NHL Rising Stars: Chase Priskie

Today in the hockey world, There are so many rising stars in NHL Farm systems with a lot of potential that are overshadowed by more obvious talents and today I’m gonna tell you about Chase Priskie a defensive prospect in the Buffalo Sabres farm system.

Chase Priskie is A 6’0 185-pound right-shot defenceman from Pembroke Pines, Florida who was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, 177th overall by the Washington Capitals After a successful freshman campaign with Quinnipiac University’s men’s ice hockey program were over the course of four seasons he played 154 games recording 106 points (29 goals, 77 assists).

Priskie is an all-around tenacious two-way player with a slapshot that is almost impossible to block. He is not overly physical but he is a very quick skater and puts in a winning effort each and every night win or lose. He also has a game-winning mentality and is a great leader on an off the ice.

However, the 26 year old‘s path to the draft wasn’t exactly a smooth one. From 2011 to 2013 Chase was a member of the under 16 AAA Selects Academy team based out of South Kent, Connecticut but in those two seasons he didn’t play a single game. Chase returned to the Selects Academy for one more season for the 2013-14 season this time with the under 18 AAA team and he played in 24 games recording 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists) while also winning the league title and being named defenseman of the year.

The next season (2014-15), Chase joined the British Columbia Hockey League’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks, where in 57 games, he recorded 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists) and earned himself a scholarship to play for Quinnipiac University’s men’s hockey program.

In an interview with The Latke Room, a podcast that features influential Jewish figures in all sorts of occupations, Chase, Quinnipiac’s first Jewish hockey player, said that he was not expecting to play with a high-tier Division I NCAA team like Quinnipiac, but instead was planning on playing for Bowdoin College, a Division III college in Maine.

In the fall of 2015, Chase enters his freshman year with a highly talented Quinnipiac team, playing amongst highly talented players like Boston Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton (’2017), Springfield Thunderbirds forward Sam Anas (’2016), and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews (‘2016).

Priskie ended his freshman campaign with 26 points (4 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games, winning the Whitelaw Cup, the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s championship trophy, and went to the Frozen Four, the NCAA’s championship, but lost in the final to the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Priskie was also a part of the NCAA’s all-rookie team, which recognizes the best rookies of the season.

On June 25, 2016, rounds 2-7 of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York took place, and in the sixth round with the 177th overall pick, the Washington Capitals selected Chase Priskie.

In the fall of 2016, Priskie returned to Quinnipiac for his sophomore year to a very different Bobcats team. Sam Anas and Devon Toews graduated while Connor Clifton remained with Quinnipiac and Alex Whelan ('2020), Brogan Rafferty ('2019), and Brandon Fortunato ('2018) all joined Quinnipiac's young, talented roster.

Chase had an excellent season once again, recording 26 points (7 goals, 19 assists) in 38 games as a sophomore.

Quinnipiac finished 5th in the NCAA, however they lost a tough semifinal series to Harvard.

In the fall of 2017, Chase enters his junior year, again to a very different Bobcats team. Connor Clifton graduated after the 2016-17 season and a talented young forward, Odeen Tufto ('2021) joined the team and Chase was named the 45th captain in Bobcats history.

Chase had a steady junior year, recording 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists) inn 37 games.

The Bobcats had a steady season as well, finishing 9th in the NCAA, however, they lost to Cornell in the quarterfinals.

In the fall of 2018, Chase enters his senior year with Quinnipiac, and there were no key subtractions for the Bobcats, but talented defenseman Peter Dilibritore ('2022) joined the Bobcats.

Chase had a very impressive senior year with Quinnipiac, recording 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists in 36 games.

Coming out of Quinnipiac, Chase recorded a grand total of 106 points (29 goals, 77 assists) in 154 games, and cites assistant coach Joe Dumais ('2006) as one of the major influences on his hockey career.

After his time with Quinnipiac was done, Chase was set on signing an Entry-Level Contract with the Washington Capitals and reporting to their AHL team, the Hershey Bears, but ultimately, to save room for Alex Ovechkin's next contract, the Capitals decided not to sign Priskie, and he became a free agent.

The week before NHL training camps began, Chase found a team that was willing to sign him, and he signed an Entry-Level deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Priskie was injured in training camp and was almost immediately sent to the Charlotte Checkers, the Hurricanes' AHL farm team.

Once Chase returned from his injury, he found his stride pretty quickly. He was playing on an elite team with elite players such as Seattle Kraken forward Morgan Geekie, Chicago Wolves forward Stelio Mattheos, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Bean and Carolina Hurricanes forward Steven Lorentz., but instead of being overshadowed by everyone else's talent, Priskie stood out.

By the end of February, Chase was on fire! In 52 games, he had recorded 31 points (6 goals, 25 assists), which is impressive for a first-year pro!

On February 25, 2020, Chase got a call. It was from Florida Panthers General Manager, Dale Tallon telling him that he'd just been traded to the Florida Panthers. Chase was ecstatic. His childhood dream was finally coming full-circle.

Chase was sent down to the Springfield Thunderbirds as soon as he arrived in Florida, but in 5 games with the Thunderbirds, he recorded 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) before the season was paused and eventually cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.

In August of 2020, after nearly 6 months without hockey, Chase earned his spot on the Panthers' playoff bubble roster. However, Chase would never end up playing a game as Florida didn't make it past qualifiers.

In the offseason, the Vegas Golden Knights bought the St. Louis Blues' AHL team, the San Antonio Rampage, so the Panthers gave up the Springfield Thunderbirds for the St. Louis Blues, and the Panthers were set to sign an affiliation agreement, but then the Hurricanes and Checkers terminated their affiliation agreement, and the Panthers signed an agreement with the Checkers and Carolina signed with Chicago. Chase was a Checker once again.

However, due to COVID-19 concerns, the Checkers announced that they would not play the 2019-20 season, so the Panthers were temporarily affiliated with the Syracuse Crunch, the Tampa Bay Lightning's farm team.

After training camp in December, Chase earned a spot on Florida's taxi squad, which meant that if a player was sick or injured, he had the chance to fill in the empty spot. However, that didn't end up working out for Chase, and he was sent down to the Syracuse Crunch, where in 15 games, he recorded 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists).

Now here we are at last season, 2021-22, where Chase, now 26, played in 54 games with the Charlotte Checkers, recording 8 goals and 23 assists for a grand total of 31 points. Chase made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers on November 4, 2022. A night that Priskie would never forget. Priskie noted in an interview with the Florida Panthers’ media “I wake up every morning and I’m extremely grateful I get to play hockey. Just to be able to come and have a job is extremely blessed, especially during COVID… When I walk into this rink, all I can think about is my dad. I know he would be proud.” His father Jeff and mother Lisa Evans were the ones who got Chase started in hockey, bringing him to his first Panthers game on April 16, 1996 when he was only 27 days old. Unfortunately, Jeff Priskie passed away in 2013 and couldn’t be there for his only son’s NHL debut but we all know that he would be so proud of Chase. The 26-year-old Pembroke Pines native’s childhood dreams were coming full circle. Priskie played in 4 games with the Panthers, all without points.

On July 13, 2022, Chase signed with the Buffalo Sabres on a one year, two way contract. His time as the first Florida Panthers player from Florida was done. Making his childhood dream come true was a great experience for young Priskie, but now he’ll get a fresh start with a young, strong prospect pool.

I believe that this upcoming season will be Priskie’s first 40 game (at most) and this was a phenomenal pickup for Buffalo because they need defense, and they got it. They got an amazing defenseman in 26-year-old Chase Priskie, and I think that if he lives up to his hype in Buffalo, they will re-sign him, but until then, I’m super excited to see what he can do in Rochester (AHL) and/or Buffalo.

Chase Priskie with Quinnipiac University in 2019