JJ Peterka

JJ Peterka
JJ Peterka with Germany in 2023
Born (2002-01-14) 14 January 2002 (age 22)
Munich, Germany
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Buffalo Sabres
EHC Red Bull München
National team  Germany
NHL draft 34th overall, 2020
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2019–present

John-Jason "JJ" Peterka (born 14 January 2002) is a German professional ice hockey center currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 34th overall by the Sabres in the 2020 NHL entry draft, and made his NHL debut in 2021.

Playing career

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Peterka made his professional debut with EHC Red Bull München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). During the 2019–20 season he appeared in 42 games scoring 7 goals and 4 assists for 11 points.[1] Following the season, Peterka was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NHL draft 34th overall by the Buffalo Sabres[1] Peterka was projected to be a first-round pick before the draft, but fell to the Buffalo Sabres in the second round.[2] He was said to be a great skater with great hands and great ability to make plays at top speed, while drawing a comparison to Patrick Kane.[2] He was also said to be an unrelenting player that never gives up on the puck.[1] Following the draft, Peterka went back to the DEL and played 30 games while scoring 9 goals and 11 assists for 20 points in the 2020-2021 season.[1]

On 12 June 2021, Peterka was signed by the Buffalo Sabres to a three-year, entry-level contract.[3] During the 2021-2022 season, Peterka played for the Rochester Americans, the AHL team for the Buffalo Sabres. He appeared in 70 games during his rookie season, scoring 28 goals and 40 assists for a total of 68 points. He also played in 10 playoff games that year, recording 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points.[4]

Peterka made his NHL debut with the Sabres on December 29, 2021, in a game against the New Jersey Devils. After the game, the Sabres returned him to the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans.[5]

Peterka (left) in a game against the Seattle Kraken in 2022.

Peterka's first career NHL goal came in the Sabres' 2022–23 season opener at home against the Ottawa Senators. His goal tied the game at 1–1 en route to a Buffalo 4–1 victory on October 13, 2022.[6]

International play

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Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Germany
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Finland/Latvia

Peterka made his international debut with the German U18 national team at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championship Division I, before joining the national junior team for the 2020 and 2021 World Junior Championships.

Joining the senior national team for the first time, Peterka made his World Championship debut at the 2021 edition. Two years later, he rejoined the national team for the 2023 IIHF World Championship, where Germany embarked on an unexpected deep run through the knockout round, defeating the heavily-favoured Team USA in the semi-final to reach the gold medal game.[7] Peterka scored the opening goal of the game, but Germany was ultimately defeated by Team Canada, winning the silver medal, the nation's first at the World Championships since 1953.[8] With six goals and six assists in ten games, Peterka was given the IIHF directorate award for Best Forward, and named to the Media All-Star Team.[9][10]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 RB Hockey Academy Czech.18 18 7 14 21 4 2 4 0 4 0
2018–19 RB Hockey Academy Czech.19 48 45 49 94 52 — — — — —
2019–20 EHC München DEL 42 7 4 11 14 — — — — —
2020–21 EC Red Bull Salzburg ICEHL 12 7 9 16 12 — — — — —
2020–21 EHC München DEL 30 9 11 20 8 2 1 0 1 0
2021–22 Rochester Americans AHL 70 28 40 68 28 10 7 5 12 6
2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 77 12 20 32 26 — — — — —
2023–24 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 28 22 50 28 — — — — —
DEL totals 72 16 15 31 22 2 1 0 1 0
NHL totals 161 40 42 82 54 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2019 Germany U18-D1 DNQ 5 2 6 8 0
2020 Germany WJC 9th 7 4 2 6 16
2021 Germany WJC 6th 5 4 6 10 2
2021 Germany WC 4th 6 1 0 1 2
2023 Germany WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 6 6 12 0
2024 Germany WC 6th 8 5 4 9 2
Junior totals 17 10 14 24 18
Senior totals 24 12 10 22 4

Awards and honors

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Award Year
AHL
All-Rookie Team 2022 [11]
International
World Championship Best Forward 2023 [10]
World Championship Media All-Star Team 2023 [10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "JJ Peterka at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Kerr, Ben (3 May 2020). "John-Jason Peterka Scouting Report: 2020 NHL Draft #22". lastwordonsports.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Sabres sign Peterka to entry-level contract". Buffalo Sabres. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  4. ^ "JJ Peterka at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. ^ LaBarber, Jordoun (3 January 2022). "Peterka named AHL Player of the Week". NHL.com. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  6. ^ "'Pure joy' | Peterka nets 1st NHL goal in opening night victory". NHL.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  7. ^ St. James, Helene (29 May 2023). "Detroit Red Wings' Moritz Seider's Germany stuns U.S. in World Championship semifinals". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  8. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (29 May 2023). "Canada rallies to win gold". IIHF. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Ian (29 May 2023). "Top 10 players at the World Championship: Arturs Silovs sealed the door". The Hockey News. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b c O'Brien, Derek (28 May 2023). "Silovs MVP, All-Stars named". IIHF. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  11. ^ "2021-22 AHL All-Rookie Team named". American Hockey League. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
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