CHL to NHL: Suzuki suits up for Hurricanes

Former Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts forward Ryan Suzuki made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night.

In a 3-2 win over Chicago, Suzuki played 6:12, recorded one hit and was a +1.

The first overall pick in the 2017 OHL Draft, Suzuki played 173 games in the league, 150 of which came with Barrie. In all, he tallied 177 points (53 goals) while he concluded his career with Saginaw where he 35 points (13 goals) in just 23 games before the Covid 19 pandemic cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Internationally, the London, ON., native won gold with Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup as well as silver at the 2021 World Juniors. He also collected a silver medal at the 2017 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.

Before his NHL debut, the 23-year-old appeared in 199 AHL games and was crowned a Calder Cup champion with Chicago in 2022.

Carolina selected Suzuki – the younger brother of Montreal’s Nick – 28th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Enjoy that rookie lap, Ryan Suzuki 👏 pic.twitter.com/Lie1SBSVK0

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 30, 2025