Jason Demers

Jason Demers
Demers with the Arizona Coyotes in 2019
Born	(1988-06-09) June 9, 1988 (age 36) Dorval, Quebec, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	San Jose Sharks Oulun Kärpät Dallas Stars Florida Panthers Arizona Coyotes Ak Bars Kazan Edmonton Oilers
National team	Canada
NHL draft	186th overall, 2008 San Jose Sharks
Playing career	2008–2023

Jason Demers (born June 9, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Edmonton Oilers 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.

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

Demers with the San Jose Sharks in 2009.

Professional

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. In the team's post-season run, he also played in 12 Calder Cup playoff games for Worcester.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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

Demers with the Dallas Stars in 2015

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

Arizona Coyotes

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

Ak Bars Kazan

Following his fourth season within the Coyotes organization and having played 12 years in the NHL, Demers entered the 2021–22 season as an unsigned free agent. On December 20, 2021, Demers opted to continue his career abroad, agreeing to a one-year contract for the remainder of the season with Russian club Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. ^[8]

Edmonton Oilers

As a free agent after his contract with Ak Bars, Demers went un-signed over the summer. With aspirations to resume his career in the NHL, Demers accepted an invitation to join the Edmonton Oilers training camp and pre-season in preparation for the 2022–23 season. Remaining with the Oilers through the entire pre-season, Demers was released from his tryout from the Oilers, however joined the Oilers' AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, on a professional tryout on October 11, 2022. ^[9] Registering 9 assists through 23 games with the Condors, Demers secured a one-year, two-way contract with the Edmonton Oilers on December 18, 2022. ^[10] On April 6, 2023, with Oilers' blueline depleted, Demers was called up to the NHL and played in a solitary game, marking his 700th career game.

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. ^[11] 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.

In January 2022, Demers was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. ^{[12] [13] [14]}

Personal life

Demers was born in Dorval, Quebec, the son of Guylaine and Darrell Demers. ^[15] 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." ^{[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]}

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
2020–21	Arizona Coyotes	NHL		41	0	4	4	26		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Ak Bars Kazan	KHL		5	0	1	1	4		4	0	1	1	4
2022–23	Bakersfield Condors	AHL		57	0	18	18	87		2	0	0	0	4
2022–23	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				700	45	169	214	407		61	3	13	16	48

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2017	Canada	WC			10	0	0	0	4
2022	Canada	OG	6th		5	0	2	2	0
Senior totals					15	0	2	2	4

See also

• List of select Jewish ice hockey players

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. 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. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. 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. "Jason Demers signs with Ak Bars!" (in Russian). Ak Bars Kazan. December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
9. "Condors sign Demers to PTO". Bakersfield Condors. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
10. "Oilers sign Demers to two-way contract". Edmonton Oilers. December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
11. "Hockey Canada confirms first 18 players on worlds roster". Hockey Canada . April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
12. "Canada unveils non-NHL Olympic hockey roster with pro experience, young talent". www.cbc.ca/. CBC Sports. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
13. Nichols, Paula (January 25, 2022). "Team Canada's 25-player men's hockey roster nominated for Beijing 2022". www.olympic.ca/. Canadian Olympic Committee . Retrieved January 25, 2022.
14. Stephens, Mike (January 25, 2022). "Canada Names Men's 2022 Olympic Hockey Roster". The Hockey News . Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
15. Schreier, Tom (March 21, 2011). "San Jose Sharks: How Underdog Jason Demers Became an NHL Defenseman". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
16. Roisman, Jon (April 25, 2015). "San Jose Sharks in playoffs with two Jewish players on ice". J. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
17. "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.
18. "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.
19. "Micflikier cracks Team Canada lineup loaded with stars". The Canadian Jewish News. January 15, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
20. Fine, Jeremy (March 17, 2013). "Demers on the Ice". The Great Rabbino. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database
• Hockey's Future prospect profile