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Thatcher Demko

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Thatcher Demko
Demko with the Utica Comets in 2018
Born (1995-12-08) December 8, 1995 (age 28)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team Vancouver Canucks
National team  United States
NHL draft 36th overall, 2014
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 2016–present

Thatcher Douglas Demko (born December 8, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Demko was selected by the Canucks in the second round (36th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

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College and minor leagues

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Demko playing for Boston College

Demko began playing ice hockey in San Diego at the age of 4. In 2010, he moved to Los Angeles to play youth hockey for the LA Junior Kings.[1] In the 2011–12 season, Demko played with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). He joined the U.S. National Development Team during the 2012–13 season,[2] winning silver medal with the team at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[3]

Demko played for the Boston College Eagles of Hockey East from 2013–2016, serving as the primary starting goaltender for all three seasons. During his college career, he earned an impressive 62–26–10 record, with a .928 save percentage, 2.08 goals allowed average and 13 shutouts. At the time of leaving, he held the school's second best career GAA (2.08), second most wins (62), and third most career shutouts (13). With 10 shutouts in his junior season, he set the school's single-season record and came close to the NCAA record, only second behind Greg Gardner's (Niagara) mark of 12 in 1999–2000.[4]

During his freshman season, he earned a spot on the conference All-Rookie team and won the league's statistical goaltending award for lowest GAA (1.35) in conference play. He also helped the Eagles earn their 5th consecutive title in the prestigious Beanpot tournament played between Boston's elite hockey universities.[5] During the postseason, the Eagles reached the Frozen Four but fell to Union in the semi-final.

After the conclusion of his freshman year, Demko was ranked number 1 by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on their final list of the top draft-eligible North American goaltenders leading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[6] He would be picked by the Vancouver Canucks, 36th overall in the 2nd round.

In April 2015, during the offseason following his sophomore year, Demko underwent surgery on both hips at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery. For almost four years, he had dealt with immense pain from tears in his acetabular labrums, a ring of cartilage at the hips.[7]

In his junior season, Demko shone with a staggering 27–8–4 record, with a 1.88 GAA and .935 save percentage. He helped the Eagles once again reach the Frozen Four, but again fell in the semi-final, this time to Quinnipiac. For his efforts, he was named the recipient of the Mike Richter Award, given to the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men's ice hockey, and was also a top 3 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the best overall player in the NCAA. He also earned a number of other accolades, making the AHCA All-American Second Team, the Hockey East First All-Star team, and finally was named Co-Player of the Year by Hockey East, alongside UMass Lowell's goaltender Kevin Boyle[8][9]

Forgoing his senior year at Boston College, Demko signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canucks on April 20, 2016.[10]

The Canucks assigned Demko to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets for the 2016–17 season.[11] He would record his first win on November 12, 2016, in a 3–2 overtime victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack.[12] Demko was recalled on December 10, due to Ryan Miller's injury;[13] but was reassigned to the Comets on December 13, without playing a game.[14] On March 4, 2017, Demko earned his first shutout, helping the Comets defeat the Albany Devils by a score of 3–0.[15]

Professional

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Vancouver Canucks

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On March 31, 2018, Demko made his NHL debut for the Canucks, stopping 26 shots en route to a 5–4 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.[16] Demko would spend the rest of the season with the Utica Comets (AHL).

On January 2, 2019, the Canucks announced they had dealt backup goaltender Anders Nilsson to the Ottawa Senators, opening up a full-time backup position for Demko.[17] Demko, who had spent most of the season recovering from a concussion[18] and playing in the AHL, would finish the season on the Canucks roster for the first time.

On April 24, 2019, the Canucks signed Demko to a two-year, $2.1 million contract extension.[19] In the 2019-20 season that followed, Demko would continue playing the backup for the majority of the regular season, until a serious knee injury sidelined the incumbent Jacob Markstrom for the next month.[20] Beginning on February 25, 2020 against the Montreal Canadiens, Demko would start 7 of the final 8 games of the season, going 3–4–0 and posting a .906 save percentage. His most impressive game in that stretch came on March 10, 2020, a 45-save shootout win over the New York Islanders, which happened to be the last Canucks game before the 2019–20 season was cut short.

On September 1, 2020, Demko would make his first NHL playoff start in relief of the injured Markstrom. With the Canucks facing elimination and down 3–1 in the Western Conference Second Round to the Vegas Golden Knights, Demko allowed just 1 goal on 43 shots in a 2–1 win over Vegas. In doing so, he became the first rookie goaltender since José Théodore in 1997 to win an elimination game in his playoff debut.[21] On September 3, 2020, he made 48 stops and recorded his first career playoff shutout in a 4–0 victory over Vegas, becoming the first rookie goaltender to win his first two career playoff starts while facing elimination since Jacques Plante in 1953.[22] The 48-save shutout in game 6 of the series would set an NHL record for most saves in a playoff shutout by a rookie, as well as the most saves by a goaltender in a game that ended in regulation.[23] In his first three playoff starts, Demko made 123 stops on 125 shots for a remarkable .984 save percentage, nearly leading the Canucks to a 7 game series upset of the top seeded Golden Knights. Demko was named the first star for all three of the games he played.

Demko with the Vancouver Canucks in 2023.

On March 1, 2021, Demko earned his first career regular season shutout in a 4–0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.[24] The shutout would be the first game in an 8–1–0 run by Demko to start the month of March, in which he posted a .950 save percentage and a 1.74 goals against average. The run would establish Demko's position as the number 1 in Vancouver's crease going forward. On March 31, Demko signed a five-year, $25 million contract extension with the Canucks.[25]

On January 2, 2022, Demko was named the NHL Third Star of the Month for December 2021 after posting a 7–1–0 record, 1.72 goals-against average, and .946 save percentage during the month.[26][27] On January 13, Demko was named an NHL All-Star for the first time in his career.[28]

Demko was named a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career for the 2023–24 season.[29]

International play

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Demko won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. national under-18 team at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships.[30] He also was a member of the U.S. national junior team at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, and was a backup to fellow Hockey East goaltender Jon Gillies of Providence.

The following year, at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, Demko was the starting goaltender, starting in 7 of 8 games. Despite the team's elimination in the quarterfinals, Demko finished third in the tournament among goaltenders with a 1.74 GAA and .938 save percentage.

Demko would get his first appearance at a senior men's international tournament at the 2019 IIHF World Championship as a backup to Cory Schneider. Demko started in 2 games against Great Britain and France respectively and finished the tournament with a 2–0–0 record.

Personal life

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Demko and his wife Lexie have one child together.[31]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2011–12 Omaha Lancers USHL 15 9 3 0 754 36 1 2.87 .899 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 US National Development Team USHL 19 15 3 0 1,059 39 1 2.21 .902 — — — — — — — —
2013–14 Boston College HE 24 16 5 3 1,446 54 2 2.24 .919 — — — — — — — —
2014–15 Boston College HE 35 19 13 3 2,107 77 1 2.19 .925 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Boston College HE 39 27 8 4 2,362 74 10 1.88 .935 — — — — — — — —
2016–17 Utica Comets AHL 45 22 17 4 2,555 114 2 2.68 .907 — — — — — — — —
2017–18 Utica Comets AHL 46 25 13 7 2,781 113 1 2.44 .922 5 2 3 312 14 0 2.69 .927
2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1 1 0 0 61 4 0 3.93 .867 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Utica Comets AHL 16 8 5 1 860 37 0 2.58 .911 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Vancouver Canucks NHL 9 4 3 1 534 25 0 2.81 .913 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Vancouver Canucks NHL 27 13 10 2 1,529 78 0 3.06 .905 4 2 1 186 2 1 0.64 .985
2020–21 Vancouver Canucks NHL 35 16 18 1 2,087 99 1 2.85 .915 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Vancouver Canucks NHL 64 33 22 7 3,701 168 1 2.72 .915 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Vancouver Canucks NHL 32 14 14 4 1,879 99 1 3.16 .901 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Vancouver Canucks NHL 51 35 14 2 3,016 123 5 2.45 .918 1 1 0 60 2 0 2.00 .917
NHL totals 219 116 81 17 12,807 596 8 2.79 .912 5 3 1 246 4 1 0.97 .974

International

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Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013 United States U18 7 3 3 0 428 16 1 2.24 .899
2015 United States WJC 4 1 1 0 242 7 1 1.74 .939
2019 United States WC 2 2 0 0 120 4 0 2.00 .920
Junior totals 11 4 4 0 670 23 2 2.06 .916
Senior totals 2 2 0 0 120 4 0 2.00 .920

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
College
Mike Richter Award 2015–16 [32]
NHL
NHL All-Star Game 2022, 2024
NHL Second All-Star Team 2024
International
World U-17 Hockey Challenge silver medal 2012 [33]
IIHF World U18 Championship silver medal 2013 [34]
Vancouver Canucks
Cyclone Taylor Trophy 2022

References

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  1. ^ "How Thatcher Demko Overcame Pain and Tragedy to Become One of Hockey's Top Goalie Prospects". vice.com. December 15, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Thatcher Demko prospect profile". Hockey'sFuture.com. May 16, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  3. ^ "Backup goalie Demko makes most of chance". Canada.com. July 7, 2012. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  4. ^ "2021-22 Media Guide Guide for Web (PDF)" (PDF). Boston College Athletics. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Thatcher Demko - Men's Hockey". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Boston College's Thatcher Douglas Demko big favorite as top 2014 NHL Draft-eligible goalie". National Hockey League. June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  7. ^ "Defending The Wall: Thatcher Demko's Return From Hip Surgery - The Heights". Magazine. October 6, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  8. ^ "Demko Claims Mike Richter Award". Boston College. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  9. ^ "Demko, Boyle named Hockey East Co-Players of the Year". Mill City Sports. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  10. ^ "Canucks sign Thatcher Demko". Vancouver Canucks. April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  11. ^ "Canucks Reduce Pre-Season Roster". Vancouver Canucks. October 3, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  12. ^ "Comets Win!". Utica Comets. November 12, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  13. ^ "Canucks recall Demko". Vancouver Canucks. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  14. ^ "Demko Reassigned to Utica". Vancouver Canucks. December 13, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  15. ^ "Thatcher Demko's shutout gives Comets fourth consecutive win". Utica Comets. March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  16. ^ Pofahl, Kaylee (March 31, 2018). "Thatcher Demko leads Canucks to overtime win in NHL debut". sportingnews.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "Nilsson, Archibald traded to Senators by Canucks for McKenna, Pyatt". NHL.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  18. ^ "Canucks' Thatcher Demko placed in concussion protocol - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  19. ^ "Canucks sign goalie Thatcher Demko to two-year extension". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  20. ^ "Canucks' Jacob Markstrom out with knee injury, Demko to start in place - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  21. ^ @snstats (September 1, 2020). "#Canucks Thatcher Demko is the first rookie goalie to win his NHL playoff debut when his team was facing elimination since Jose Theodore of the Canadiens in 1997" (Tweet). Retrieved January 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "Thatcher Demko's 48-save shutout to force Game 7 was a very rare thing in NHL history". RMNB. September 4, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  23. ^ @statscentre (September 3, 2020). "Among all goalies since 1955-56, Demko's 48 represent the most saves made by a goalie in a regulation shutout. 4 goalies have had more overall, but all came in 1-0 OT victories. Prior most? 47 by Curtis Joseph for STL in Gm2 of their 1993 Norris Division Semi-Final series vs CHI" (Tweet). Retrieved January 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "Demko gets first shutout as Canucks beat Jets 4-0". Chron. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  25. ^ "Canucks sign goalie Thatcher Demko to five-year, $25M extension". Sportsnet. March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  26. ^ "Matthews, Pacioretty and Demko earn NHL's Three Stars for December". Sportsnet. January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  27. ^ "Matthews leads 3 Stars of the Month for December". NHL.com. January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  28. ^ "Thatcher Demko Selected to 2022 NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Satriano, David (April 29, 2024). "Bobrovsky, Demko, Hellebuyck named Vezina Trophy finalists". NHL.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "Demko Earns Silver in IIHF U-18 World Championships". HockeyCenterkc.com. April 1, 2013. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  31. ^ Spina, Ellie (October 2, 2023). "NHLer Thatcher Demko and wife Lexie share 'first family pic' with newborn son". Yahoo!. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  32. ^ "College hockey: Boston College's Thatcher Demko wins 2016 Mike Richter Award". NCAA.com. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  33. ^ "High praise given to Windsor's world under-17 tourney". Windsor Star. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  34. ^ "2013 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Final Roster". USA Hockey. April 1, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Mike Richter Award
2015–16 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Hockey East Player of the Year
2015–16
With: Kevin Boyle 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Hockey East Goaltending Champion
2013–14 		Succeeded by
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