Robert Gordon Orr
Registered User
- Dec 3, 2009
- 979
- 2,039
This is an update of an old post from a couple of years ago.
I have tried to track down the first appearance in the league by players born in a certain country, or just having an ethnic heritage from that country. Primary focus has been on NHL players.
From the more exotic countries I’ve included some that appeared in North American pro leagues or major junior leagues.
There are many with roots in Ukraine, Croatia, Russia, Germany, England etc, etc. As much as I appreciate input on the subject, it's not necessary to mention names unless they appeared earlier than what you see in the list below.
For the more exotic countries, players appearing in North American pro or top junior leagues are of interest.
When time permits, I'll try to update it.
[TBODY]
[/TBODY]As a sidenote. From my extensive research it turned out that one of the wildest characters ever in the NHL, Steve Durbano, had the most impressive family history of them all. He was a direct descendant of many Kings and Queens (i.e. France, Italy, Germany, Scotland and the Roman Empire). I am sure that Steve's teammates wouldn't hear the end of it in the locker room if he had known. 
I have tried to track down the first appearance in the league by players born in a certain country, or just having an ethnic heritage from that country. Primary focus has been on NHL players.
From the more exotic countries I’ve included some that appeared in North American pro leagues or major junior leagues.
There are many with roots in Ukraine, Croatia, Russia, Germany, England etc, etc. As much as I appreciate input on the subject, it's not necessary to mention names unless they appeared earlier than what you see in the list below.
For the more exotic countries, players appearing in North American pro or top junior leagues are of interest.
When time permits, I'll try to update it.
| Country | Name | NHL debut | Type of connection to the country | Other early connections/comments |
| Abkhazia (Georgia) | Enver Lisin | 14/10/2006 | Mother | |
| Albania | Dick Lamby | 11/10/1978 | Grandfather | 1990 - Tie Domi (Father) 2011 - Aaron Palushaj (Parents) |
| Algeria | Josef Boumedienne | 6/10/2001 | Father | |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Aud Tuten | 12/2/1942 | Maternal fifth great-grandfather | |
| Argentina | John Wrigley | Signed by LA | Born there | Corey Trivino (Father) - AHL |
| Armenia | Ed Jeremiah | 29/12/1931 | Parents (Turkish born Armenians) | 2008 - Zach Bogosian (Pat.great-gr.father) |
| Australia | Taylor Hall | 7/10/2010 | Father | 2017 - Nathan Walker (Moved to AUS -age 2) |
| Austria | Reinhard Divis | 7/4/2002 | Born there | 1927 - Nick Wasnie (Parents) 1934 - Cliff Purpur (Father) |
| Azores (Portugal) | Mike Ribeiro | 2/10/1999 | Parents | |
| Bahamas | Andre Deveaux | 27/11/2008 | Born there | |
| Barbados | Fred Brathwaite | 13/10/1993 | Parents | 1996 - Mike Grier & Anson Carter (Parents) |
| Belarus | John Miszuk | 11/12/1963 | Born there | 1991 - Pavel Bure (Born there) 1947 - Bill Barilko (Parents) |
| Belgium | Jan Benda | 1/10/1997 | Born there (Czech parents) | 1927 - Dit Clapper (Dating back to the 1500s) 1943 - Marcel Dheere (Father & mat. gr.parents) |
| Bermuda | Peter Wheelwright | NCAA player | Born there | |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | Milan Marcetta | 27/12/1967 | Parents | 1993 - Dan Kesa (Parents) Dragan Umicevic (Born there - Drafted) |
| Brazil | Mike Greenlay Robyn Regehr | 25/2/1990 28/10/1999 | Born there (Canadian parents) Born there (Canadian parents) | 2000 - Bryce Salvador (Father) 2005 - Ryan Hollweg (Paternal grandfather) |
| Brunei | Craig Adams | 24/10/2000 | Born there (English parents) | |
| Bulgaria | Alexandar Georgiev | 22/2/2018 | Born there | Jim Koleff (Father) - IHL |
| Cameroon | Antoine Mindjimba | IHL | Father | Montreal Canadiens training camp in 1992 |
| Chile | Josh Ho-Sang | 2/3/2007 | Mother | |
| China | Larry Kwong | 13/3/1948 | Parents | 1975 - Mike Wong (Father or grandfather) 1989 - Peter Ing (Father) |
| Colombia | Scott Gomez | 2/10/1999 | Mother | |
| Congo (DR) | Auguste Impose | QMJHL | Parents | |
| Croatia | Goran Bezina Borna Rendulic | 10/3/2004 9/12/2014 | Parents Parents | 1935 - Mike Karakas (Parents) 1943 - Tony Bukovich (Parents) |
| Cuba | Al Montoya | 1/4/2009 | Mother | |
| Czech Republic | Jaroslav Jirik | 22/3/1970 | Born there | 1933 - Buzz Boll (Paternal grandmother) 1939 - Phil Hergesheimer (Mat. great-gr.parents) |
| Denmark | Poul Popiel | 24/10/1965 | Born there | 1924 - Johnny Matz (Mother) 1937 - Frank Beisler (Maternal grandfather) 1944 - Martin Zoborosky (Pat. great-gr.mother) |
| Ecuador | Vinnie Hinostroza | 17/10/2015 | Paternal grandparents | |
| England | Joe Hall Ken Thompson | 22/12/1917 26/12/1017 | Born there Born there | |
| Eritrea | Oliver Kylington | 9/4/2016 | Mother | |
| Estonia | Leo Komarov | 19/1/2013 | Born there (Russian parents) | Mickey Oja (Parents) - AHL 1976 - Tom Edur (parents) 1983 - Brian Lundberg (Pat. grandfather) 1983 - Håkan Loob (Father) 1983 - Gary Leeman (Pat. grandparents) |
| Ethiopia | Yared Hagos | AHL | Parents | |
| Finland | Al Pudas | 30/12/1926 | Born there | 1926 - Ollie Reinikka (Parents) |
| France | André Peloffy | 9/10/1974 | Born there | 1917 - Billy Coutu & Newsy Lalonde 1917 - Didier Pitre & George Vézina 1917 - Art Ross |
| Gabon | Hugh Coflin | 12/10/1950 | Mat. great-great-gr.father died there | |
| Georgia | Micah Aivazoff | 8/10/1993 | Paternal great-grandfather | |
| Germany (East) | Udo Kiessling | 13/3/1982 | Born there | 1983 - Ken Daneyko (Father) |
| Germany (West) | Walt Tkaczuk | 24/1/1968 | Born there (Ukrainian parents) | 1917 - Frank Nighbor (Father) |
| Ghana | Sena Acolatse | AHL | Father | |
| Greece | Pete Mavroudis | AHL | Born there | 1976 - Nick Fotiu (Father) |
| Guatemala | Jared McCann | 7/10/2015 | Brother adopted from there | |
| Guernsey (Channel I.) | Dick Gamble | 16/12/1950 | Father | |
| Guyana | Andreas Athanasiou | 8/11/2015 | Mother | |
| Haiti | Claude Vilgrain | 1/3/1988 | Born there | 1991 - Reggie Savage (Mother) 1997 - George Laraque (Parents) 1998 - Jean-Luc Grand Pierre (Parents) |
| Honduras | Lee Odelein | ECHL | Died there (Brother of Lyle Odelein | |
| Hong Kong (China) | Josh Ho-Sang | 2/3/2017 | Great-grandfather | |
| Hungary | Levente Szuper | NHL-backup | Born there | 1955 - Bronco Horvath (Parents) |
| Iceland | Cully Wilson | 23/12/1919 | Parents | 1925 - Bobby Benson 1926 - Frank Fredrickson 1926 - Harry Oliver 1926 - Slim Halderson |
| India | Robin Bawa | 6/10/1990 | Paternal grandfather | 2015 - Jujhar Khaira (Parents) |
| Indonesia | Richie Regehr | 29/12/2005 | Born there (Canadian parents) | 1990 - Garry Valk (Paternal grandfather) |
| Iran | Rhett Rahkshani | 13/12/2010 | Grandfather | 2011 - Mika Zibanejad (Father) |
| Iraq | John Shamoon | OHL | Born there | |
| Ireland (North) | Sammy McManus | 13/11/1934 | Born there | 1917 - Jack Darragh 1917 - Rusty Crawford |
| Ireland (South) | Gerry Geran | 19/12/1917 | Father | 1919 - Frank Heffernan (Paternal grandmother) |
| Isle of Man (UK) | Herb Kewley | EHL | Father | Played for CAN at the 1949 World Championships |
| Israel | Max Birbraer | AHL | Born there | |
| Italy | Nelson Debenedet Victor Posa | 13/12/1973 1/1/1986 | Born there Born there | 1927 - Pete Palangio (Parents) |
| Ivory Coast | Jonathan-Ismael Diaby | AHL | Father | |
| Jamaica | Graeme Townshend | 1/2/1990 | Born there | 1988 - Paul Jerrard (Father) 1995 - Jason Doig (Parents) |
| Japan | Yutaka Fukufuji Ryan O'Marra | 13/1/2007 10/11/2009 | Born there Born there (Canadian parents) | 1981 - Steve Tsujiura (Father?) - AHL |
| Jordan | Justin Abdelkader | 3/4/2008 | Paternal grandfather | |
| Kazakhstan | Konstantin Shafranov | 6/10/1996 | Born there | |
| Kenya | Johnny Oduya | 6/10/2006 | Father | |
| Korea (South) | Jim Paek Richard Park | 13/10/1990 3/5/1995 | Born there Born there | 1984 - Frank Joo (NHL-drafted) - WHL |
| Kosovo | Tie Domi | 2/3/1990 | Mother | |
| Latvia | Charlie Cotch | 20/12/1924 | Born there | 1974 - Harold Snepsts |
| Lebanon | Ed Hatoum | 1/12/1968 | Born there | 1958 - John Hanna (Mat. & Pat. grandparents) |
| Lithuania | Darius Kasparaitis | 6/10/1992 | Born there | 1924 - Sam Rotschild (Paternal grandfather) |
| Luxembourg | Marc Habscheid | 25/11/1981 | Parents | 1934 - Walter Kalbfleisch (Dating back to 1690s) 1943 - Al Rittinger (Dating back to the 1400s) |
| Macedonia | Walt Atanas | 28/10/1944 | Father | Many other with Greek-Macedonian roots |
| Malaysia | Victor Bartley | 8/3/2013 | Parents living there | Jonathan Ang (Parents) - AHL |
| Malta | Corrado Micalef | 17/10/1981 | Parents | 1982 - Tony Tanti (Parents) |
| Martinique (France) | Pierre-Édouard Bellemare | 8/10/2014 | Father | |
| Mexico | Blaine Stoughton | 12/10/1973 | Paternal fourth great-grandfather | 1999 - Scott Gomez (Father) 2001 - Raffi Torres (Father) |
| Moldova | Phil Hergesheimer | 12/11/1939 | Parents | 1947 & 1948 - Ed & Arnie Kullman (Parents) |
| Montenegro | Ned Lukacevic | AHL | Born there | |
| Montserrat (BOT) | P.K.Subban | 12/2/2010 | Mother | |
| Morocco | Tordjman Josh | 8/3/2009 | Parents | |
| Netherlands | Ed Kea | 3/4/1974 | Born there | 1927 - Dit Clapper (Dating back to the 1600s) 1947 - Garth Boesch (Mat.l great-great-gr.parents) |
| New Zealand | Scott Foster | 29/3/2018 | Roots from there - Unverified | Len Overbeeke (Born there) - WHL |
| Nicaragua | Bill Guerin | 20/2/1992 | Mother | |
| Nigeria | Rumun Ndur | 9/11/1996 | Born there | 1978 - Tony McKegney (Father) 1996 - Jarome Iginla (Father) |
| Norway | Bill Johansen Bjorn Skaare | 26/11/1949 29/11/1978 | Born there Born there | 1927 - Dit Clapper (Dating back to the 1600s) 1930 - Doc Romnes (Father & mat. gr.mother) |
| Pakistan | Manny Malhotra | 10/10/1998 | Father | |
| Paraguay | Willi Plett | 17/12/1975 | Born there (Ukrainian parents) | |
| Peru | Raffi Torres | 24/11/2001 | Mother | |
| Philippines | Matt Dumba | 5/10/2013 | Father | |
| Poland | Joe Jerwa | 14/12/1930 | Born there | 1917 - Frank Nighbor (Mother) 1940 - Elmer Lach (Parents) 1940 - Tony Graboski (Parents) |
| Portugal | Gino Cavallini | 15/1/1985 | Grandparents | 1986 - Paul Cavallini (Grandparents) 1986 - Emanuel Viverois |
| Puerto Rico | Anthony Bitetto | 17/1/2015 | Roots there - Not verified though | Jorge Gonzalez (Born there) - NCAA Dean Hullett (Born there) - IHL & Drafted |
| Romania | Duke Dutkowski | 17/11/1926 | Born there | 1941 - Connie Tudin (Parents) 1943 - Max Labovitch (Parents) 1945 - Fern Flaman (Father) |
| Russia | Sweeney Schriner | 15/11/1934 | Born there | 1931 - Alex Levinsky (Father) 1933 - Art Wiebe (Grandparents) 1933 - Max Kaminsky (Parents) 1935 - Fred Hergerts (Parents) |
| Saint Lucia | Christopher Gibson | 2/1/2016 | Father | |
| Scotland | Dunc Munro | 1/12/1924 | Born there | 1917 - Eddie Gerard (Parents) 1917 - Dave Ritchie (Father) |
| Serbia | Ivan Boldirev | 26/11/1970 | Born there | |
| Sierra Leone | Kurt Sauer | 10/10/2002 | Adopted two children from there | |
| Singapore | Frank Vatrano | 7/11/2015 | Oldest brother lives there | |
| Sint Eustatius (NED) | Vic Heyliger | 25/11/1937 | Father and paternal grandparents | |
| Slovakia | Stan Mikita | 27/11/1958 | Born there | 1941 - Joe Papike (Parents) 1944 - Pete Backor (Parents) 1951 - Benny Woit (Parents) 1951 - Alex Delvecchio (Mat. grandparents) |
| Slovenia | Stan Smrke | 3/3/1957 | Born there | 1938 - Frank Brimsek (Parents) 1943 - Rudy Zunich (Parents) |
| South Africa | Olaf Kolzig | 11/10/1989 | Born there (German parents) | 1926 - Herb Gardiner (Father) |
| Spain | Art Brooks | 19/12/1917 | Maternal great-grandfather | |
| Sudan | Manute Bol | 1 day CHL contract | Born there | Publicity stunt - 7'7' Bol only dressed |
| Sweden | Gustaf Forslund | 12/11/1932 | Born there | 1917 - Bert Corbeau (Mother) 1930 - Helge Bostrom (parents) |
| Switzerland | Mark Hardy | 10/10/1979 | Born there (Canadian & English) | 1917 - Didier Pitre 1922 - Aurele Joliat (Father) |
| Syria | Brandon Saad | 7/10/2011 | Father | 1958 - John Hanna (Mat. and Pat. gr.parents = "Syrian Arab Republic" according to them) |
| Taiwan | Rod Langway | 11/10/1978 | Born there (Parents USA) | 2013 - Victor Bartley (Mother) |
| Tanzania | Chris Nielsen | 14/12/2000 | Born there (Canadian parents) | 2002 - Darren Haydar (Father) |
| Thailand | Jonas Siegenthaler | 9/11/2018 | Mother | Likit Neimwan Andersson (Born there) - IHL |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Sam Gellard | WHA | Born there | 2008 - Kenndal McArdle (Father) 2014 - Darnell Nurse (Father) |
| Tunisia | Ramzi Abid | 12/11/2002 | Father | |
| Turkey | Ed Jeremiah | 29/12/1931 | Parents (Turkish born Armenians) | 1990 - Tie Domi (Maternal grandmother) |
| Uganda | Andres Martinsen | 10/11/2015 | Father | |
| Ukraine | Val Hoffinger Johnny Gottselig | 28/1/1928 15/11/1928 | Born there Born there | 1926 - Eddie Shore (Mother) |
| United A.E. (UAE) | Vukie Mpofu | WHL | Born there | |
| Uzbekistan | Maksim Mayorov | 3/1/2009 | Born there | |
| Venezuela | Rick Chartraw Don Spring | 9/10/1974 10/10/1980 | Born there (Canadian parents) Born there (Canadian parents) | |
| Wales | Wilf Cude | 16/12/1930 | Born there (English mother) | 1940 - Ralph Wycherley (Father) |
| Zimbabwe | Cal Russell | NHL-drafted | Born there (English parents) | Zimbabwe used to be Rhodesia |
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