Bokondji Imama

Growing up in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood, Bokondji Imama split his early athletic life between football and hockey, taking up both sports as a child. Born to parents who emigrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has spoken about how demographics shaped access and treatment in those sporting environments.

Selected by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the 2012 QMJHL draft, Imama moved through junior hockey before being dealt to the Saint John Sea Dogs in January 2015. His physical style became a hallmark in juniors—an episode in 2015 saw him suspended for leaving the bench to defend a teammate—yet he followed with a breakout year in 2016–17, scoring 41 goals to lead Saint John and finishing seventh among QMJHL goal scorers. He added 15 points in the playoffs as the Sea Dogs won the President’s Cup and then took part in the 2017 Memorial Cup.

Tampa Bay drafted him in 2015, and in May 2017 his NHL rights were traded to the Los Angeles Kings, who signed him to his entry-level deal. Imama spent most of his initial pro seasons with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, with a brief spell in the ECHL. His career off the scoresheet has included two separate incidents in which opponents made racist gestures toward him; each incident led to disciplinary measures against the other players and drew public attention to discrimination he faced.

Imama reached the NHL in April 2022 with the Arizona Coyotes, scoring his first NHL goal the day after his debut. Subsequent years saw him shuttle between AHL affiliates and NHL recalls: Tucson, Belleville, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and brief stints with Arizona, Ottawa and Pittsburgh. With Pittsburgh he scored his first goal for the club following an on-ice altercation, but later underwent biceps surgery that ended his season; his pro record includes both AHL and NHL appearances during that period.

On the ice, Imama is straightforward to describe: an intensely physical left winger who defends teammates, delivers tough minutes and occasionally chips in offensively. His game centres on grit, positional work in contested areas and a willingness to engage physically when required.