Luke Evangelista (born February 21, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 42nd overall by the Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
| Luke Evangelista | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Born |
February 21, 2002 Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Nashville Predators | ||
| NHL draft |
42nd overall, 2020 Nashville Predators | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Playing career
editEvangelista played as a youth with the Oakville Rangers in the SCTA before playing major junior hockey with London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was selected in the second round, 42nd overall, of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators.[1]
With the following 2020–21 OHL season firstly delayed and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Predators on November 9, 2020.[2] With the resumption of professional hockey Evangelista joined the Predators AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, and made his professional debut in registering 4 assists through 14 regular season games.[3]
Evangelista returned to junior hockey for the 2021–22 season, captaining the Knights and leading the team in all offensive categories with a league leading 55 goals and 56 assists for 111 points in only 62 regular season games.
After participating in the 2022 Nashville Predators training camp, Evangelista was reassigned to begin the 2022–23 season with the Admirals. With his offensive game translating to the professional ranks, Evangelista immediately assumed a role on the Admirals top scoring line and was leading the team in scoring when selected to represent the team at the AHL All-Star Classic.[4] On February 28, 2023, Evangelista received his first recall by the Predators and made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins that night in a 3–1 defeat.[5] In the following games he recorded his first point, an assist on a goal to Matt Duchene, in a 2–1 victory over the Florida Panthers on March 3, 2023.[6] In increasing his ice-time, Evangelista notched his first two goals of his career against the Vancouver Canucks in a 4–3 shootout defeat on March 7, 2023.[7][8]
Personal life
editLuke is the son of Andrew and Margaret Evangelista and has two sisters, Maria and Sophia.[9]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
editBold indicates led league
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | Oakville Rangers | SCTA | 36 | 39 | 51 | 90 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | London Knights | OHL | 27 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | London Knights | OHL | 62 | 23 | 38 | 61 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | London Knights | OHL | 62 | 55 | 56 | 111 | 48 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 49 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 18 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 24 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 80 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 104 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Canada White | U17 | 6th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| Second All-Star Team | 2018 | |
| AHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2023 | [4] |
References
edit- ^ "London Knights' Luke Evangelista selected by Nashville Predators at 2020 NHL Entry Draft". Global News. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "Predators sign Luke Evangelista to three-year, entry-level contract". Nashville Predators. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ "Evangelista, Tomasino next up in Predators pipeline". American Hockey League. January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Evangelista named to AHL All-Star Game". Milwaukee Admirals. January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "Predators 1, Penguins 3". ESPN. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "Lankinen leads Predators past Panthers 2-1". ESPN. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Canucks claim shootout victory over Predators". Sportsnet.ca. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ "Luke Evangelista has arrived". Nashville Predators. March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "For Evangelista family, Luke's NHL debut a dream 16 years in the making". Nashville Predators. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database