NHL Fit Check: Stylist to NFL, NBA stars breaks down top 10 looks of the past month

In the first installment of NHL Fit Check, it was Nikita Zadorov's pinstripes, Alexandre Carrier's classic chic and Arber Xhekaj's bold swing that won the month. In Part 2 of the series, the trio finds itself unseated, as Anthony Duclair, Brad Marchand and Matt Duchene take the podium as the best-dressed in the game.

Each month until the end of the 2023-24 season, we’re breaking down the best style from around the NHL — but rather than just spilling our own thoughts on the subject, we’re turning the mic over to the experts, to professional stylists who’ve made their names by crafting looks for elite athletes across the sports world.

Guiding our top-10 ranking this time around is wardrobe stylist Marisa Ripepi, who works with NFL stars such as Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins and Cleveland’s Denzel Ward, and NBA standouts such as New York’s Immanuel Quickley and Indiana’s Obi Toppin.

Starting her journey in the fashion world while back at college in Erie, Penn., Ripepi honed her understanding of the finer details of the industry while working under a prominent celebrity stylist in Los Angeles.

“I’ve always been into fashion my whole entire life, as young as I could remember,” she says. It was when she took her Hollywood experience back east and launched her own business that her career first began to intertwine with the sports world, Ripepi connecting with Higgins to create a few looks for the big-league wide receiver, and momentum building from there.

It’s kept rolling ever since, with athletes comprising the majority of her clientele, still.

Ripepi is well-acquainted with the classic suit-and-beanie look that parades through rinks on the daily, she says, her college having housed a Division I men’s hockey program. But while most view the hockey world’s sartorial routine as a sign of its unwillingness to move forward, Ripepi sees value in the approach.

“I feel like every sport has a niche of how they style,” Ripepi says. “Not every athlete is coming to a gameday wearing a suit. For hockey, they dress up a certain way, which I really love. Every sport is different. For example, the NFL, they usually wear suits going to away games, when they’re going on the plane; the NBA has a different rule. 

“So, it’s interesting and cool to see how every sport navigates it a different way with their fashion.”

Taking stock of how NHLers from around the league navigated their fits over the past month, here’s how Ripepi’s top 10 broke down:

10. Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers

MARISA RIPEPI: "This outfit made my top 10 because it's very different — I would never think to put something together like this. It fits really well on him. I love the pop of colour, the red with the other colours, the tan and the brown — I think the red tie honestly made the look. When you look at the look, the first thing you look at is that pop of colour of the tie.

"I love the brown detailing. The material of the suit really stood out to me, because it's not just a suit jacket, it's more like a coat, and the brown collar of the jacket is fur material. I think it's really unique and cool. Overall, it's not just your average-looking suit. I love how it's a double-breasted jacket. I think the pop of colour on the sock also really stands out.

"There's a lot going on in this outfit — but at the same time, it all balances each other out, and it goes really well together."

9. Alexandre Carrier, Nashville Predators

RIPEPI: "I love the colour of this suit — I love an army-green suit. I think what stood out the most was that he matched the tie with the colour of the button. He easily could have just done a black tie or, you know, a green tie that's matching exactly to the suit. But he made it different, which makes the outfit more interesting to look at, showing that there's more going on.

"I don't know what shoes he's wearing, but I'm assuming he's wearing brown, which also would just go really well, matching it with the buttons and the tie and just flowing really well overall. It's just a super-clean look."

8. Mathieu Joseph, Ottawa Senators

RIPEPI: "I love this colour. It's very similar to the [Matt Duchene suit], but this one's a lot more vibrant. I feel like a lot of people just can't wear this colour, or they would feel maybe uncomfortable wearing this colour, because it's different. You're going to stand out. So, automatically I love that about him. It's super different.

"The one thing that really stood out, also, is that he's matching the hat with the tie — I love that, because if he was wearing a different hat or a different colour tie, it would just be too much going on and it wouldn't look as clean and sharp. So, the fact that he matched the tie with the beanie, I think goes really well. Same with matching that with the handkerchief as well in the little pocket. I just think it blends very well.

"Wearing a colour like this, a lot of people can maybe be standoffish to it and not want to wear it because it is a very unique colour, but I think that he pulls it off very well."

7. Nikita Zadorov, Vancouver Canucks

RIPEPI: "The first thing that stood out was that it is just a very classic suit. Whenever I think of a classic suit, besides obviously black, it would be a grey and a navy blue suit. I love that it is fully striped, the jacket and the pants. I thought that was a really good touch, to just make it a little bit more interesting rather than it just being a plain grey and navy blue suit with it.

"I love that it's just classic, simple. It looks good on him. I love that the navy blue stripe is matching the tie, and I just feel like you can't go wrong with a grey and navy blue combo."

6. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

RIPEPI: "I love the maroon with the cream turtleneck. I love when a man is wearing a suit but he does certain things to make it look more casual. But at the same time, you still look nice, and you're still dressed up, because you have a suit on.

"So, how he wore those sneakers automatically is making the outfit more like that. How the pants cuff at the ankles with the socks showing, you know, having that look. Having the turtleneck instead of a button-up shirt and a tie. And then throwing the beanie on as well.

"I love this look. I think it fits him really well. I love how the suit has a little shine to it as well."

5. Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets

RIPEPI: "I love that the suit is velvet. I love the gold buttons on the suit, and I love how he matched the tie, having gold in the tie as well. I thought that was a really good addition to it. I love how it is pleated, and you can tell with the navy blue suit how it's very fitted to his body, but at the same time it's not too tight. Rather than the other suits that you're seeing that have more movement and flow to them.

"I love that this suit is very dressy, very professional, very businesslike. And I just think it blends very well all together with the navy blue suit, the brown shoes, the pop of colour, matching the buttons with the tie. Overall, I think it's really nice."

4. K'Andre Miller, New York Rangers

RIPEPI: "The pop of colour, and the colour coordination with the tie and the socks, definitely stood out to me. I love that he made that a coordination, and had the socks pop out. I love the purple plum. You know, something with wearing a plum suit on a man, I feel like you're going to stand out in the room no matter where you're at. Especially [in] fall and winter, I feel like it's the perfect colour to wear.

"I love the pattern of it, it's super different. I don't know him personally, but I feel like someone wearing this suit definitely has a personality, is super fun. And I just feel like with the overall look, it definitely fits him very well."

3. Matt Duchene, Dallas Stars

RIPEPI: "I love the suit. The first thing that stood out to me was that it's a Carhartt suit. I'm very familiar with that brand — they're known for pants, cargo pants, work pants — and I never knew that they had suits. So, I actually learned something seeing this outfit. It was very different and unique. I love how the logo is actually on the suit, on the pocket — I just think that is really cool and different.

"And the colour as well. I feel like a lot of people can't pull off this colour. It's a very unique colour and I just think he pulls it off really well. I love that the tie is also matching the little logo of the Carhartt symbol, I thought that was a really nice touch."

2. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

RIPEPI: "The first thing that I looked at was the Louis Vuitton belt — I love how he incorporated at least just some type of statement belt. And especially with the gold and the red and the fur, it also just screams holidays, winter. I love the fur on the collar, I think it's super different. And the red checkered print on the jacket as well, I think it's just perfect for winter.

"It's a super-cozy look. And I love how it's super clean, how he's wearing a tie and dress pants, but it's not technically a suit jacket. It looks more like a coat, but because of the fur collar and where it's placed, it makes it look more dressy. So, I love this outfit — it's one of my favourites."

1. Anthony Duclair, San Jose Sharks

RIPEPI: "Something that really stood out with this fit is that there's a lot going on in — it's super different, with all the patterns and the stripes going different ways — but at the same time, it goes together and it's not too overwhelming. The outfit still flows, and it's not too much. Which is something I really like, because I feel like a lot of people wouldn't think, 'I can put together a checkered suit with a jacket that has stripes at a completely different angle, and wear a tie that also has stripes.'

"And I just think it fits his body type really well, also. I love how the pants are cut short by the ankle, to make it have kind of a more casual appeal to it. I would say this was my No. 1, just showing how different it is, and showing that, you know, you can wear a suit and not have it just be a simple, plain suit. You can throw different patterns and things like that into it."