Thatcher Demko

Thatcher Douglas Demko (born December 8, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing 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.

Thatcher Demko
Demko at the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic
Born (1995-12-08) December 8, 1995
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

Playing career
Demko playing for Boston College

Demko began playing ice hockey in San Diego at the age of 4. He later 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 was named the 2016 Co-Player of the Year by the Hockey East Association on March 17, 2016, along with UMass Lowell goaltender Kevin Boyle,[4] while receiving the Mike Richter Award (most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men's ice hockey).[5] Demko was ranked number 1 by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on their final list of the top draft-eligible North American goalies leading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[6]

After his third season at Boston College, Demko signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on April 20, 2016.[7]

The Canucks assigned Demko to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets for the 2016–17 season.[8] He would record his first win on November 12, 2016, in a 3–2 overtime victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack.[9] Demko was recalled on December 10, due to Ryan Miller's injury;[10] but was reassigned to the Comets on December 13, without playing a game.[11] On March 4, 2017, Demko earned his first shutout, helping the Comets defeat the Albany Devils by a score of 3–0.[12]

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.[13]

On April 24, 2019, the Canucks signed Demko to a two-year, $2.1 million contract extension.[14]

International play

Demko won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. national under-18 team at 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships.[15] He also was a member of the U.S. national junior team in 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.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT 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 U.S. National Development Team USHL 19 15 3 0 1059 39 1 2.21 .902 — — — — — — — —
2013–14 Boston College HE 24 16 5 3 1446 54 2 2.24 .919 — — — — — — — —
2014–15 Boston College HE 35 19 13 3 2107 77 1 2.19 .925 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Boston College HE 39 27 8 4 2362 74 10 1.88 .935 — — — — — — — —
2016–17 Utica Comets AHL 45 22 17 5 2555 114 2 2.68 .907 — — — — — — — —
2017–18 Utica Comets AHL 46 25 13 7 2781 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 1529 78 0 3.06 .905
NHL totals 37 18 13 3 2,125 107 0 3.02 .906 — — — — — — — —

Awards and honors
Award Year Ref
World U-17 Hockey Challenge silver medal 2012 [16]
IIHF World U18 Championship silver medal 2013 [17]
Hobey Baker Award finalist 2015–16 [18]
Mike Richter Award 2015–16 [19]

References
  1. https://sports.vice.com/en_ca/article/pgjy3b/how-thatcher-demko-overcame-pain-and-tragedy-to-become-one-of-hockeys-top-goalie-prospects
  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. "Demko, Boyle named Hockey East Co-Players of the Year". Mill City Sports. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  5. "Demko Claims Mike Richter Award". Boston College. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  6. "Boston College's Thatcher Demko heavy favorite as top 2014 NHL Draft-eligible goalie". National Hockey League. June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  7. "Canucks sign Thatcher Demko". Vancouver Canucks. April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  8. "Canucks Reduce Pre-Season Roster". Vancouver Canucks. October 3, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  9. "Comets Win!". Utica Comets. November 12, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  10. "Canucks recall Demko". Vancouver Canucks. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  11. "Demko Reassigned to Utica". Vancouver Canucks. December 13, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  12. "Thatcher Demko's shutout gives Comets fourth consecutive win". Utica Comets. March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  13. Pofahl, Kaylee (March 31, 2018). "Thatcher Demko leads Canucks to overtime win in NHL debut". sportingnews.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  14. "Canucks sign goalie Thatcher Demko to two-year extension". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  15. "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.
  16. "High praise given to Windsor's world under-17 tourney". Windsor Star. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  17. "2013 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Final Roster". USA Hockey. April 1, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  18. "Demko Hailed a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist". Boston College. March 31, 2016.
  19. "College hockey: Boston College's Thatcher Demko wins 2016 Mike Richter Award". NCAA.com. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Zane McIntyre		 Mike Richter Award
2015–16		 Succeeded by
Tanner Jaillet
Preceded by
Jack Eichel		 Hockey East Player of the Year
2015–16
(shared with Kevin Boyle)		 Succeeded by
Zach Aston-Reese
Preceded by
Connor Hellebuyck		 Hockey East Goaltending Champion
2013–14		 Succeeded by
Jon Gillies
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