Darnell Nurse (born February 4, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nurse was selected by the Oilers seventh overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
| Darnell Nurse | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Nurse with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022 | |||
| Born |
February 4, 1995 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team | Edmonton Oilers | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| NHL draft |
7th overall, 2013 Edmonton Oilers | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
Early life edit
Nurse was born on February 4, 1995, in Hamilton, Ontario.[1] Both of his parents were athletes in their youth: his father Richard Nurse played as a wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, while his mother Cathy was a college basketball player for the McMaster Marauders.[2] As a child, Nurse played football, basketball, lacrosse, and ice hockey, but by high school, he was only playing the latter. His father was worried that Nurse would suffer an injury playing football, while he was, in his own words, "just no good" at basketball.[3]
Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighing 176 pounds (80 kg) by the age of 15,[citation needed] Nurse established himself quickly as a strong, physically assertive defenceman for the Don Mills Flyers minor ice hockey team.[4][dead link]
Playing career edit
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Major junior edit
Nurse was selected third overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.[5] After two seasons with the Greyhounds, he was selected seventh overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.[6] On July 25, the Oilers signed Nurse to a three-year, entry-level contract.[7] He was returned to the Greyhounds for the 2013–14 season. Prior to the season beginning, he was named team captain.[8] He scored a career-high 50 points in 64 games. After the Greyhounds' season ended, Nurse joined the Oilers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. He skated in four regular season games as well as three playoff games.
Edmonton Oilers edit
Nurse made the Oilers' opening night roster for the 2014–15 season, but did not partake in the team's first three games.[9] He made his NHL debut on October 14 in a 6–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.[10] After skating in two games for the team, the Oilers sent Nurse back to the Greyhounds on October 17.[11]
Nurse began the 2015–16 season with the Oilers' new AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.[12] After six games with the Condors, the Oilers recalled Nurse on October 26.[13] On October 27, Nurse scored his first career NHL goal in a 4–3 loss to the Minnesota Wild.[14] On March 10, 2016, Nurse was suspended three games for "serving as the aggressor" during an altercation with San Jose Sharks defenceman Roman Polák.[15][16] He finished his rookie season skating in 69 games for the Oilers and nine for the Condors.
On December 12, 2016, the Oilers announced Nurse underwent successful ankle surgery that would sideline him for up to 12 weeks.[17] After a 35-game absence, he returned on February 26, 2017, in a 5–4 loss to the Nashville Predators.[18]
On September 17, 2018, the Oilers re-signed Nurse to a two-year, $6.4 million contract extension.[19]
On October 1, 2019, Nurse (alongside Leon Draisaitl) was named an alternate captain for the Oilers.[20] On February 10, 2020, the Oilers signed Nurse to a two-year, $11.2 million contract extension.[21][22]
On August 6, 2021, Nurse signed an eight-year, $74 million extension with the Oilers.[23]
International play edit
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Canada
| ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2019 Slovakia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2015 Canada | |
| IIHF World U18 Championship | ||
 |
2012 Brno | |
During the 2011–12 season he won a bronze medal with Team Ontario at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team.[24] That same season, Nurse was one of only four underage players[25] to play with Team Canada at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships, winning the bronze medal.[24]
During the 2012–13 season he played with Team Canada to win a gold medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.[26][failed verification] Nurse was also an invited participant at the 2013 CHL Top Prospects Game.[27]
He won gold with Canada at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship and was named one of Canada's top three players, as well as the player of the match for the gold medal game against Russia.[28]
On April 12, 2018, Nurse and teammates Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were named to the Team Canada's 2018 IIHF World Championship roster.[29]
On April 29, 2019, Nurse returned to the international stage to be named to the Team Canada roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia.[30] Nurse helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the Silver Medal on May 26, 2019.[31] He completed the tournament posting 2 goals and 4 points from the blueline in 10 games.
Personal life edit
Nurse attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School[32] and St. Mary's College, where he was awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy for "OHL Scholastic Player of the Year" following the 2012–13 season.[33]
Nurse and his wife Mikayla have two sons.[34]
Family sports connections edit
He is the son of former Canadian Football League wide receiver Richard Nurse.[35] His sister, Kia, currently plays for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She won two NCAA championships with the Connecticut Huskies,[36][37] and is a member of the Canadian national team. His cousin Sarah Nurse[38] won a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics with the Canadian national ice hockey team and a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is a forward for the PWHL Toronto professional women's hockey team.[39][40] His uncle Donovan McNabb was an NFL quarterback who played in six Pro Bowls and had his number retired by the Philadelphia Eagles.[41][42]
Career statistics edit
Regular season and playoffs edit
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | St. Michael's Buzzers | OJHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 53 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 68 | 12 | 29 | 41 | 116 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 64 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 91 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 2013–14 | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2014–15 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 36 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 58 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 26 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 69 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 44 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 33 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 71 | 5 | 28 | 33 | 48 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 56 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 57 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 71 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 54 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 26 | ||
| 2022–23 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 64 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 21 | ||
| 2023–24 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 81 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 79 | |||||||
| NHL totals | 640 | 76 | 191 | 267 | 549 | 47 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 61 | ||||
International edit
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Canada Ontario | U17 | 
|
5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 2012 | Canada | U18 |
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| 2012 | Canada | IH18 | 
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2015 | Canada | WJC |
|
7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2018 | Canada | WC | 4th | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2019 | Canada | WC | 
|
10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 24 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 32 | ||||
| Senior totals | 20 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | ||||
Awards and honours edit
| Awards | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge All-Star Team | 2012 | [24] |
| IIHF World U18 Championships Bronze Medal | 2012 | [43] |
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal | 2012 | [44] |
| CHL Top Prospects Game | 2013 | [45] |
| IIHF World U20 Championships Gold Medal | 2015 | [46] |
References edit
- ^ "Darnell Nurse Stats and News". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Wharnsby, Tim (December 23, 2011). "Athletic bloodlines run in the Nurse family". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Campbell, Tim (February 28, 2020). "Nurse leans on prominent athletes in family to find success with Oilers". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Kennedy, Ryan (November 18, 2010). "Darnell Nurse". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Ontario Hockey League (May 7, 2011). "OHL Draft Class of 2011: Top 10 Picks". ontariohockeyleague.com. Scarborough, Ontario. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017.
- ^ McCurdy, Bruce (June 30, 2013). "Edmonton Oilers draft Darnell Nurse 7th overall". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018.
- ^ Edmonton Oilers (July 25, 2013). "Oilers ink Nurse to entry-level contract". Archived from the original on October 28, 2014.
- ^ "Greyhounds announce Leadership Group including Captain Darnell Nurse". ontariohockeyleague.com. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: Ontario Hockey League. June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- ^ Tychkowski, Robert (October 11, 2014). "Edmonton Oilers 'need the points' against Vancouver Canucks". Edmonton Sun. Edmonton. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
- ^ Tychkowski, Robert (October 15, 2014). Written at Los Angeles. "Oilers unable to match Kings goal output, dig themselves early hole". Edmonton Sun. Edmonton. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Edmonton Oilers (October 17, 2014). "#Oilers recall d-man Martin Marincin from @OKCBarons , assign fwd Steve Pinizzotto to OKC and d-man Darnell Nurse to Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)". Twitter (Posted by @EdmontonOilers, the official account of the team). Archived from the original on April 28, 2021.
- ^ Edmonton Oilers (September 30, 2015). "#Oilers assign Darnell Nurse, Mitch Moroz, Martin Gernat & Iiro Pakarinen to @Condors . Roster now sits at 28 players (3G, 10D, 15F)". Twitter (Posted by @EdmontonOilers, the official account of the team). Archived from the original on May 7, 2021.
- ^ Edmonton Oilers (October 26, 2015). "The #Oilers have recalled d-man Darnell Nurse from the @Condors and placed d-man Griffin Reinhart on IR". Twitter (Posted by @EdmontonOilers, the official account of the team). Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
- ^ Campbell, Dave (October 27, 2015). Written at St. Paul, Minnesota. "Wild score 43 seconds apart in 3rd period to beat Oilers 4-3". globalnews.ca. Vancouver, British Columbia: Global News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017.
- ^ NHL Department of Player Safety (March 10, 2016). "Edmonton's Darnell Nurse suspended 3 games under Rule 46.2 Aggressor of an altercation with San Jose's Roman Polak". Twitter (Posted by @NHLPlayerSafety, an official account of the NHL). National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Darnell Nurse suspended 3 Games" (Video). NHL.com. National Hockey League. March 10, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Darnell Nurse of Oilers to miss up to 12 weeks". NHL.com. National Hockey League. December 12, 2016. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019.
- ^ Associated Press (February 26, 2017). Written at Nashville. "Filip Forsberg, James Neal lead Predators over Oilers". sportsnet.ca. Toronto: Sportsnet. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017.
- ^ Romero, Diego (September 17, 2018). "Darnell Nurse signs $3.2M AAV deal with Oilers". CTV News. Edmonton: Bell Media. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
- ^ "Oilers name Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl alternate captains". Sportsnet. Rogers Media. October 1, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Nurse signs two-year contract with Oilers". NHL.com. National Hockey League. February 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021.
- ^ Matheson, Jim (February 9, 2020). "Two-year deal for Nurse just what Oilers' doctor ordered". Edmonton Sun. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020.
- ^ "Nurse signs eight-year contract extension with Oilers". NHL.com. NHL.com staff writer Tim Campbell contributed to this report. National Hockey League. August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b c Girard, Daniel (January 2, 2012). "OHL: Darnell Nurse, a Greyhound with impeccable pedigree". Toronto Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ^ Verdone, Mike (August 7, 2012). "Hounds defenceman gets Team Canada nod". Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014.
- ^ "Darnell Nurse and U18 Team Wins Gold in Slovakia". saultsports.com. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. May 6, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Klein, Jeff (June 17, 2013). Written at Boston. "Nurse climbing to the top in Hockey after selecting a different path". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ Carter, Adam (January 6, 2015). "World Juniors: Hamilton's Darnell Nurse named player of gold medal game". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ Gazzola, Paul (April 12, 2018). "BLOG: Nurse named to Team Canada's roster at Worlds". NHL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ "Hockey Canada names 22 players to 2019 IIHF World Championship roster". hockeycanada.ca. Calgary: Hockey Canada. April 29, 2019. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
- ^ "Finland defeats Canada for Gold Medal at World Championship". The Sports Network. May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Darnell and Kia Nurse bring Pan Am torch into Hamilton stadium". simcoe.com. June 22, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
The Nurse siblings are graduates of St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School.
- ^ "Nurse recognized as Scholastic Player of the Year". Soo Today. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ^ "Edmonton Oilers baby boom: Kane, Nugent-Hopkins and Nurse welcome kids over the summer". Global News. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Wharnsby, Tim. "Athletic bloodlines run in the Nurse family". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
- ^ "BACK ON TOP! UCONN WINS 2015 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP". UConn Huskies. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ Berkes, Peter (April 5, 2016). "UConn vs. Syracuse 2016: Huskies win Women's NCAA Tournament championship, 82-51". SBNation. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ Graves, Wendy (August 13, 2015). "Nurse looks to add to family's success". hockeycanada.ca. Calgary: Hockey Canada. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ "USA Win Shootout To Claim Women's Ice Hockey Gold". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Sarah Nurse Stats and Player Profile". thepwhl.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "The Nurses: A sporting family tree". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Morreale, Mike G. "Nurse has great source for advice in uncle -- McNabb". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ^ 2013 NHL Draft Profile: Darnell Nurse | Dallas Stars Inside Edge Archived July 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Nurse, Subban enjoy Canada's Ivan Hlinka gold - Hockey's Future
- ^ "Darnell Nurse – The Hockey News". Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ World Juniors: Hamilton's Darnell Nurse named player of gold medal game
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database