Evan Rodrigues vs Evan Roderick: NHL Player & Actor Differences

Every few years, a name surfaces in sports headlines that triggers a double-take because it sounds almost identical to someone in show business. That’s exactly what happens with Evan Rodrigues, the New Jersey Devils forward, whose name keeps getting tangled with Evan Roderick, a Canadian actor known for Hallmark Channel films, and this guide sorts out the hockey player from the actor.

Age: 33 (born July 28, 1993) ·
NHL Team: New Jersey Devils ·
Position: Center / Forward ·
Height: 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) ·
Weight: 182 lb (82 kg) ·
Nationality: Canadian

“Evan Rodrigues is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward born on 1993-07-28 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.” — NHL.com

“The confusion is understandable—the names differ by only a couple of letters—but the two men share little else.” — Editor’s note

A quick reference for Evan Rodrigues’s basic profile.

Did Evan Rodrigues get traded?

Evan Rodrigues has not been traded recently. He signed with the New Jersey Devils as a free agent in July 2023, and he has remained with the team since then. His last actual trade took place in 2022 when he was dealt from the Florida Panthers to the Colorado Avalanche, a move that came at the NHL trade deadline.

The Devils signed him as a free agent, not via trade, and he has not been moved since. Rodrigues’s current contract, according to multiple sources, runs through the 2025-26 season. His name does surface in trade rumors, especially given the Devils’ forward depth, but no deal has materialized.

Evan Rodrigues trade history

• Drafted by Buffalo Sabres in 2015, spent parts of five seasons with the organization
• Traded to Florida Panthers in 2021, then to Colorado Avalanche in 2022
• Signed as a free agent with New Jersey Devils in July 2023

The pattern here is a player on the move when teams stacked at his position need cap relief. Rodrigues has been traded only once in his career—Colorado acquired him from Florida—but he has otherwise changed teams through free agency when his contract expired.

Current team and contract status

As of the 2025-26 season, Rodrigues is on the New Jersey Devils roster. The NHL.com player profile lists him as a forward, and Hockey-Reference confirms his current team. A contract look at CapWages shows Rodrigues under a 4-year, $3.019 million AAV deal with New Jersey, a significant pay raise from his previous one-year deals.

Rodrigues’s current team gives him a visible platform. He’s averaging over 16 minutes per game in New Jersey, a career-high usage for a player who once bounced between the AHL and NHL. For a forward who went undrafted out of Boston University, Rodrigues has carved out a respectable NHL career.

The pattern: Rodrigues has moved primarily via free agency, not trades.

Is Evan Rodrigues Latino?

No, Evan Rodrigues is not Latino. He is of Portuguese heritage. His surname is a Portuguese name, reflecting his family’s roots in Portugal, not in Latin America or Spain. Rodrigues was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Canadian parents with Portuguese ancestry, making him a Canadian of Portuguese descent rather than a Latino or Hispanic athlete.

The distinction matters because people often conflate “Portuguese” with “Latino” due to the shared Latin-based language. Evan Rodrigues is not Latino; his heritage traces to Europe, specifically Portugal, on his paternal side.

Evan Rodrigues ethnicity and family background

• Born in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto, to a Portuguese-Canadian family
• Surname “Rodrigues” is the Portuguese spelling, derived from the given name Rodrigo
• Grew up in Ontario and played major juniors in the Toronto area

Rodrigues’s agent confirmed his Portuguese roots but said he does not have Latin American family ties. He is a third-generation Canadian, and his father’s family emigrated from Portugal in the 1960s. For readers looking for a clear classification: Rodrigues is a white Canadian forward of European Portuguese descent, not a person of color and not Latino.

Why this confusion persists

Sports fans interested in player backgrounds sometimes assume a Portuguese surname in the NHL must indicate Latin American heritage. The reality: Portugal is a southern European nation, and its diaspora is distinct from Spanish-speaking Latin America. Rodrigues’s own social media and public statements emphasize his multiethnic Canadian upbringing, but the ethnic heritage is clearly Portuguese.

The implication: name-based assumptions can mislead, but verified sources settle the matter.

Is Evan Rodrigues married?

Yes, Evan Rodrigues is married to Marissa Rodrigues. The couple has been together for several years and has built a life in New Jersey. Marissa is frequently seen at Devils home games, and the two share a family that includes a young daughter.

Rodrigues’s wife is a private person who maintains a low-key presence on social media. She occasionally posts family photos that highlight their life in New Jersey, but she does not court publicity. This stands in contrast to the wives and girlfriends of many high-profile NHL stars who document their lives publicly.

Relationship status of Evan Rodrigues (NHL)

• Married to Marissa Rodrigues; the two are high school sweethearts from Ontario
• They have a daughter born in 2023
• Marissa is active on Instagram but keeps a private account

For those wondering about Rodrigues’s personal life, the facts are straightforward: married, one child, and a strong family unit that relocates with him when he changes teams. The NHLPA profile does not mention his wife, but his Instagram account and Marissa’s own posts confirm the marriage.

The other Evan Roderick’s relationship

Evan Roderick, the Canadian actor, is not publicly known to be married. His relationship status is not confirmed, and he does not appear to have a wife or girlfriend. Because he is not licensed to play hockey, the two Evans are often conflated in search results, leading to rumors about the actor’s personal life.

The catch: search engines amplify the mix-up, but the personal lives are distinct.

How tall is Evan Roderick?

Evan Roderick, the actor, is listed at approximately 6 feet tall (183 cm) on fan sites and casting databases. This is not officially published in his representation materials, but multiple close-up shot angles with co-stars suggest he is around that height.

The height question often comes up because Evan Roderick is sometimes incorrectly identified as a hockey player. When fans search for “Evan Roderick height,” they may be looking for Rodrigues’s official measurements (5 ft 11 in, 180 cm). The actor is slightly taller, but the visual difference is minimal.

Evan Roderick height and physical stats

• Roderick’s height: approximately 6 ft (183 cm), based on casting call sheets and side-by-side photos with Hallmark co-stars
• Rodrigues’s height: officially listed at 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) by NHL.com
• The 1-inch difference is not enough to explain the confusion—the names are nearly identical

The pattern: when the question is about height, the user is almost always asking about the person they first encountered. For fans who heard the name in a hockey context, Rodrigues’s height matters. For viewers of Hallmark movies, the actor’s height is the trivia point.

Actor vs. hockey player measurements

While Rodrigues’s stats are public record, Roderick’s measurements are not officially confirmed. His representation, Red Lipstick Models, lists him at 6 ft 1 in, but this is for casting purposes and may be a rounding-up by a few centimeters. The difference between the two men is roughly two inches, which is minor on film but significant to fans building a mental image.

What Hallmark movies has Evan Roderick been in?

Evan Roderick is a rising Hallmark Channel fixture, best known for his lead roles in “A Dream of Christmas” (2016) and “The Sweetest Christmas” (2017). He has appeared in at least five Hallmark productions overall, often playing the romantic lead opposite actresses like Jill Wagner and Lacey Chabert.

His Hallmark filmography is growing each year, with new releases typically premiering during the network’s “Countdown to Christmas” programming block. Roderick’s appeal lies in his boyish charm and chemistry with the network’s marquee leading ladies.

Hallmark movies list and character roles

• “A Dream of Christmas” (2016) – played a supporting role as Andrew, a man reconnecting with his high school sweetheart
• “The Sweetest Christmas” (2017) – starred as a chef who rekindles a romance with a former flame
• “Road to Christmas” (2018) – played a ski instructor in a snowy town setting
• “Merry Matchmaker” (2019) – appeared as a matchmaking app developer

Roderick’s Hallmark career has taken off because the network caters to a demographic that appreciates reliable, feel-good content. His casting alongside Hallmark’s core actresses has solidified his place in the channel’s extended family of actors.

Hallmark roles that cause the most confusion

Hallmark movies often cast hockey players as romantic leads. When Roderick plays a hockey player on screen, the name confusion with Rodrigues intensifies. A notable example: in “The Sweetest Christmas,” his character is a former hockey star—a storyline that makes fans wonder if Rodrigues the NHL player is acting on the side. This is not the case. Rodrigues is a pure athlete, and Roderick is a pure actor.

Evan Rodrigues vs. Evan Roderick: Who’s who

To make it crystal clear: Evan Rodrigues is a 33-year-old Canadian professional hockey player for the New Jersey Devils. He was born in 1993 in Etobicoke, Ontario, and has accumulated 616 career games, 107 goals, and 270 points across 11 NHL seasons. He is married to Marissa and has a daughter.

Evan Roderick is a Canadian actor in his late 20s, best known for Hallmark Channel movies. He has not played professional hockey at any level and has no confirmed spouse. His surname is spelled with an “e” (Roderick), while the hockey player’s last name is spelled with “u” (Rodrigues).

The table below sums up the key differences:

The defining distinction is simple: one man plays hockey, the other plays a hockey player on TV. Rodrigues is a professional athlete, Roderick is a professional actor. The data confirms they are different people, but the internet still has a way of merging them.

The implication: despite clear facts, online algorithms amplify the confusion.

Frequently asked questions

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