Best hockey player from each state

Mississippi – Dan Weiss

No state other than Hawaii has lower participation in hockey than Mississippi. They haven’t produced any NHL players or even any players who have played overseas. However, their most successful player of all-time is Dan Weiss. He spent four years at Niagara University playing Division I hockey, including serving as their captain in his senior season.

Weiss had a very brief career post college, playing the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL and the St. Charles Chill of the CHL before retiring. A defenseman, he was strong defensively for Niagara, finishing three of his four seasons at Niagara with a positive plus-minus rating. Weiss put together 32 points in his 125 games in college, including a career high 12 points in his senior season. Before joining Niagara, he played for the Springfield Jr. Blues, as well as the Lincoln Stars and St. Louis Bandits.

The success of Weiss has done a lot for hockey in Mississippi. Slowly but surely, players from the state are starting to play more often in college. However, as of the 2016-17 season, Weiss remains the only player from Mississippi to play Division I hockey. But perhaps the next Dan Weiss is coming soon. It’s been a long battle, but Mississippi is steadily growing to embrace hockey.