Credit: X
Arshdeep Bains, originally based in Punjab, India, has become only the fourth player of Indian origin to debut in the National Hockey League (NHL) when he marked his position in North America’s professional Ice Hockey league last week. He made his debut for the Vancouver Canucks team, which he was fond of from a young age.
The 23-year-old left winger has already played three games for Vancouver and has recorded more than 12 minutes in each game he has played. The other three Indian-origin players to play in the NHL are Robin Bawa who played from 1987-99 for Washington Capitals, Vancouver, and San Jose Sharks. The other two are Manny Malhotra who played for various teams in his 18-year-long career and Jujhar Khaira who is currently playing for Minnesota Wild.
Only Indian-origin player to hold Bob Clarke trophy
Arshdeep is the only player of Indian origin to win the Bob Clarke trophy. This trophy is presented to the player who leads the points in the Western Hockey League during the regular season. It was in the year 2017, that Bains got the first breakthrough in his professional career.
Bains joined WHL side Red Deer Rebels for the next few seasons. During his five years tenure for them, he scored 77 goals and gathered 209 points which included a stellar season of 2021-22 where he scored 43 goals alone.
