Brett Berard (born September 9, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fifth round, 134th overall, by the New York Rangers in the 2020 NHL entry draft. Internationally, Berard won a gold medal with the United States junior team at the 2021 World Junior Championships.

Playing career Berard was selected by the New York Rangers in the fifth round (134th overall) of the 2020 NHL entry draft. Prior to this, he was a member of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program before committing to play collegiately for the Providence Friars beginning in 2020–21. Berard's father, David, had previously been an assistant coach for Providence when Brett was a toddler.

At the onset of the 2022–23 season, Journal News reporter Vincent Z. Mercogliano rated Berard as one of the Rangers' best prospects. Following his junior season with Providence, he signed his first NHL contract with the organization and was assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack in March 2023.

The following season, Berard played the entire 2023–24 campaign with Hartford, and led his team in goals with 25. Collectively, he also finished third amongst all AHL rookies in goals.

Despite playing much of the 2024–25 season with a torn labrum, Berard had a strong training camp with the Rangers and was one of their last cuts before the start of the regular season. In late November, he was recalled by the Rangers and registered an assist in his NHL debut on November 25, 2024, against the St. Louis Blues. Berard then scored his first career NHL goal in his next game against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 27.

On June 26, 2026, Berard was traded by the Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman William Trudeau. Entering the offseason as a restricted free agent, he was tendered a qualifying offer by the Canadiens three days later. Thereafter, he agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the team on July 9.

International play

Berard was a member of the United States junior team at both the 2021 and 2022 World Junior Championships. He was the second youngest member of the 2021 team (to Matty Beniers) where his team won gold. The following year, the Americans were upset by Czechia in the quarterfinals.

In April 2025, he was named to the United States senior team for the 2025 World Championship. However, Berard was ultimately not able to compete due to injury.

Playing style Standing at just 5 feet 9 inches tall, size has always been an issue for Berard as a hockey player. However, his fast skating along with grit and tenacity helps compensate for this deficiency. One NHL scout labeled him as "a [jerk] to play against". Others have described him as "efficient at getting inside and establishing shooting positions, using his smallish stature to stay compact and gain leverage at tough angles." According to Berard personally: Over the course of the 2023–24 season, Berard improved his skating speed as well as his shooting ability, developing a quick release.

Personal life Brett's younger brother Brady is also an ice hockey player who is a member of the Boston College Eagles. The siblings had always been competitive against each other growing up.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts 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 2024–25 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 30 9 14 23 43 — — — — — 2024–25 New York Rangers NHL 35 6 4 10 8 — — — — — 2025–26 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 41 6 16 22 53 — — — — — 2025–26 New York Rangers NHL 13 0 0 0 6 — — — — —NHL totals 48 6 4 10 8 — — — — —

International 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 29Junior totals 17 2 6 8 35

Awards and honors Award Year RefUSHL USA Hockey All-American Game 2020 College All-Hockey East Third Team 2022 New England D1 All-Stars 2022

References

External links