Brandon Duhaime (born May 22, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the fourth round, 106th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Brandon Duhaime
Duhaime with the Providence Friars in 2019
Born (1997-05-22) May 22, 1997 (age 27)
Coral Springs, Florida, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Winger
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Washington Capitals
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche
NHL draft 106th overall, 2016
Minnesota Wild
Playing career 2019–present

Duhaime was born and raised in Florida before leaving at the age of 14 to play junior ice hockey with the Pursuit of Excellence (POE) Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia. Following this, he played one season with the Merritt Centennials in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League before joining the Providence Friars men's ice hockey team at Providence College.

During his three-year collegiate career, Duhaime was named to the Hockey East Third All-Star Team and All-Tournament Team while leading the team to the 2018 Frozen Four. Upon concluding his junior year, Duhaime joined the Wild's American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

Early life

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Duhaime was born on May 22, 1997, in Coral Springs, Florida,[1] to parents Trevor and Martine Duhaime. His father was a former professional ice hockey player who played at both the American Hockey League and ECHL level.[2] Due to his father’s career and his mother’s Quebec heritage, Duhaime began skating at the age of two and attended Florida Panthers games.[3] While living in Florida as a kid, his parents drove him 90 minutes to play ice hockey with a team.[4] He began playing hockey with future NHL player and Florida native Jakob Chychrun, whom he remained friends with throughout their professional careers.[2]

Playing career

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Amateur

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While playing minor ice hockey, Duhaime won the Bell Capital Cup in Ottawa and qualified for nationals in Buffalo with the Everblades.[2] Duhaime then left Florida with his father at the age of 14 to play junior hockey with the Pursuit of Excellence (POE) Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia.[3] During his tenure with POE, he recorded 32 points through 37 U18 Prep Canadian Sport School Hockey League games. Following this, Duhaime played one full season in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) with the Merritt Centennials.[5] In his rookie season with the team, Duhaime was invited to take part in the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Prospects Game.[6] He subsequently finished the 2014–15 season with six goals and 19 assists through 53 games.[1]

Following his lone season in the BCHL, Duhaime joined the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League for the 2015–16 season. In December 2015, Duhaime de-committed from playing collegiate ice hockey with Brown University and began being recruited by other schools.[2] While with the Steel, he tallied 10 goals and 20 assists through 35 games before committing to play collegiate ice hockey with the Providence College of the Hockey East for the 2016–17 season.[7] Duhaime was shortly thereafter traded to the Tri-City Storm whom he helped win the Clark Cup championship.[8] Prior to his freshman season at Providence College, Duhaime was drafted 106th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[9]

Collegiate

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Duhaime played for the Providence Friars men's ice hockey team at Providence College from 2016 to 2019 while majoring in sociology.[10] During his rookie season, Duhaime played in 35 games and recorded four goals and eight assists.[1] He tallied his first career collegiate goal on October 21, 2016, in a 3–3 tie with the Clarkson Golden Knights.[11] Following his rookie season, Duhaime attended the Minnesota Wild's 2017 Development Camp where he was recognized as their most improved prospect.[12] Duhaime returned to the Friars for his sophomore season where he improved to seven goals and 19 assists through 40 games.[1]

He helped the Friars qualify for the 2018 Frozen Four by tallying an assist and a goal in their 4–0 win over Cornell University in the NCAA East Regional Finals.[13] Prior to this achievement, Duhaime was named a Hockey East Third Team All-Star in recognition of his offensive improvement and career-high season. He had tallied 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points at the time of the honor and became the first Friar to record multiple playoff overtime goals.[14] The Friars met with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the Frozen Four Semifinal whom subsequently eliminated with a final score of 4–1.[15] After completing his junior season with the Friars, Duhaime ended his collegiate career in signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild on April 18, 2019.[16]

Minnesota Wild

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Duhaime in action for the Wild in 2023.

Following the signing of his entry-level contract, Duhaime joined their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Wild, on an amateur tryout agreement for the remainder of the season.[16] He made Minnesota's opening night roster to begin the 2021–22 season and made his NHL debut in a 2–1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on October 16, 2021.[17] He later scored his first career NHL goal against the same team on October 23, by accidentally deflecting the puck off of his skate.[18] Duhaime consistently played with the Wild before missing his first game on January 6, 2022, due to him testing positive for COVID-19.[19]

Colorado Avalanche

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On March 7, 2024, the Wild traded Duhaime to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick.[20] Duhaime faced the Wild the next day in his debut with the Avalanche. In a pre-game interview, he described it as "a weird experience," but noted he preferred to face his former team quickly to "get it out of the way".[21][22] The Avalanche won the game 2–1 in overtime.[23]

Washington Capitals

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On July 1, 2024, Washington Capitals signed Duhaime to a two-year, $3.7 million contract.[24]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 West Kelowna Warriors BCHL 3 0 0 0 0
2014–15 Merritt Centennials BCHL 53 6 19 25 43 4 0 0 0 2
2015–16 Chicago Steel USHL 39 10 22 32 97
2015–16 Tri-City Storm USHL 18 5 5 10 46 11 4 4 8 24
2016–17 Providence College HE 35 4 8 12 45
2017–18 Providence College HE 40 7 19 26 64
2018–19 Providence College HE 42 11 23 34 53
2019–20 Iowa Wild AHL 63 6 14 20 71
2020–21 Iowa Wild AHL 24 6 3 9 32
2021–22 Minnesota Wild NHL 80 6 11 17 122 6 0 0 0 2
2022–23 Minnesota Wild NHL 51 9 1 10 42 6 0 0 0 10
2023–24 Minnesota Wild NHL 62 4 4 8 66
2023–24 Colorado Avalanche NHL 18 1 4 5 4 11 1 0 1 8
NHL totals 211 20 20 40 234 23 1 0 1 20

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
USHL
Clark Cup champion 2016 [8]
College
Hockey East All-Tournament Team 2018
Hockey East Third All-Star Team 2019 [14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Brandon Duhaime". Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Russo, Michael (November 10, 2021). "From South Florida to the NHL, Wild's Brandon Duhaime and Coyotes' Jakob Chychrun are living their dream". The Athletic. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Mizutani, Dane (November 19, 2021). "Wild winger Brandon Duhaime prepares for South Florida homecoming". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  4. ^ Myers, Dan (November 19, 2021). "Wild's trip to South Florida means a homecoming for Duhaime". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "CSSHL ALUMNI INK NHL DEALS". Canadian Sport School Hockey League. August 17, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  6. ^ "Cents' Duhaime shines at CJHL Prospects Game". Merritt Centennials. January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "STEEL'S BRANDON DUHAIME COMMITS TO PROVIDENCE COLLEGE". Chicago Steel. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Brandon Duhaime's Journey to Clark Cup Final". United States Hockey League. May 16, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "Wild Selects Four At 2016 NHL Draft". National Hockey League. June 25, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "Brandon Duhaime". Providence College. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "No. 15 Men's Hockey Skates to 3-3 Tie with Clarkson". Providence College. October 21, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Halverson, Brian (July 13, 2017). "Duhaime Finishes Week as Development Camp's 'Most Improved'". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  13. ^ "Men's Hockey Advances to Frozen Four After Blanking Cornell, 4-0, in NCAA East Regional Final". Providence College. March 31, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Six Friars Garner Season-Ending Hockey East Recognition". Providence College. March 20, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  15. ^ "No. 4 Men's Hockey Falls To No. 1 Minnesota Duluth In Frozen Four Semifinals". Providence College. April 11, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Wild inks Duhaime to two-year, entry-level contract". National Hockey League. April 17, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  17. ^ "Wild winger Brandon Duhaime shines in NHL debut. Except for his rookie lap". TwinCities.com. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  18. ^ Myers, Dan (October 23, 2021). "Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 4, Ducks 3 (OT)". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  19. ^ McLellan, Sarah (January 6, 2022). "Duhaime tests positive for COVID-19; Wild without six regulars". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  20. ^ "Minnesota Wild Acquires 2026 Third-Round Draft Pick from the Colorado Avalanche in Exchange for Brandon Duhaime". NHL.com. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  21. ^ Flynn, Colleen (March 8, 2024). "Nichushkin, 4 new additions in lineup against Minnesota Wild". The Hockey News. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "Brandon Duhaime On Facing Former Team: 'Definitely A Weird Experience'". Yardbarker. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  23. ^ Boulding, Ryan (March 8, 2024). "Nichushkin returns, lifts Avalanche past Wild in OT". www.nhl.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  24. ^ https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/washington-capitals-sign-f-brandon-duhaime-to-two-year-contract/ [bare URL]
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