Tyler Wotherspoon

Tyler Wotherspoon
Wotherspoon with the Abbotsford Heat in 2013
Born	(1993-03-12) March 12, 1993 (age 31) Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	New Jersey Devils Utica Comets  (AHL) Calgary Flames
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	57th overall, 2011 Calgary Flames
Playing career	2013–present

Tyler Wotherspoon (born March 12, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Calgary Flames in the second round, 57th overall, at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Wotherspoon played four seasons of junior hockey for the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Portland Winterhawks and was a member of the team's Western Hockey League championship team before turning professional in 2013.

Playing career

Junior

A native of Surrey, British Columbia, ^[1] Wotherspoon was selected by the Portland Winter Hawks in the second round of the 2008 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft. ^[2] He made his WHL debut as a 15-year-old in 2008–09, appearing in four games for Portland, then played four full seasons between 2009 and 2013. In his WHL career, he has appeared in 239 games, scored 17 goals, and scored 65 assists. ^[3] With the Winterhawks, he appeared in the WHL championship series in three consecutive years as Portland lost the final in 2011 and 2012 to the Kootenay Ice and Edmonton Oil Kings, respectively, before finally winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup championship in 2013 by defeating Edmonton. ^{[4] [5]} Wotherspoon was also named to the WHL's Western Conference second All-Star Team in 2012–13. ^[6] Wotherspoon scored three points in five games at the 2013 Memorial Cup, ^[3] however Portland lost the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) championship game, the Memorial Cup, to the Halifax Mooseheads, 6–4. ^[7] During the season, Wotherspoon was also a member of the Canadian junior team, recording two points in six games at the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. ^[8]

Professional

Wotherspoon playing for the Calgary Flames in 2014

The Calgary Flames had selected Wotherspoon with their second-round pick, 57th overall, at the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. ^[9] Flames Special Assistant to the General Manager Craig Conroy described Wotherspoon as a player whose qualities often go unnoticed: "If you're a stay-at-home defenceman that can join the rush, make the good first pass, doesn't get beat one-on-one, very sound, it doesn’t stand out." ^[1] Upon turning professional, Wotherspoon was assigned to Calgary's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, for the 2013–14 season. ^[1] He had nine points in his first 48 games and a plus-minus of +13 when an injury to Dennis Wideman late in the season caused the Flames to recall Wotherspoon on an emergency basis. He made his NHL debut on March 7, 2014, a 4–3 victory over the New York Islanders. ^[10] He recorded his first point the following night with an assist on a Brian McGrattan goal in a contest against the Vancouver Canucks. ^[11] Wotherspoon appeared in 14 games with the Flames, recording four assists, before suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery and ended his season. ^[12] Wotherspoon has been recalled and sent down by the Flames multiple times during the 2015-16 season.

On September 5, 2017, the Flames re-signed Wotherspoon to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000. ^[13]

After five seasons within the Flames organization, Wotherspoon left as a free agent to sign a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2018. ^[14]

On July 1, 2019, Wotherspoon was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. ^[15]

On September 14, 2021, Wotherspoon was signed to a professional tryout contract (PTO) by the New Jersey Devils. ^[16] After participating in training camp and pre-season, Wotherspoon was released from his tryout and signed to a one-year deal with AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets on October 13, 2021. ^[17]

Following a successful season with the Comets, on the opening day of free agency, Wotherspoon was signed to a two-year, two-way contract by the New Jersey Devils to continue within the organization on July 13, 2022. ^[18]

International play

In January 2022, Wotherspoon was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

Personal life

Wotherspoon is the brother of Parker Wotherspoon, who was drafted 112th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. ^[22]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008–09	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		43	1	4	5	21		2	0	0	0	0
2010–11	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		64	2	10	12	73		20	3	1	4	10
2011–12	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		67	7	21	28	42		22	1	6	7	6
2012–13	Portland Winterhawks	WHL		61	7	30	37	30		21	2	8	10	20
2013–14	Abbotsford Heat	AHL		48	1	8	9	12		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Calgary Flames	NHL		14	0	4	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Adirondack Flames	AHL		61	2	22	24	20		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Calgary Flames	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		6	0	0	0	0
2015–16	Stockton Heat	AHL		53	2	8	10	16		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Calgary Flames	NHL		11	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Stockton Heat	AHL		56	6	12	18	24		5	0	0	0	2
2016–17	Calgary Flames	NHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Stockton Heat	AHL		67	7	30	37	46		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		70	4	18	22	28		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	AHL		54	4	18	22	26		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	AHL		24	0	6	6	18		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Utica Comets	AHL		53	3	17	20	22		5	0	0	0	0
2022–23	Utica Comets	AHL		65	4	17	21	22		6	0	2	2	6
2023–24	Utica Comets	AHL		65	4	18	22	20		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				30	0	5	5	4		6	0	0	0	0

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010	Canada Pacific	U17	5th		5	0	0	0	4
2013	Canada	WJC	4th		6	1	1	2	0
2022	Canada	OG	6th		5	0	2	2	2
Junior totals					11	1	1	2	4
Senior totals					5	0	2	2	2

Awards and honours

Award	Year
WHL
West Second All-Star Team	2012–13	[6]

References

1. Sportak, Randy (July 15, 2013). "Calgary Flames prospect Tyler Wotherspoon could crack roster". Calgary Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
2. Watts, Jesse (2013). 2013–14 WHL Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 110.
3. "Tyler Wotherspoon player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
4. "Portland Winterhawks clinch WHL championship with win over Edmonton Oil Kings". National Hockey League. May 12, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
5. Watts, Jesse (2013). 2013–14 WHL Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 216.
6. Watts, Jesse (2013). 2013–14 WHL Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 261.
7. "Halifax Mooseheads win Mastercard Memorial Cup". Canadian Hockey League. May 26, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
8. "Player statistics by team – Canada" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. January 4, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
9. Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean; Thomas, Rob, eds. (2013). 2013–14 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 130.
10. Vickers, Aaron (March 7, 2014). "Wotherspoon latest Flames player to make NHL debut". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
11. Sportak, Randy (March 9, 2014). "West toasted". Calgary Sun. p. S3.
12. Sportak, Randy (April 2, 2014). "Flames' Ramo makes return to Tampa". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
13. "Flames re-sign Tyler Wotherspoon". Calgary Flames . September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
14. @DarrenDreger (July 1, 2018). "St Louis agrees to 1 year two way deal with Tyler Wotherspoon. $700,000 (nhl) or $325,009 (AHL), however $400,000 guaranteed" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
15. "Flyers free agency tracker". Philadelphia Flyers . July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
16. "Devils Sign Three Players to Professional Tryout Contracts". NHL.com. September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
17. "Comets sign defenseman Wotherspoon". Utica Comets. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
18. "Devils sign four players to two-way contracts". New Jersey Devils. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
19. "Canada unveils non-NHL Olympic hockey roster with pro experience, young talent". www.cbc.ca/. CBC Sports. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
20. 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.
21. Stephens, Mike (January 25, 2022). "Canada Names Men's 2022 Olympic Hockey Roster". The Hockey News . Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
22. "Islanders Sign Wotherspoon to Entry-Level Contract". whl.ca. May 3, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2018.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database