Nicolas Daws (born December 22, 2000) is a German–Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 84th overall by the Devils in the 2020 NHL entry draft.
| Nico Daws | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Daws with the Utica Comets in 2022 | |||
| Born |
December 22, 2000 Munich, Germany | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
New Jersey Devils Utica Comets (AHL) ERC Ingolstadt | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| NHL draft |
84th overall, 2020 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 2020–present | ||
Playing career
editIn the two seasons leading up to the 2019 NHL entry draft, Daws' first year of draft eligibility, he was the backup goaltender for the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Appearing in just 34 games over those two years, Daws led the OHL in goals against average and save percentage with a 2.06 and .939, respectively. Despite his impressive stat line and an OHL championship, he was not selected in the 2019 draft.[1]
In the 2019–20 season, Daws appeared in 38 games, more than the previous two seasons combined despite the COVID-19 pandemic ending the season prematurely. Daws led the league in save percentage, and was named first team all-star and goaltender of the year.[2] In October 2020, he was selected 84th overall in the third round of the 2020 NHL entry draft by the New Jersey Devils.[3]
On November 13, 2020, Daws signed a one-year contract with ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).[4] In 10 games with Ingolstadt during the 2020–21 season, Daws posted four wins, one shutout, and a 2.90 goals against average.[5]
On May 5, 2021, Daws signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils.[5] Daws started the 2021–22 season with the Utica Comets of American Hockey League (AHL), the AHL affiliate of the Devils.[6] He was recalled by the Devils on October 21,[7] and made his NHL debut on October 23, in a 2–1 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres.[8]
In the 2022–23 season, playing exclusively for Utica, Daws was named to the 2023 AHL All-Star Game.[9]
In the off-season before the 2023–24 season, Daws underwent acetabular labrum surgery.[10] After missing the beginning of the season, he was activated from non-roster injured reserve and assigned to Utica on December 8, 2023. In his season debut against the Bridgeport Islanders that night, Daws made 31 saves en route to a 4–1 victory.[11] He made his NHL season debut on December 29, making 25 saves on 27 shots in a 6–2 win over the Ottawa Senators.[12]
On July 30, 2024, the Devils re-signed Daws to a two-year, $1.625 million contract extension with an average annual value of $812,500.[13]
International play
editDespite his German birth, Daws represents Canada internationally. His lone junior-level tournament appearance came at the 2020 World Junior Championships, where he played in parts of two games for the gold medal-winning Canadian team.[2]
Following the 2023–24 NHL regular season and with the Devils failing to qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Daws accepted an invitation to make his senior national team debut at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.[14]
Personal life
editBorn in Germany, Daws is also a citizen of Canada. His mother is German and his father Canadian.[4][15]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2017–18 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 14 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 622 | 42 | 0 | 4.06 | .880 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 6.00 | .826 | ||
| 2018–19 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 20 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1,126 | 61 | 1 | 3.25 | .893 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 3 | 0 | 4.81 | .800 | ||
| 2019–20 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 38 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 2,254 | 93 | 5 | 2.48 | .924 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | ERC Ingolstadt | DEL | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 580 | 28 | 1 | 2.90 | .898 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Utica Comets | AHL | 21 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1,205 | 51 | 1 | 2.54 | .916 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 240 | 12 | 0 | 3.01 | .891 | ||
| 2021–22 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 25 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 1,272 | 66 | 0 | 3.11 | .893 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Utica Comets | AHL | 33 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 1,953 | 88 | 2 | 2.70 | .904 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 373 | 16 | 1 | 2.57 | .920 | ||
| 2023–24 | Utica Comets | AHL | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 581 | 28 | 0 | 2.89 | .890 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 21 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 1,145 | 60 | 0 | 3.15 | .894 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| DEL totals | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 580 | 28 | 1 | 2.90 | .898 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 46 | 19 | 22 | 1 | 2,417 | 126 | 0 | 3.13 | .894 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2020 Czech Republic | |
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Canada | WJC | 
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 82 | 8 | 0 | 5.83 | .840 | |
| 2024 | Canada | WC | 4th | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | .833 | |
| Junior totals | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 82 | 8 | 0 | 5.83 | .840 | ||||
| Senior totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | .833 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| First Team All-Star | 2020 | [2] |
| Goaltender of the Year | 2020 | |
| AHL | ||
| AHL All-Star Game | 2023 | [9] |
References
edit- ^ Clipperton, Joshua (December 11, 2019). "Undrafted Nico Daws trying to force way into Canada's world junior crease". CBC. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Franken, Brian (October 7, 2020). "2020 NHL Draft: Devils Picked Goaltender Nicolas Daws at 84th Overall in the 3rd Round". All About The Jersey. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "NHL Draft 2020: Devils nab Nico Daws in 3rd round | Top-ranked North American goalie by Central Scouting". nj. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "ERC verpflichtet U20-Weltmeister". erc-ingolstadt.de (in German). November 13, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "RELEASE: Devils Sign Daws to Three-Year ELC". NHL.com. May 5, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Kasan, Sam (October 7, 2021). "Devils Cut Eight from Training Camp Roster". NHL.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Kasan, Sam (October 21, 2021). "Nico Daws Recalled from Utica". NHL.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Pavel Zacha scores in OT to lift Devils past Sabres, 2-1". ESPN. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "NICO DAWS NAMED 2023 AHL ALL-STAR | Utica Comets Official Website". uticacomets.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Birnell, Ben (June 10, 2023). "Utica Comets' Nico Daws out for extended period after surgery". Rome Sentinel. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Steve (December 8, 2023). "Nico Daws makes 31 saves as Comets win in his season debut". Rome Sentinel. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Baird, Jackson (December 29, 2023). "Nico Daws, Jesper Bratt Lead Devils to Dominant 6-2 Win Over Ottawa Senators". allaboutthejersey.com. SBNation. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ "Daws Inks to 2-Year Deal with Devils". New Jersey Devils. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Bedard, Celebrini highlight Canada's roster at the World Championship". TSN. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Storm grad, OHL Goaltender of the Year Nico Daws signs entry-level NHL contract with Devils". ontariohockeyleague.com. May 5, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database