Often deemed too small by NHL scouts and executives, undersized players frequently have a harder time breaking into the National Hockey League. Many are overlooked and go undrafted since they do not fit the traditional mould of a professional hockey player. However, smaller players have found their way into the NHL and made history. Smaller players like Martin St. Louis, Theo Fleury, Rod Gilbert, Marcel Dionne, Ted Lindsay, and Henri Richard were all of smaller stature, but pushed the boundaries and became essential to their teams and transformed NHL standards.
Below are ten of the smallest hockey players, all under 5-foot-10 that have proven to be successful in the NHL, despite the challenge of being undersized.
10. Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens
Vital statistics: 5-foot-9, 181 pounds
Brendan Gallagher was arguably the best player to ever suit up for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Vancouver Giants. He is also one of the smallest players currently in the NHL at 5-foot-9. Although he never plays like it, as he is a menace at the front of the net and a pain in the butt to play against. He is still the Giants’ all-time leading scorer almost a decade after he finished his career in the WHL. That alone should tell you how much of a difference he made wearing the black and burgundy.
Despite Gallagher’s accolades in the WHL, he wasn’t drafted until the fifth round by the Montreal Canadiens, most likely because of his size. However, that never held him back as he has become one of the most dangerous forwards in the NHL. In the ten seasons and 620 games he’s played, he has already scored over 30 goals twice and has never had a campaign where he’s potted less than ten.
Unfortunately, injuries and other factors in Montreal could derail that streak if he doesn’t start scoring before the end of 2021-22. He, along with his team have struggled mightily as they currently sit in the basement of the NHL standings. On pace for a career-low eight goals in 64 games, he will need some luck to avoid his worst season ever in the NHL. Regardless, he still remains one of the best undersized forwards in the league today.
9. Yanni Gourde, Seattle Kraken
Vital statistics: 5-foot-9, 173 pounds
Yet another diamond in the rough mined by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Yanni Gourde had to wait a few years before he caught on in the NHL. After a prolific junior career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he had an impressive 220 points (74 goals, 147 assists) in 199 games, he bounced around the American Hockey League (AHL) until the Lightning signed him in 2014.
After another three seasons flipping between the Syracuse Crunch and the Lightning, Gourde finally played his first full 82-game season in 2017-18, and what a season it was. He scored a career-high 25 goals and 64 points and has never seen the AHL since. Since that breakout year, he has recorded 61 goals and 145 points in 255 games.
Gourde also helped the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 where he joined Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow on arguably the best third line in the NHL. Through the two Cup runs, the trio scored 24 goals and 57 points and are one of the biggest reasons why the Lightning are a mini-dynasty right now. Unfortunately for them, they are all playing for different teams with Gourde, Coleman and Goodrow now members of the Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames and New York Rangers respectively.
Related: Gourde’s Legacy as the Lightning’s Determined, Underrated Star
Gourde was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 Seattle Expansion Draft and is now their second-line center. With two Stanley Cups on his resume, eight goals away from 100 and halfway to 400 games in the NHL, he has become a prime example of hard work and perseverance paying off.
8. Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild
Vital statistics: 5-foot-9, 168 pounds
Spurgeon is one of the smallest defensemen in the NHL in terms of height and weight. Even without the size of the traditional defenseman, Spurgeon has found a place in the league thanks to his impressive skating and puck movement.
Drafted 156th overall in 2008 by the New York Islanders, Spurgeon signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2010 after the Islanders did not sign him. Since joining the Wild, Spurgeon has been a reliable defender that can be counted on to put up solid point totals.
Spurgeon hit career-highs in 2018-19 in goals (14), assists (29), and points (43). Since then he has continued to pile up the points to the tune of 24 goals and 79 points in 144 games. He’s consistently among the top-20 defensemen in the league in goals, power-play goals, blocked shots, and time on ice. He was also named captain of the Wild for the 2020-21 season, so leadership is a strength of his too.
7. Viktor Arvidsson, Los Angeles Kings
Vital statistics: 5-foot-9, 181 pounds
Arvidsson was drafted by the Predators 112th overall in 2014 after playing with Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. He signed his entry-level contract with the Predators that July and became a full-time NHLer in the 2016-17 season.
Since joining the Predators, he has emerged as a key player, putting up 61 points in both of his first two full NHL seasons. In 2018-19, he set a new career-high in goals with 34, despite playing just 58 games. He has regressed offensively in the last two campaigns recording only 25 goals in 107 games but has since turned it around in Los Angeles. Acquired by the Kings in the 2021 offseason for a couple of draft picks, he is on pace for 28 goals, which would be the most he has scored since his career-high 34 goals back in 2018-19.
6. Cam Atkinson, Philadelphia Flyers
Vital statistics: 5-foot-8, 179 pounds
Atkinson was the 157th overall pick in the 2008 draft, by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Like many others on this list, he had a career season in 2018-19, putting up 41 goals, 28 assists for 69 points. He was also named an NHL All-Star.
As a smaller player, he was accustomed to hearing doubts about his career as a hockey player, which he explained to NHL.com, “Everyone at every single age, every single level, told me I wouldn’t make it to the next level. So I think that’s kind of fueled my fire, for sure. Obviously being a smaller guy, you have to have a little arrogance to your game. That’s what’s made me the person, the player, I am today.”
Related: Flyers’ Cam Atkinson Is Having Career-Revitalizing Season
Atkinson has excelled in the NHL because of his explosive speed and skilled hands. And he learned from his friend and mentor, Martin St. Louis, how to succeed in the NHL regardless of his size. Since that 41-goal season, he has regressed a bit to only 27 goals in 100 games. After the 2020-21 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers after spending his entire NHL career with the Blue Jackets.
The Flyers have had a disappointing season in 2021-22, but Atkinson has not. He already has eclipsed his goal total from 2020-21 and now has his first 20-goal season since the career-high 41 goals he scored in 2018-19. In fact, he is on pace to hit 30 for the third time in his career. He has definitely not been the reason for his team’s downfall this season, that’s for sure.
5. Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild
Vital statistics: 5-foot-8, 179 pounds
Zuccarello started his professional hockey career in his home country of Norway, with Frisk Asker. Next, he played in Sweden with MODO Hockey before signing with the New York Rangers as a free agent in 2010.
To adjust to the North American style, he originally played with the Rangers’ AHL club, the Connecticut Whale. In his NHL debut, he scored a shootout goal for the Rangers. He played 42 games with them that season, over multiple stints with the NHL club.
Zuccarello returned to the Rangers in March 2013, after joining the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) during the lockout. He finished the season with the Rangers and played through all of their postseason games. In 2013-14 he emerged as a top player for the team, earning 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 77 regular-season games and was a key part of their Stanley Cup run that season.
Since his breakout year, he maintained his level of play with the Rangers, earning 352 points in 509 games. He was then traded to the Dallas Stars, where he played just three regular-season games and 13 playoff games (three points and 13 points, respectfully). In July 2019, Zuccarello signed with the Minnesota Wild.
Since joining the Wild, he has continued to be a consistent source of offence. In three seasons he has 43 goals and 126 points in 152 games. Like most of the players on this list, he is having a resurgent 2021-22 season. On pace for a career-high 28 goals, he has helped key the Wild attack along with Kevin Fiala, Kirill Kaprizov and the surprising duo of Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno. He has also been great on both sides of the puck as he is behind only Hartman in plus/minus with a gaudy plus-20.
Between his skill, heart, and fearless play, Zuccarello has become a fan favourite (from ‘Mats Zuccarello’s style makes him a fan favorite,’ Newsday, 05/03/2017) and a three-time recipient of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award (from ‘Rangers Tradition Takes On Added Poignancy With Loss of ‘a Hero’,’ New York Times, 04/09/2017).
4. Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
Vital statistics: 5-foot-9, 174 pounds
Marchessault played in the QMJHL and CHL and impressed with his scoring abilities. However, he was overlooked and undrafted due to his smaller size. He skated with the Rangers’ 2011 Traverse City tournament but was only offered an AHL contract with the Whale.
After scoring 24 goals and a team-high 40 assists in his rookie pro season, Marchessault signed a three-year entry deal with the Blue Jackets. He scored 108 points in 130 games for their AHL affiliate, while only appearing in two NHL games with Columbus before being moved again.
The Tampa Bay Lightning finally gave Marchessault his first real NHL shot by playing him in 47 regular-season games and seven postseason games in two and half seasons. His play in the 2015-16 season earned him a two-year contract with the Florida Panthers.
His one season in Florida put him on the NHL map, scoring 30 goals and 51 points but wasn’t enough for him to be protected in the Expansion Draft. The Vegas Golden Knights were the beneficiaries as he scored a career-high 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists) and was rewarded with a six-year, $5 million average annual value (AAV) contract.
Marchessault hasn’t matched the same point totals he put up in his first season with the Golden Knights, but he has continued to be a productive player. He already has five 20-goal seasons and has accumulated 115 goals and 265 points in 330 games since joining the team from Sin City. In fact, he is on pace to shatter the career-high he set in 2016-17 with the Panthers, as he already has 23 goals and 40 points in 50 games in 2021-22. Needless to say, a lack of size has not held him back from becoming an elite player in the NHL.
3. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
Vital statistics: 5-foot-9, 181 pounds
Brad Marchand was drafted 71st overall by the Boston Bruins in 2006 and joined the team in 2008. He played a significant part in the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup win, as he scored 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 25 playoff games during those playoffs.
Marchand seems to get better every season, with 2018-19 setting career highs in points, with 100. He collected 36 goals and 64 assists to hit the century mark for the first time in his career. He was a big part of the Bruins playoff run again in that campaign, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Final and leading the playoffs in points (23) before the team fell to the St. Louis Blues. Since then, he has put up three more 20-goal seasons and has eclipsed the 60-point plateau two more times as well. In fact, if he keeps up the pace this season, he could hit 30 goals for the fifth time in his career too.
The winger has been suspended a number of times for his edgier plays. But by no means has this two-way forward changed his game due to his smaller stature.
2. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
Vital statistics: 5-foot-9, 157 pounds
Throughout his hockey career, Gaudreau has been doubted due to his appearance but has consistently proven himself, despite his small size.
Before joining the Calgary Flames, who drafted Gaudreau 104th overall in 2011, he played college hockey with the Boston College Eagles. In his sophomore year, he was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Although he did not win in 2013, he was awarded the Hobey Baker Award after his junior year.
Gaudreau joined the Flames after his junior year season ended with the Eagles to play the final game of the regular season. On his first shot on goal in his NHL debut, he scored his first goal. He played his rookie season the next year with the Flames and earned 64 points in 80 games (24 goals, 40 assists). He was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy due to his impressive rookie season.
Gaudreau has become one of the best players in the entire league. In 2018-19, he set new personal bests in goals (36), assists (63), and points (99). He is still an elite talent in the NHL despite regressing to 58 points in 2019-20 and 49 points in 2020-21. Since debuting at the end of the 2013-14 season, he has never finished with less than 18 goals and continues to be a threat every time he’s on the ice, even skating around in a 5-foot-9 frame.
Related: 7 Cool Things About Johnny Gaudreau
Now in his ninth season with the Flames, he is leading the charge during their best regular season in years. He already has 71 points in 54 games and is on pace for a career-high 107 points. I think it’s safe to say that “Johnny Hockey” is back and that rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated.
1. Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks
Vital statistics: 5-foot-7, 165 pounds
The 39th-overall selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has impressed early in his career as a Chicago Blackhawk. Alex DeBrincat was a player who many said he wouldn’t make it due to his height. It’s safe to say he’s proved them wrong.
He broke into the league for the 2017-18 season, scoring 28 goals, adding 24 assists for 52 points. His sophomore campaign was even better, putting up 41 goals, 35 assists and 76 points. Then after a bit of a down season where he only recorded 18 goals, 27 assists, and 45 points, he put up his second 30-goal season in 2020-21 in only 52 games. If the season would have been the normal 82 games, he probably would have hit 40 goals for the second time in his career. Now in his fifth season in the NHL, he is on pace for a career-high 45 goals. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say that he could even hit 50 if the bounces go his way.
He was proving himself even before hitting the NHL, as he excelled with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Erie Otters. With the team, he won numerous accolades, including CHL player of the year, OHL most outstanding player, CHL and OHL rookie of the year, and many more. The list of awards isn’t small at all.
Honourable mentions: Paul Byron, Conor Sheary, Tyler Johnson, Rocco Grimaldi, Torey Krug, and Vinnie Hinostroza.
There’s no way that Patrick Kane is taller than 5’10”!
No defenseman? Bouillion should be top 5!
Great article! Height should never be a factor when it comes to athletic ability and determination.
your right it shouldn’t but it def. does
Well, I don’t think it affects athletic ability and determination, but it does sometimes affect ability to perform exceedingly at the next level.
no i totally agree with what your saying im just saying that professional teams are looking for that ideal athlete and usually smaller guys/girls are looked at as lesser athletes because they dont fit that build of what a ” professional athlete” is