How many players have been suspended for violating NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program?

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program has brought to the forefront the consistent screening that NHL players go through.

Ekblad’s suspension brings to mind past NHLers who received a similar ban for substance violations. So, here’s a look at former NHLers who were suspended for violation of the NHL/NHLPA’s Performance Enhancing Substance Program.

Players suspended for violating NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program

#7 Sean Hill, 2007

Former New York Islanders player Sean Hill was the first player to receive a 20-game ban for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program in 2007. Hill tested positive during the Islanders’ playoff series with the Buffalo Sabres. Hill’s ban came into effect prior to Game 5 of that series. The Isles lost that game and were eliminated.

Hill signed with the Minnesota Wild that offseason. He was forced to sit for the Wild’s first 19 games during the 2007-08 season.

#6 Zenon Konopka

Zenon Konopka received a 20-game suspension in 2014 while playing with the Buffalo Sabres. He reportedly took the banned substance on a doctor’s recommendation.

Konopka’s contract with the Sabres ended in July 2014 after he had been claimed on waivers by the Sabres. Konopa signed in Europe the following season and did not play in the NHL again.

#5 Carter Ashton

Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Carter Ashton was banned for 20 games due to failing a Performance Enhancing Substance test in 2014. He claimed that he had not taken any substances knowingly, purporting that the test came back positive due to his use of a teammate’s inhaler. Ashton did not appeal the suspension.

#4 Shawn Horcoff

Shawn Horcoff got slapped with a 20-game suspension in 2016 for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program while playing with the Anaheim Ducks. Like Aaron Ekblad, Horcoff had reportedly taken a banned substance while looking to recover from an injury.

Horcoff claimed that he was unaware that the treatment was outlawed by the NHL. Horcoff went on to play in more than 1,000 NHL games.

#3 Jarred Tinordi

Former Arizona Coyotes player Jarred Tinordi was suspended for 20 games by the NHL in 2016 days after being involved in a trade. The Coyotes claimed they had not been informed of Tinordi’s suspension leading up to his acquisition. Tinori served the suspension and lost over $200,000 in fines.

#2 Nate Schmidt

Defenseman Nate Schmidt of the Vegas Golden Knights received a 20-game suspension in 2018 during the 2018-19 preseason. Schmidt was allowed to participate in practice and activities during training camp, but did not appear in any preseason games. He returned to the ice a month and a half into the 2018-19 season.

#1 Aaron Ekblad

There had been a few seasons in between violations of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program. However, Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers received the latest 20-game suspension for taking an unknown substance that he claims helped him recover from an upper-body injury.

The veteran defenseman will miss the remainder of the 2025 regular-season schedule and the first two games of the Panthers’ first-round postseason series.