Roenick was drafted straight out of high school, 8th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He participated in two World Junior Championships in 1988 and 1989, where he became the all-time leading American scorer with 25 points, a record he would hold for 21 years. In his first four years with the Blackhawks, he helped the team win three Norris Division titles and the President’s Trophy in the 1990-91 season. In 1994, he was named the Chicago Sports Profiles Humanitarian of the Year. Roenick would go on to play for Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks, and participate in nine All-Star games. In 2007 with the Sharks, Roenick became the third American-born player to score 500 goals. He retired from professional hockey in 2009, scoring 513 career goals and 703 assists in 1,363 games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.
