Nicholas Baptiste

Nicholas Baptiste (born August 4, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL). Baptiste was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round (69th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Baptiste played major junior hockey for the Sudbury Wolves and the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. He was selected sixth overall by the Wolves in the 2011 OHL draft, and played four seasons with them before being traded to the Otters in November 2014. Baptiste was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres on May 31, 2014.

Baptiste made his NHL debut with the Sabres in the 2016–17 season in a game against the Calgary Flames on October 18, 2016. He recorded his first career NHL goal on October 20, 2016, in a 2–1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Although Baptiste was awarded the goal, he was not the one to shoot it into the net. There was a misplay between two Canucks players leading the puck to go into the net and since Baptiste was the last Sabres player to touch it, he was awarded his first NHL goal. He re-signed with the Sabres on July 18, 2018.

On October 1, 2018, before the 2018–19 season, Baptiste was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Jack Dougherty. He was immediately re-assigned to join AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Baptiste remained with the Admirals, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 54 games before he was traded for the second time within the season, dealt by the Predators to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for future considerations on February 24, 2019. He was assigned directly to the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, playing out the remainder of the season to collect 2 goals and 7 points in 18 games.

With his contract with the Maple Leafs concluded, Baptiste as a free agent opted to continue within the organization, signing a one-year AHL contract with the Marlies on August 15, 2019. In the 2019–20 season, Baptiste recorded just 3 goals in 29 games with the Marlies before he was traded to the Belleville Senators in exchange for Miles Gendron on February 24, 2020.