Best hockey player from each state

Jan 26, 2014; New York City, NY, USA; NHL former player Jeremy Roenick skates with youngsters on a miniature rink before the Stadium Series hockey game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

North Dakota – Paul Gaustad

While the University of North Dakota has sent over 250 of its players to the NHL, most of its players weren’t born in the state. North Dakota has produced 13 players. Of them, Paul Gaustad is the best.

Born in Fargo, Gaustad was drafted in the seventh round of the 2000 draft by the Buffalo Sabres. He spent the first eight years of his career in Buffalo. With the Sabres, he put up 181 points in 479 games. During the 2011-12 season, Buffalo was going through a bid of a rebuild. Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators were looking to solve their center problem. So they traded for Gaustad.

With the Predators, Gaustad quickly found his shtick. He became almost exclusively a defensive zone specialist, starting over 70 percent of his faceoffs in the defensive zone. This wound up being a great role for Gaustad because he consistently won faceoffs, winning over 60 percent of them in three of his five seasons in Nashville. Gaustad announced his retirement following the 2015-16 season.

The University of North Dakota has produced so many players, they deserve to be mentioned. Some of their alumni include Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, and Brock Nelson. Current Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol used to coach for them as well. In fact, when Philly hired him, he was the first coach since 1982 to be hired straight from the NCAA to the NHL.

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