Jesper Bratt
Bratt with the New Jersey Devils in 2023
Born (1998-07-30) 30 July 1998 (age 25)
Stockholm, Sweden
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team New Jersey Devils
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 162nd overall, 2016
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 2015–present

Jesper Bratt (born 30 July 1998) is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bratt was selected by the Devils in the sixth round, 162nd overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut the following year. Bratt has also represented the Swedish national team in the international competitions at both the junior and senior level.

Playing career

Bratt was drafted by the New Jersey Devils with the 162th pick in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft after playing 48 games with AIK in HockeyAllsvenskan, scoring 17 points. Bratt signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils on 13 May 2017, after impressing Devils general manager Ray Shero during the 2017 under-20 Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan.[1] Bratt was expected to be loaned by the Devils to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who owned his North American junior rights after selecting him in the 2017 CHL Import Draft.[2] Bratt committed to play for the Knights in August 2017 and played in one preseason game; however, he continued to impress during Devils training camp and made their opening night roster for the 2017–18 NHL season and never played a regular season game for the Knights.[3]

Bratt with the Devils in 2022

Bratt scored two points in his first NHL game, a power play goal and a shorthanded assist in a 4–1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.[4] He became the lowest-drafted player to debut in the NHL as a teenager since Roman Vopat and Richard Zedník debuted during the 1994–95 NHL season.[2] Bratt had 10 goals and 30 points by the All-Star break, having spent much of the first half of the season playing alongside Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier on the Devils' first line; however, the Devils' trade deadline acquisition of Patrick Maroon from the Edmonton Oilers led to a decrease in opportunities for Bratt, who scored only one goal following the All-Star break.[5] Bratt finished his rookie season with 13 goals and 22 assists for a total of 35 points in 74 games played.

Bratt fractured his jaw in early October 2018 during practice,[6] which caused him to miss the first 13 games of the 2018–19 season.[7] Bratt continued to play alongside Hischier during his sophomore season, although he played sparingly with Hall,[8] who won the Hart Memorial Trophy the season prior playing alongside Bratt for a significant portion of the season. Bratt finished the 2018–19 season with 8 goals and 25 assists for a total of 33 points in 51 games played.

On 10 January 2021, Bratt was re-signed to a two-year, $5.5 million contract by the Devils.[9] On 19 March 2023, Bratt recorded his first NHL hat trick in a 5–2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.[10]

On 15 June 2023, the Devils re-signed Bratt to an eight-year, $63 million contract.[11] He was named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in January 2024, following an injury to would-be attending teammate Jack Hughes.[12]

International play

Bratt played for the Swedish national team in the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 AIK J20 39 17 23 40 20 1 0 0 0 0
2014–15 AIK Allsv 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2015–16 AIK J20 2 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
2015–16 AIK Allsv 48 8 9 17 6 10 0 0 0 4
2016–17 AIK J20 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 2
2016–17 AIK Allsv 46 6 16 22 6 8 1 1 2 0
2017–18 New Jersey Devils NHL 74 13 22 35 18 1 0 0 0 0
2018–19 New Jersey Devils NHL 51 8 25 33 6 — — — — —
2019–20 New Jersey Devils NHL 60 16 16 32 6 — — — — —
2020–21 New Jersey Devils NHL 46 7 23 30 8 — — — — —
2021–22 New Jersey Devils NHL 76 26 47 73 16 — — — — —
2022–23 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 32 41 73 6 12 1 5 6 4
NHL totals 389 102 174 276 60 13 1 5 6 4

International

Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2016 United States
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Sweden U17 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 1 3 4 2
2015 Sweden IH18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 3 2 5 0
2016 Sweden WJC18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 2 2 4 2
2019 Sweden WC 5th 6 0 2 2 0
Junior totals 18 6 7 13 4
Senior totals 6 0 2 2 0

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref
NHL
All-Star Game 2024 [12]

References

  1. ^ "Devils sign Jesper Bratt to entry-level contract". New Jersey Devils. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b "How sixth-rounder Bratt 'came out of nowhere' to excel with Devils". sportsnet.ca. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Devils announce roster for start of 2017-18 NHL season". NHL.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  4. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (7 October 2017). "Butcher helps Devils top Avalanche". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  5. ^ Mastracco, Abbey (3 May 2018). "NJ Devils' Jesper Bratt shows potential to be a scoring threat next season". northjersey.com. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  6. ^ Morreale, Mike G (5 October 2018). "Bratt out 2-3 weeks for Devils because of broken jaw". NHL.com. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  7. ^ Stein, Amanda (9 November 2018). "Bratt returns to the lineup tonight in Toronto". NHL.com. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Jesper Bratt - Teammates - Individual - Natural Stat Trick". www.naturalstattrick.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  9. ^ "RELEASE: Devils Re-Sign Bratt to Two-Year Deal". NHL.com. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Bratt scores 3 as Devils rally for 5-2 win over Lightning". ESPN. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Bratt Agrees to Terms on Eight-Year Deal with Devils". NHL.com. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Bratt to replace Devils teammate Hughes on 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend roster". NHL.com. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  13. ^ "20 spelare anmäls till spel i VM-premiären mot Tjeckien på fredag". Svenska Ishockeyförbundet (in Swedish). 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.

External links

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