Throughout his high-level hockey career, Chase Priskie has experienced several brushes with small-scale fame.
During his senior season at Quinnipiac University in 2018-19, he was named a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player. Four years later, he became the first born-and-trained player from the Sunshine State to appear with the Florida Panthers, making his NHL debut in Nov. 2021 and going on to skate in four games.
But neither resume bullet point compares to the cult social media following that the 29-year-old journeyman minor-leaguer has recently amassed — not on conventional platforms for viral content such as TikTok, X or Instagram, but rather on LinkedIn. There, whenever Priskie, a right-shot defenseman, inks a free-agent contract to join a new hockey team, he uses the business networking platform to break the news to fans himself — such as in July, when he posted that he was “happy to announce that I’m starting a new position as Professional Athlete at HC Sibir Novosibirsk!”
At the end, Priskie tagged the profile of the club, which competes in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
As of this week, that update had been liked by nearly 250 LinkedIn members, with 39 going so far as to leave congratulatory comments. One person wrote that she would “miss (him) in Hershey (Pa.),” where Priskie played for the Washington Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate last season. Another declared that he would “have to get the KHL (streaming) package,” and a third urged him to, “Enjoy the Russian cities! Cool sights and experiences.”
A fellow KHL player added, “Bravo, Chase! Looking forward to competing against you … .”
That time of year! That employer list is starting to get pretty long 😂 https://t.co/qV5OL5Tt9F
— Chase Priskie (@priskie4) July 18, 2025
As with all LinkedIn members, Priskie’s full job history can be found in the “experience section” of his profile. There, the top six entries list his title as, simply, “Professional Athlete.” The companies for whom he worked in a “full-time” capacity: the Carolina Hurricanes (Aug. 2019-Feb. 2020), Panthers (Feb. 2020-July 2022), Buffalo Sabres (July 2022-March 2023), Anaheim Ducks (March 2023-July 2023), Capitals (July 2023-June 2025), and Sibir Novosibirsk (July 2025-present).
His other past jobs? A “camp counselor” at a hockey camp in Connecticut and a “student athlete” at Quinnipiac, where he graduated in 2019 with a master’s degree in business administration.
“My first assignment in Business 101 was to make a LinkedIn page,” said Priskie, whose profile lists him with more than 500 connections on the site, including eight who have endorsed him for leadership. “Well, LinkedIn is for business, and hockey is my business. So, that’s where I post when I have a job announcement.
“It makes sense to me. I’m kind of surprised more people don’t do it.”
That his otherwise mundane employment updates garner viral attention during hockey’s annual free-agency period amuses Priskie, but he doesn’t post for the dopamine. He’s playing a long game, despite his story as a pro athlete likely entering its final chapters.
“The amount of people that contact me within LinkedIn who either offer me jobs — you know, post hockey — it’s a lot,” Priskie said. “They pretty much say, ‘Hey, whenever you’re done with hockey, send me your resume and we’ll get you in the door for a job.’ Or they want to connect with me and send me products to try. Or they connect me to wealth managers, investment firms, whatever.”
Chase Priskie has appeared in four career NHL games, all in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers. (Joel Auerbach / Getty Images)
Even when Priskie didn’t receive any AHL offers earlier this year, he wasn’t ready to abandon his day job. The Priskies had put down a deposit for their puppy the day before free agency, expecting at worst a coast-to-coast relationship for the season. But Cydney Priskie said that she and her husband felt “reassurance” as the summer wore on and they learned of other AHL veterans in the same situation.
“We weren’t alone,” she said. “But when the opportunity came in Russia, he just embraced it. What else are you going to do?”
A 12-hour time difference separates Novosibirsk, the Siberian federal district of Russia’s second-biggest city, and the eastern United States. Priskie admittedly took for granted how easy it was to do something so simple as talk to his wife or mom on the phone when he was away for an AHL road trip; these days, calls are planned long in advance. And Priskie won’t see Cydney until the KHL All-Star break, when they’ll meet in Dubai.
“I’d never even considered Siberia,” Priskie said. “I’m not talking about playing hockey here. Like, I don’t know if I ever thought about Siberia in my life.”
At first trepidatious, Priskie is grateful that his job’s journey took him to Siberia. Hockey was always an odd pursuit for a kid from Pembroke Pines, Fla., but it’s given him the gift of a culture he may have heard about, but never would have taken the time to experience. Graffiti art adorns buildings throughout Novosibirsk, almost all of it featuring its hockey team’s snowflake logo. After the preseason home opener, Priskie said he was dumbfounded to learn about a festival-like event in the city to celebrate the start of hockey season.
“They say 30,000 people showed up, and I believe it — it was a sea of people when we left the rink,” he said. “And when we were at the hospital for team physicals, people were asking for autographs. I’m talking about Russian doctors and nurses asking me for an autograph and photo.
“The passion for this team and hockey over here is — well, I never would have known. So I guess even though I didn’t expect it ever to happen, I’m really glad I’m seeing all of this.”
FIRST KHL POINT ALERT ‼️
Chase Priskie 🍎 on the Scott Wilson 3-2 Sibir goal #KHL pic.twitter.com/go7XK95OVF
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) September 17, 2025
Through Friday, Sibir Novosibirsk had managed just one regulation win this season and sat near the bottom of the KHL’s Eastern Conference standings. Priskie has skated in eight of the team’s 10 games and leads its defensemen with five points, all assists. Despite the on-ice struggles, he has adjusted to the most unusual — and unusually located — job of his life better than expected. Cydney Priskie marveled at her husband picking up some of the Russian language in only a couple of months. Mostly curse words, but also how to order at restaurants.
“He says it’s a very patient culture there, which, you know, is different than here,” Cydney said. “He’s embracing the lifestyle. It eases my mind that he’s not miserable. He’s enjoying it enough, I think he’d like to go back. I don’t think he’s opposed to it.”
If so, for a change, Priskie won’t need to post on LinkedIn.
(Top photo of Priskie with the AHL’s Hershey Bears: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)