Jack Rathbone
Jack Rathbone | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 20, 1999 West Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Known for | Playing for Rochester Americans (AHL) and Buffalo Sabres (NHL) |
Jack Rathbone (born May 20, 1999) is a professional ice hockey defenseman from the United States currently playing for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL). He holds a contract with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Rathbone was selected 95th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks, where he initiated his NHL tenure.
Early life
Hailing from West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Jack is the oldest child of Jason and Beth Rathbone. His father, a 1988 New York Islanders draft pick, also served as his coach while Jack played for the Cape Cod Whalers. Growing up, Rathbone was an avid supporter of the Boston Bruins.
Amateur
Rathbone honed his abilities with the Cape Cod Whalers and at Dexter Southfield School in Massachusetts. During his U18 campaign with the Whalers, he significantly elevated his production from eight goals and 18 points to 16 goals and 35 points across 22 games, despite missing four weeks due to a concussion. He was recognized as a candidate for the ALL-USA Player of the Year.
In 2015, Rathbone committed to Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey but chose to finish his schooling at Dexter rather than joining the United States Hockey League (USHL), valuing closeness to family and support for his brother with autism.
Throughout the 2016–17 season, he divided his time between Dexter, the Whalers, and appeared in four games for the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), tallying one assist. As captain in his senior year at Dexter, he was ranked 57th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The Vancouver Canucks drafted him 95th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Collegiate
Rathbone began playing with Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey in the 2018–19 season and was awarded the Don Parsons Memorial Scholarship, recognizing "character, community service, leadership and academics." In his freshman year, he appeared in 33 games, amassing seven goals and 15 assists for a total of 22 points. His first collegiate goal came against Quinnipiac Bobcats on November 2, 2018, and he finished the season on a seven-game point streak. His efforts helped Harvard advance to the ECAC playoffs before being eliminated by Clarkson. Ranking second among league rookies in points earned him a spot on the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team.
During his sophomore season, Rathbone accumulated 31 points over 28 games before COVID-19 prematurely ended the season. He received national honors with selections to both the First Team All-ECAC Hockey and AHCA All-American First Team. After the season's cancellation, Rathbone deliberated whether to return for another collegiate year or turn professional.
Professional
Rathbone signed a three-year entry-level contract with Vancouver on July 14, 2020, concluding his college career. He netted his first NHL goal on May 6, 2021, contributing to a 6–3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
On October 17, 2023, Rathbone was traded by Vancouver alongside Karel Plášek to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Mark Friedman and Ty Glover. He completed that season with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, recording eight goals and totaling 24 points across 67 games.
As an unrestricted free agent, Rathbone inked a one-year two-way contract with the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2024.
International competition
Rathbone donned the jersey for Team USA during the 2015 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament, where he netted two goals in the championship match versus Germany, contributing decisively to the team's tournament victory.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Dexter Southfield School | USHS | 31 | 3 | 4 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Dexter Southfield School | USHS | 29 | 11 | 15 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Dexter Southfield School | USHS | 22 | 16 | 19 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Dexter Southfield School | USHS | 17 | 11 | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Harvard University | ECAC | 33 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Harvard University | ECAC | 28 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Utica Comets | AHL | 8 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 39 | 10 | 30 | 40 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 AHL season | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 37 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 AHL season | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 67 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 AHL season | Rochester Americans | AHL | 63 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 51 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| NHL totals | 28 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and distinctions
| Award | Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USHS | |||||
| (East) All-New England First Team | 2017 | ||||
| All-USA Hockey First Team | 2017 | ||||
| All-USA Hockey Second Team | 2018 | ||||
| College | |||||
| ECAC All-Rookie Team | "2019" | ||||
| ECAC First All-Star Team | "2020" | ||||
| "All-Ivy League First Team" | "2020" | ||||
| "New England D1 All-Stars" | "2020" | ||||
| "East First All-American Team" | "2020" | ||||
| "All-USCHO Second Team" | "2020" | ||||
| American Hockey League (AHL) | {
- |
"All-Rookie Team" | "2022" | ||