Mark Jankowski
Highest-drafted Canadian high school player in NHL history.
Last updated
Mark Jankowski is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is notable for being the highest-selected Canadian high school player in NHL draft history, chosen 21st overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2012 NHL entry draft. Jankowski won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2026.
Lore & Background
Jankowski grew up in Dundas, Ontario, and played midget AAA hockey for the St. Catharines Minor Midget AAA Falcons, where he was a top scorer. Despite his scoring, he went unselected in the Ontario Hockey League midget draft because teams considered him too small at five feet, eight inches tall. He instead attended Stanstead College, a prep school in Stanstead, Quebec, where he played two seasons. During his time at Stanstead, Jankowski grew to 6'2" tall, and his play drew the attention of NHL scouts.
He committed to play college hockey for the Providence Friars, choosing them over Boston University, Cornell, Harvard, Maine, and Penn State. The Calgary Flames selected him in the first round of the 2012 draft, a move that drew criticism for going 'off the board,' but the Flames' management argued that other teams would have taken him in the first round if they had not. Jankowski bypassed a planned season in the USHL to move directly to college hockey.
Reader's Guide
Jankowski's professional career began when he signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Flames in March 2016. He made his NHL debut against the New York Islanders in November 2016 and scored his first NHL goal against the Detroit Red Wings in November 2017. In the final game of the 2017–18 regular season, he recorded a four-goal game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
After a disappointing 2019–20 season limited to a fourth-line role, the Flames did not tender him a qualifying offer, making him a free agent. He subsequently signed one-year contracts with the Pittsburgh Penguins and later the Buffalo Sabres, after a professional tryout with the New Jersey Devils did not result in a contract. Jankowski signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Nashville Predators in July 2022 and later signed a two-year extension in March 2024.
At the 2025 trade deadline, the Predators traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2026 fifth-round pick. He made his Hurricanes debut on March 9, 2025, scoring two goals in a 4–2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, becoming the third player in franchise history to score multiple goals in his debut. Jankowski won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2026.
Career statistics and honours
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2010–11 | Stanstead College | Prep | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2010–11 | Stanstead College | Que-HS | 65 | 31 | 42 | 73 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Stanstead College | Prep | 13 | 19 | 11 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | Stanstead College | Que-HS | 57 | 53 | 40 | 93 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Providence College | HE | 34 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Providence College | HE | 39 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Providence College | HE | 37 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Providence College | HE | 38 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 64 | 27 | 29 | 56 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 72 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 56 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 45 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 32 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| 2021–22 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 19 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 9 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| 2022–23 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 50 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 40 | 15 | 32 | 47 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 32 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024–25 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 41 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024–25 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 19 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025–26 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 68 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 16 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 16 |
| NHL totals | 482 | 79 | 66 | 145 | 144 | 42 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 18 | ||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| Hockey East All-Tournament Team | 2015 | |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2015 | |
| All-Hockey East First Team | 2015–16 | |
| AHCA East Second-Team All-American | 2015–16 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2026 | |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Mark Jankowski (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- His grandfather Lou played 127 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks in the 1950s.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Mark Jankowski (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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