Saturday night is the 256th regular season edition of the Battle of Alberta, but it’s also a big milestone for Calgary Flames defender Noah Hanifin. It’s his 500th NHL game.
Selected fifth overall by Carolina back in the 2015 NHL Draft out of Boston College – Johnny Gaudreau’s alma mater – Hanifin immediately signed and went pro, making his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2015 at the age of 18 years, 256 days.
He immediately became an NHL regular for the Hurricanes, playing 47 games before his 19th birthday and 125 while he was still a teenager.