Jamie Drysdale (born April 8, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected sixth overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft,[1][2] and made his NHL debut in 2021.
Jamie Drysdale | |||
---|---|---|---|
![]() Drysdale with the Toronto Marlboros in 2018 | |||
Born |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | April 8, 2002||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team Former teams |
Philadelphia Flyers Anaheim Ducks | ||
NHL draft |
6th overall, 2020 Anaheim Ducks | ||
Playing career | 2021–present |
Early life
Drysdale was born on April 8, 2002, in Toronto, Ontario,[3] to parents Gary and Tina.[4] He learned to skate through the hockey program Learn to Play at the age of five.[5] Growing up, his father's favourite player was Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins, resulting in both his sons wearing the jersey number four.[6]
Playing career
Growing up in Toronto, Drysdale played in 1 game in the Ontario Junior Hockey League with the St. Michael's Buzzers as an affiliate player and played Minor Midget AAA hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL).[7] At the age of 15, he helped lead the Marlboros to a GTHL Championship and was named the GTHL’s Player of the Year. He also helped GTHL Red win the 2018 OHL Gold Cup Final and was named to the OHL Cup All-Star Team.[8] As a result of his play, Drysdale was drafted fourth overall by the Erie Otters in the 2018 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.[9]
During his rookie season with the Otters, Drysdale led team defencemen in goals, assists, scoring, and power-play points resulting in a selection for the 2018-19 OHL First All-Rookie Team. The following season, he ranked 10th among OHL defensemen in points-per-game by recording nine goals and 38 points in 49 games. As a result, he was named an OHL First Team All-Star in 2019–20.[10]
Professional
While the league was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Drysdale took up inline skating to remain in shape and began working out at home.[11] Leading up to the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Drysdale received praise from scout David Gregory who said: "Drysdale is the kind of player that every team is looking for, very smart puck-moving defenceman who can beat you with his vision, beat you with his hockey sense, able to use that great quickness and thinking..."[6] He earned a high final ranking from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau amongst North American skaters[6] before being drafted sixth overall by the Anaheim Ducks.[12]
Shortly following the draft, Drysdale signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Anaheim.[10] Drysdale began the 2020–21 season with Anaheim's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. He played in 14 games with the Gulls, registering four goals and ten points before being recalled to Anaheim's taxi squad.[13] In his brief stint with the Gulls, Drysdale was named AHL Rookie of the Month for February 2021.[14] After sitting a few games,[13] Drysdale made his NHL debut on March 18, 2021 against the Arizona Coyotes, where he also recorded his first career NHL goal. During the same game, fellow rookie Trevor Zegras also scored, making the teammates the youngest in NHL history to each score their first NHL goals less than 2:30 apart.[15] He played in 24 games to finish the season, registering eight points.[16] In his first full season with Anaheim during the 2021–22 season, Drysdale played in 81 games, scoring four goals and 32 points. His 32 points placed him second among rookie defencemen in the league.[17]
Eight games into the 2022–23 season, Drysdale suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.[16][17] Following the season, Drysdale was a restricted free agent. He trained in Toronto while his contract situation was sorted, which extended deep into the 2023 training camp. A three-year, $6.9 millon agreement was reached between Drysdale and Anaheim on October 5, 2023, at the end of training camp.[17][18]
On January 8, 2024, Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for the signing rights to Cutter Gauthier.[19] Drysdale made his Flyers debut in a 3–2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on January 10.[20] He scored his first goal for Philadelphia in a 6–3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 23.[21]
International play
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Kanada | ||
Ice hockey | ||
World Junior Championships | ||
2020 Czech Republic | ||
2021 Canada |
Drysdale has represented Canada at the international level on numerous occasions. His first international tournament was during the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge with Canada Black.[22] He recorded four points in five games as the team failed to medal.[3] Following the tournament, Drysdale competed at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships[23] and 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.[24]
In 2020, Drysdale became the seventh 17-year-old defenceman to play for Team Canada at the World Juniors since 1991. He originally served as Team Canada's extra defenceman before making his debut during the semifinal game against Finland as a replacement for an ill Bowen Byram.[25] Throughout the tournament, he averaged 11:38 of ice time and recorded one goal and two assists in seven games.[26] Drysdale was again named to Team Canada at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where he was a top-pairing defenceman alongside Byram.[26]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2017–18 | St. Michael's Buzzers | OJHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018–19 | Erie Otters | OHL | 63 | 7 | 33 | 40 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2019–20 | Erie Otters | OHL | 49 | 9 | 38 | 47 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2020–21 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
2020–21 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 24 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 81 | 4 | 28 | 32 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2022–23 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2023–24 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 123 | 8 | 37 | 45 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
International
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Canada Black | U17 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
2019 | Kanada | U18 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
2019 | Kanada | HG18 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
2020 | Kanada | WJC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
2021 | Kanada | WJC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
Junior totals | 31 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 2 |
References
- ^ Masters, Mark (April 2, 2020). "Projected to be first D-man drafted in 2020, Drysdale aims to emulate Makar". TSN. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Kennedy, Ryan. "Prospect Need to Know: Jamie Drysdale is the Best Defenseman in the 2020 Draft". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Jamie Drysdale". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Leeson, Ben (March 27, 2018). "OHL draft: Power, Drysdale have different styles, high potential". The Sudbury Star. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Nagle, Brendan (July 13, 2018). "Toronto Marlboros Defenceman Jamie Drysdale Named The 2018 HockeyNow Minor Hockey Player Of Year In ON Powered By HockeyShot". Hockey Now. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c Stein, Amanda (July 29, 2020). "DRAFT: Jamie Drysdale Profile". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "A Junior Hockey Journey Paved in Gold: SMCS Alumni". St. Michael's College School. January 6, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Jamie Drysdale commits to Otters". Ontario Hockey League. May 11, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Otters Select Jamie Drysdale Fourth Overall". Erie Otters. April 7, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ducks sign first-round draft pick Jamie Drysdale to three-year, entry-level contract". Anaheim Ducks. November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Reilly, Josh (October 6, 2020). "Erie Otters defenseman Jamie Drysdale expected to go early in NHL Draft". Erie Times-News. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Shohara, Kyle (October 6, 2020). "Ducks Select Drysdale with Sixth Overall Pick in 2020 NHL Draft". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Teaford, Elliot (March 22, 2021). "Ducks rookie Jamie Drysdale making a 'great, great' first impression". The Orange County Register. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ "Jamie Drysdale Named CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month". San Diego Gulls. March 1, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ "Drysdale, Zegras Make History with First NHL Goals". National Hockey League. March 19, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Slusher, Keenan (November 1, 2022). "Ducks' Jamie Drysdale out 4-6 months with shoulder injury". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c Stephens, Eric (October 5, 2023). "Jamie Drysdale, Ducks agree to 3-year extension, per source: Impact of this deal for team, player". Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ "Ducks, defenseman Jamie Drysdale reach 3-year, $6.9M deal". ESPN. Associated Press. October 5, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ "Trade: Flyers acquire Jamie Drysdale and a 2nd round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from Anaheim in exchange for Cutter Gauthier". Philadelphia Flyers. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Sean Couturier scores lone shootout goal, Flyers edge Canadiens 3-2". ESPN. Associated Press. January 10, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Nikita Kucherov scores 3 times as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3". ESPN. Associated Press. January 23, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Drysdale, Byfield, Vierling and Perfetti to lead respective teams at World Under-17 Hockey Challenge". Erie Otters. November 6, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "7 OHL Players to Represent Canada at World U18 Hockey Championship". Ontario Hockey League. April 17, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Jamie Drysdale Among OHL Players to Represent Canada at 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup". Erie Otters. July 30, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Masters, Mark (April 2, 2020). "Projected to be first D-man drafted in 2020, Drysdale aims to emulate Makar". The Sports Network. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Spiker, Brianne (January 6, 2021). "Poised Drysdale finds new level at second World Juniors". The Sports Network. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database