Brady Tkachuk

Braeden Tkachuk ( ; born September 16, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tkachuk was chosen by the Ottawa Senators as the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft, and played his first eight seasons with the Senators, serving as captain from 2021 to 2026. Prior to turning professional, Tkachuk played one season for the Boston University Terriers, earning All-Hockey East Rookie Team honors. He is the brother of Panthers teammate Matthew Tkachuk and the son of Keith Tkachuk, who played in the NHL for 18 years.

Internationally, Tkachuk has represented the United States at the 2017 World U18 Championships, 2018 World Junior Championships, 2024 World Championship and the 2026 Winter Olympics where he won gold alongside his brother.

Playing career

Ottawa Senators (2018–2026) After playing for the St. Louis AAA Blues U16 and committing to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP), Tkachuk agreed to play for Boston University (BU) once he had completed two seasons with the NTDP. In his play for the BU Terriers, he recorded four goals and 10 assists in 19 games as a freshman before making the United States junior team for the 2018 World Junior Championships. Nearing the end of the 2017–18 NCAA season, Tkachuk was selected for the Hockey East Rookie Team after ranking fifth on the team in points.

Leading up to the 2018 NHL entry draft, Tkachuk was ranked second overall among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He was eventually drafted fourth overall by the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators on August 13, 2018, forgoing his remaining three years of NCAA eligibility. After participating in the Senators' preseason games, Tkachuk was sidelined for Ottawa's first two regular season games with a groin injury. He eventually made his NHL debut on October 8, in a 6–3 loss to the Boston Bruins. The following game, on October 10, Tkachuk recorded his first NHL goal, and first multi-goal game, in a 7–4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He became the fastest Tkachuk to record his first NHL goal, surpassing his brother and father. On October 17, after skating in four games for the Senators, it was announced that Tkachuk had a torn ligament in his leg and was set to be out for a month to recover. Tkachuk eventually returned to the Senators lineup on November 8, for a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. On March 28, 2019, in a game against the Florida Panthers, Tkachuk tied the Senators' franchise record for most shots on goal in a game with 12. In the same game, he scored his 20th goal of the season to tie Alexandre Daigle for the Senators' record for most goals by a teenage player in a season. Tkachuk finished the 2018–19 season with 22 goals, the second-highest among NHL rookies, behind Elias Pettersson's 28.

Tkachuk (center) battling for position with Brian Dumoulin of the Seattle Kraken in 2024. Tkachuk was named an alternate captain in the 2020–21 season. He was selected to replace the injured Auston Matthews on the Atlantic Division roster for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game on January 22, 2020. Tkachuk finished the season with 17 goals and 36 points in 56 games and established himself as a pest to opposing teams and a leader to his own.

On October 14, 2021, Tkachuk signed a seven-year, $57.5 million contract with the Senators. On November 5, Tkachuk was named as the 10th captain in Senators franchise history. On November 27, Tkachuk was bit by Brendan Lemieux of the Los Angeles Kings during a scrum in the corner. Lemieux was assessed a match penalty and was suspended for five games. On December 11, Tkachuk scored his first NHL hat trick against Brian Elliott in a 4–0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. On April 5, 2022, Tkachuk recorded a goal and two assists in a 6–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

At the outset of the 2022–23 season, Tkachuk was expected to play on the first line with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. However, shortly after the season began, Norris suffered a season-ending injury on October 22, 2022. This forced the Senators to shuffle their forwards, placing Tkachuk on a line with Tim Stützle. On December 2, in Tkachuk's 300th NHL game, the Senators captain recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick, scoring his 100th and 101st career goals, with the 101st being the game winner in overtime and an assist in a 3–2 overtime win over the New York Rangers. Tkachuk was named to the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, representing Ottawa. He played alongside his brother, Matthew, on the Atlantic Division team. On February 27, 2023, in a 6–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings, Tkachuk skated over to the Red Wings' bench at the end of the second period and challenged the entire Red Wings team. Tkachuk scored a goal in the win, which helped move the Senators closer to a possible playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Towards the end of the season, as the Senators sought to get one of the last playoff spots in the conference, on March 27, Tkachuk registered a goal and an assist in a 5–2 win over the Florida Panthers, who were also vying for a playoff spot. However, the Senators were eliminated from playoff contention on April 7, in a 7–2 loss to the Panthers.

During the 2025–26 season Tkachuk was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct toward an opponent, in the form of a minor penalty of slashing, while sitting on the bench during a game against the Buffalo Sabres on April 2, 2026.

Florida Panthers (2026–present) In May 2026, Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios visited Tkachuk in New Jersey and had a meeting with him about his future with the team. Tkachuk indicated that he would not re-sign with Ottawa at the end of his existing contract. Staios asked Tkachuk, who had a no-move clause in his contract and could block a trade to any team, for a list of teams he would accept a trade to. Tkachuk's agent, Craig Oster, provided Staios with a list of four teams; the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights. Ultimately, on June 21, 2026, Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for the ninth and 25th overall picks in the 2026 NHL entry draft, a conditional 2029 first-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.

Following his trade multiple Ottawa sports teams including the Ottawa Titans and Senators offered for fans to trade in Tkachuk's jersey for either a different jersey from that team or a discount on future purchases. Multiple fans took the teams up on the offers, sold or destroyed their jersey's, expressing their anger over the trade following Tkachuk's April 2026 statement that he was committed to the team and tired of the questions about potential interest in playing for an American NHL team.

International play

Tkachuk was the captain of the gold-winning United States under-18 national team at the 2017 World U18 Championships.

He was selected to the United States junior team for the 2018 World Junior Championships, winning bronze.

Tkachuk captained the United States senior team in the 2024 World Championship, where they placed fifth. He later represented his country in 2025 at the 4 Nations Face-Off, finishing as runners-up in the tournament.

On June 16, 2025, he was one of six players named to United States' preliminary roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, in which he would defeat Team Canada to win gold alongside his brother. Amid backlash regarding the inclusion of FBI director Kash Patel and laughing to President Trump's comments of being impeached if he did not invite the women's team, Tkachuk attended the State of the Union and toured the White House with a majority of his team. During the call, Tkachuk reportedly could be heard yelling, "Close the northern border." He has denied those claims. He also spoke out against Trump using an AI image of Tkachuk and a replica of his voice in a video posted to the White House TikTok shortly after the game. Tkachuk specifically called out the video, which states, "They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those fuckers a lesson," claiming it was something he would never say. Despite the controversy and playing for a Canadian NHL team, he was applauded at the first Senators home game after the Olympics.

Personal life

Tkachuk's father is an American former NHL player Keith Tkachuk, and his mother is Canadian Chantal Oster from Winnipeg, who married in 1997. He was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, during his father's tenure with the Phoenix Coyotes. He was raised in the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur, Missouri, after his father's 2001 trade to the St. Louis Blues. His older brother, Matthew, is an alternate captain for the Florida Panthers, and his younger sister, Taryn, played field hockey for the University of Virginia. Both Tkachuk brothers attended the former Oak Hill School at Villa Duchesne and Chaminade College Preparatory School.

Tkachuk is of Ukrainian descent on both his maternal and paternal sides; the surname Tkachuk translates to weaver in Ukrainian. He is also of Irish ancestry on his paternal side. Tkachuk is a second cousin of Tom Fitzgerald, former NHL player and former general manager of the New Jersey Devils, as well as a second cousin once-removed to Casey Fitzgerald and Casey's brother, Ryan, who plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is also a cousin of NHL player Kevin Hayes and his brother, Jimmy Hayes. Tkachuk's maternal uncle is NHL player agent Craig Oster, who represents numerous NHL players, including Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, as well as both Tkachuk and his brother.

Tkachuk married his longtime girlfriend Emma Farinacci in July 2023. Farinacci is the sister of Boston Bruins prospect John Farinacci. They met in Boston while Brady was at Boston University, where they were both students, and married in 2023. They relocated to Ottawa when Brady became a Senator. The couple launched "Tkachuk's Captains", a program to support underprivileged children in March 2023. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, on September 16, 2024 (sharing his birthday). and their second child, a daughter was born on April 26, 2026.

Tkachuk and brother Matthew launched a joint podcast called "Wingmen" which hosts guests and speak about topics. An episode with Tkachuk's father Keith, reportedly drew concerns and frustrations within the Senators locker room after Keith Tkachuk talked negatively about the team.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2015–16 US NTDP Juniors USHL 32 4 4 8 36 — — — — — 2015–16 US NTDP U17 USDP 55 9 16 25 56 — — — — — 2016–17 US NTDP Juniors USHL 24 12 11 23 73 — — — — — 2016–17 US NTDP U18 USDP 61 25 29 54 129 — — — — — 2017–18 Boston University HE 40 8 23 31 61 — — — — — 2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 71 22 23 45 75 — — — — — 2019–20 Ottawa Senators NHL 71 21 23 44 106 — — — — — 2020–21 Ottawa Senators NHL 56 17 19 36 69 — — — — — 2021–22 Ottawa Senators NHL 79 30 37 67 117 — — — — — 2022–23 Ottawa Senators NHL 82 35 48 83 126 — — — — — 2023–24 Ottawa Senators NHL 81 37 37 74 134 — — — — — 2024–25 Ottawa Senators NHL 72 29 26 55 123 6 4 3 7 6 2025–26 Ottawa Senators NHL 60 22 37 59 71 4 0 0 0 13NHL totals 572 213 250 463 821 10 4 3 7 19

International

Awards and honors Award Year RefCollege All-Hockey East Rookie Team 2018 NHL All-Star Game 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024