Colin Blackwell

Colin Blackwell (born March 28, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey center who is currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career
Blackwell played high school hockey with St. John's Prep in Massachusetts from 2007 to 2011. A standout with St. John's, where he recorded 66 points in just 25 games, Blackwell was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round, 194th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Blackwell embarked on a collegiate career with Harvard University of the ECAC. During his tenure with the Crimson, Blackwell was affected by a concussion injury, forcing him to sit out the majority of his junior and senior seasons. He returned towards the end of his senior year in 2014–15, appearing in 11 games to help the team claim the ECAC Tournament Championship.

Following his redshirt senior season, Blackwell began his professional career in the 2016–17 season, signing a one-year AHL contract with the San Jose Barracuda, primary affiliate to the San Jose Sharks. In a checking line role, Blackwell produced 11 points in 57 games before making 15 post-season appearances in the playoffs.

As a free agent, Blackwell left the Sharks organization to participate in the Buffalo Sabres rookie camp, before joining its AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, on a professional tryout to begin the 2017–18 season. He produced 3 points in 8 games before securing an AHL contract with the Americans on November 2, 2017. He continued to find an offensive role with the Americans, increasing his points totals to lead all forwards with 17 goals and 45 points in 61 games.

On July 3, 2018, Blackwell signed his first NHL contract as a free agent, agreeing to a two-year, two-way deal with the Nashville Predators. After attending the Predators training camp, Blackwell was re-assigned to start the 2018–19 season with AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Despite missing 27 games through injury, Blackwell recorded 7 goals in 14 games to earn his first recall to the Predators on January 19, 2019. He made his NHL debut the same day, playing on the fourth line, in a 4–2 defeat to the Florida Panthers at Bridgestone Arena.