Jason Demers

Jason Demers (born June 9, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round, 186th overall, at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Jason Demers
Demers with the Dallas Stars in 2015
Born (1988-06-09) June 9, 1988
Dorval, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Arizona Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Oulun Kärpät
Dallas Stars
Florida Panthers
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 186th overall, 2008
San Jose Sharks
Playing career 2008–present

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Demers played in the 2001 and 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from West Island, Montreal.[1]

Demers played major junior ice hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), splitting his time between the Moncton Wildcats and the Victoriaville Tigres. In the 2007–08 season for the Tigres, Demers led the QMJHL in defenceman scoring with 64 points in 67 games. He went undrafted by the NHL until he completed his major junior career in 2008, whereupon he was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 186th overall.

Demers with the San Jose Sharks in 2009.

San Jose Sharks

Demers began his professional career with San Jose's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, scoring 33 points in 78 games in the 2008–09 season. He also played in 12 Calder Cup playoff games for Worcester in the team's post-season run.

Demers made his NHL debut on October 1, 2009, against the Colorado Avalanche after surviving the final cut in the San Jose Sharks' training camp for the 2009–10 season.[2] He scored his first career NHL point in the second game of the season on October 3 against the Anaheim Ducks, earning the primary assist on Benn Ferriero goal, the first of his career.[3] Demers himself scored his first career NHL goal on November 15 against Cristobal Huet of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Demers' first multi-goal game came later in the season, on January 30, 2010, where he scored two power play goals against Josh Harding of the Minnesota Wild. Demers scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on May 16 in the Western Conference Finals, a series the Sharks lost in a four-game sweep.

On March 28, 2013, in a 2–0 victory against the Detroit Red Wings, Demers suffered a head injury after suffering a hit from Cory Emmerton; he was replaced on defence by forward Brent Burns for the Sharks' next game, which was against the Phoenix Coyotes on March 30.[4]

Dallas Stars

On November 21, 2014, just over one month into the 2014–15 season, Demers was traded to the Dallas Stars, along with a third-round pick, in exchange for defenceman Brenden Dillon.[5]

Florida Panthers

On July 2, 2016, Demers left the Stars organization as a free agent and signed a five-year deal worth $22.5 million with the Florida Panthers.[6] In his lone season with the club, Demers recorded 9 goals and 28 points in 81 games.

Arizona Coyotes

On September 17, 2017, Demers was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for former teammate, Jamie McGinn.[7]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
2017 Germany/France

Demers first played for Team Canada during the NHL Lockout at the 2013 Spengler Cup. Demers was added to Team Canada for his first IIHF sanctioned tournament at the 2017 World Championships in Germany/France.[8] In 10 games, Demers went scoreless as Canada suffered a 2-1 shootout defeat in the final against Sweden on May 21, 2017, to finish with the Silver Medal.

Personal life

Demers was born in Dorval, Quebec, the son of Guylaine and Darrell Demers.[9] In the 2010s, he discovered that he has Jewish ancestry on his father's side; upon his realization, Demers stated, "[Being Jewish] is on my father’s side of the family tree. It all came as a little bit of a surprise, but we welcomed it.... Obviously having that new-found heritage makes me curious."[10][11][12][13][14] Demers has been in a relationship with Broadway actress Jillian Mueller since 2015.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Moncton Wildcats QMJHL 25 0 1 1 10 — — — — —
2005–06 Moncton Wildcats QMJHL 21 1 3 4 15 — — — — —
2005–06 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 33 2 13 15 58 5 0 2 2 10
2006–07 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 69 5 19 24 98 6 0 0 0 2
2007–08 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 67 9 55 64 91 6 1 5 6 6
2008–09 Worcester Sharks AHL 78 2 31 33 54 12 0 4 4 6
2009–10 San Jose Sharks NHL 51 4 17 21 21 15 1 4 5 8
2009–10 Worcester Sharks AHL 25 4 13 17 24 — — — — —
2010–11 San Jose Sharks NHL 75 2 22 24 28 13 2 1 3 8
2011–12 San Jose Sharks NHL 57 4 9 13 22 3 0 0 0 2
2012–13 Kärpät SM-l 30 5 16 21 18 — — — — —
2012–13 San Jose Sharks NHL 22 1 2 3 10 1 0 0 0 2
2013–14 San Jose Sharks NHL 75 5 29 34 30 7 0 1 1 12
2014–15 San Jose Sharks NHL 20 0 3 3 8 — — — — —
2014–15 Dallas Stars NHL 61 5 17 22 63 — — — — —
2015–16 Dallas Stars NHL 62 7 16 23 72 13 0 3 3 8
2016–17 Florida Panthers NHL 81 9 19 28 53 — — — — —
2017–18 Arizona Coyotes NHL 69 6 14 20 37 — — — — —
2018–19 Arizona Coyotes NHL 35 2 6 8 12 — — — — —
2018–19 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Arizona Coyotes NHL 50 0 11 11 25 9 0 4 4 8
NHL totals 658 45 165 210 381 61 3 13 16 48

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2017 Canada WC 10 0 0 0 4
Senior totals 10 0 0 0 4

See also

References
  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. High, Alison (October 1, 2009). "Ferriero and Demers Make the Cut". San Jose Sharks. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  3. "Marleau, Thornton score in Sharks 4–1 win". Associated Press. October 4, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  4. Kurz, Kevin (March 30, 2013). "Demers injured, won't play Saturday". Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. Archived from the original on April 1, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  5. Heika, Mike (November 21, 2014). "Stars trade Brenden Dillon for San Jose's Jason Demers as defensive moves continue". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. "Florida Panthers sign defenseman Jason Demers". Florida Panthers. July 2, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  7. "Coyotes acquire Jason Demers from Panthers for Jamie McGinn - Sportsnet.ca".
  8. "Hockey Canada confirms first 18 players on worlds roster". Hockey Canada. April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  9. Schreier, Tom (March 21, 2011). "San Jose Sharks: How Underdog Jason Demers Became an NHL Defenseman". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  10. Roisman, Jon (April 25, 2015). "San Jose Sharks in playoffs with two Jewish players on ice". jweekly.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  11. "Demers ready to make playoff impression for Sharks". jewishtribune.ca. April 30, 2013. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  12. "Jice update, April 29 » Kaplan's Korner on Jews and Sports". New Jersey Jewish News. April 30, 2013. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  13. "Micflikier cracks Team Canada lineup loaded with stars". The Canadian Jewish News. January 15, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  14. Fine, Jeremy (March 17, 2013). "Demers on the Ice". The Great Rabbino. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
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