| Brett Berard | |
| Birth Date: | 9 September 2002 |
| Birth Place: | East Greenwich, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 9 |
| Weight Lb: | 174 |
| Position: | Left wing |
| Shoots: | Left |
| League: | NHL |
| Team: | New York Rangers |
| Prospect League: | AHL |
| Draft: | 134th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2020 |
| Draft Team: | New York Rangers |
| Career Start: | 2023 |
Brett Berard (born September 9, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey forward who plays for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Berard was drafted by the Rangers in the 5th round (134th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Berard won a gold medal with the United States men's national junior ice hockey team at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Berard was drafted by the Rangers out of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in the 5th round (134th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[1] He then went on to play college hockey for the Providence Friars men's ice hockey from the 2020-21 season through the 2022-23 season.[1] Berard's father David Berard had been an assistant coach for Providence when Brett was a toddler.[2]
Prior to the 2022-23 season, Journal News reporter Vincent Z. Mercogliano rated Berard as the Rangers' 6th best prospect.[3] After the 2022-23 Providence season he signed his first NHL contract with the Rangers and played 3 games for Hartford.[1] [4]
In 2023-24, Berard played the entire season for Hartford, and led the team in goals with 25 and was 3rd on the team in points with 48.[5] [6] He finished 3rd among AHL rookies in goals.[7]
Prior to the 2024-25 season Mercogliano rated Berard as the Rangers' 4th best prospect, behind just 1st round draft picks EJ Emery, Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault.[8] McKeen's Hockey also rated him as the Rangers' 4th best prospect, satying that "He’s a very aggressive forechecker. He can kill penalties. He drives the net and battles for touches in high traffic areas. He’s not an easy player for defenders to pin down," but doesn't have as much offensive upside as Othmann.[9] The Hockey News rated him as the Rangers' 7th best prospect.[10]
Berard had a strong training camp with the Rangers and was one of their last cuts before the start of the regular season.[11] He was recalled to the Rangers on November 24, 2024, after posting 7 goals and 6 assists in his first 16 games for Hartford.[12] [13] [14] He registered an assist in his NHL debut on November 25, 2024 against the St. Louis Blues.[15] He scored his first NHL goal in his next game against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 27.[16] [17]
Berard was a member of the United States men's national junior ice hockey team at both the 2021 and 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[1] [4] He was the second youngest member of the 2021 team (to Matty Beniers) when they won the gold medal in 2021.[2] In 2022 the team was upset by the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.[3]
An issue for Berard as a hockey player is his size, at just 5 feet 9 inches tall, but he is a fast skater.[2] [3] He makes up for his size with grit and tenacity.[2] One NHL scout said that "He's a [jerk] to play against", actually using a stronger word than "jerk."[3] According to Mercogliano, he is "efficient at getting inside and establishing shooting positions, using his smallish stature to stay compact and gain leverage at tough angles."[8] According to Berard:During the 2023-24 season, Berard improved his skating speed as well as his shooting ability, developing a quick release.[8]
Brett's brother Brady Berard is also a hockey player who played for Providence and is currently playing for the Boston College Eagles.[18] [19] [20] Brett and Brady had always been competitive against each other growing up.[2]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 2018–19 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 27 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 13 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Providence College | HE | 19 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Providence College | HE | 36 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Providence College | HE | 36 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 71 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 62 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | ||
| AHL totals | 74 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 62 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | United States | U17 | 8th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2021 | United States | WJC | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | United States | WJC | 5th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 29 | |
| Junior totals | 17 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 35 | ||||