "Bruins notebook: Andrew Peeke gaining the trust of coaches". Boston Herald. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Dudek, Greg (April 23, 2024). "Jim Montgomery Applauds Bruins Defensemen After Game 2 Injury". NESN.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  19. ^ "Bruins Game 3 lineup: Andrew Peeke expected to return from injury".
  20. ^ "2019 All-Tournament Team" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. March 24, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 27, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
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