Darnell Nurse

Darnell Nurse
Nurse with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022
Born (1995-02-04) February 4, 1995 (age 29)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team Edmonton Oilers
National team  Canada
NHL draft 7th overall, 2013
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2014–present

Darnell Nurse (born February 4, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nurse was selected by the Oilers seventh overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

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Nurse was born on February 4, 1995, in Hamilton, Ontario.[1] Both of his parents were athletes in their youth: his father Richard Nurse played as a wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, while his mother Cathy was a college basketball player for the McMaster Marauders.[2] As a child, Nurse played football, basketball, lacrosse, and ice hockey, but by high school, he was only playing the latter. His father was worried that Nurse would suffer an injury playing football, while he was, in his own words, "just no good" at basketball.[3]

Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighing 176 pounds (80 kg) by the age of 15,[citation needed] Nurse established himself quickly as a strong, physically assertive defenceman for the Don Mills Flyers minor ice hockey team.[4][dead link]

Playing career

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Nurse with the Oklahoma City Barons in 2014

Major junior

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Nurse was selected third overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.[5] After two seasons with the Greyhounds, he was selected seventh overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.[6] On July 25, the Oilers signed Nurse to a three-year, entry-level contract.[7] He was returned to the Greyhounds for the 2013–14 season. Prior to the season beginning, he was named team captain.[8] He scored a career-high 50 points in 64 games. After the Greyhounds' season ended, Nurse joined the Oilers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. He skated in four regular season games as well as three playoff games.

Edmonton Oilers

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Nurse made the Oilers' opening night roster for the 2014–15 season, but did not partake in the team's first three games.[9] He made his NHL debut on October 14 in a 6–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.[10] After skating in two games for the team, the Oilers sent Nurse back to the Greyhounds on October 17.[11]

Nurse with the Oilers in 2015

Nurse began the 2015–16 season with the Oilers' new AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.[12] After six games with the Condors, the Oilers recalled Nurse on October 26.[13] On October 27, Nurse scored his first career NHL goal in a 4–3 loss to the Minnesota Wild.[14] On March 10, 2016, Nurse was suspended three games for "serving as the aggressor" during an altercation with San Jose Sharks defenceman Roman Polák.[15][16] He finished his rookie season skating in 69 games for the Oilers and nine for the Condors.

On December 12, 2016, the Oilers announced Nurse underwent successful ankle surgery that would sideline him for up to 12 weeks.[17] After a 35-game absence, he returned on February 26, 2017, in a 5–4 loss to the Nashville Predators.[18]

On September 17, 2018, the Oilers re-signed Nurse to a two-year, $6.4 million contract extension.[19]

On October 1, 2019, Nurse (alongside Leon Draisaitl) was named an alternate captain for the Oilers.[20] On February 10, 2020, the Oilers signed Nurse to a two-year, $11.2 million contract extension.[21][22]

On August 6, 2021, Nurse signed an eight-year, $74 million extension with the Oilers.[23]

International play

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Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Slovakia
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Canada
IIHF World U18 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Brno

During the 2011–12 season he won a bronze medal with Team Ontario at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team.[24] That same season, Nurse was one of only four underage players[25] to play with Team Canada at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships, winning the bronze medal.[24]

During the 2012–13 season he played with Team Canada to win a gold medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.[26][failed verification] Nurse was also an invited participant at the 2013 CHL Top Prospects Game.[27]

He won gold with Canada at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship and was named one of Canada's top three players, as well as the player of the match for the gold medal game against Russia.[28]

On April 12, 2018, Nurse and teammates Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were named to the Team Canada's 2018 IIHF World Championship roster.[29]

On April 29, 2019, Nurse returned to the international stage to be named to the Team Canada roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia.[30] Nurse helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the Silver Medal on May 26, 2019.[31] He completed the tournament posting 2 goals and 4 points from the blueline in 10 games.

Personal life

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Nurse attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School[32] and St. Mary's College, where he was awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy for "OHL Scholastic Player of the Year" following the 2012–13 season.[33]

Nurse and his wife Mikayla have two sons.[34]

Family sports connections

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He is the son of former Canadian Football League wide receiver Richard Nurse.[35] His sister, Kia, currently plays for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She won two NCAA championships with the Connecticut Huskies,[36][37] and is a member of the Canadian national team. His cousin Sarah Nurse[38] won a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics with the Canadian national ice hockey team and a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is a forward for the PWHL Toronto professional women's hockey team.[39][40] His uncle Donovan McNabb was an NFL quarterback who played in six Pro Bowls and had his number retired by the Philadelphia Eagles.[41][42]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 St. Michael's Buzzers OJHL 2 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2011–12 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 53 1 9 10 61 — — — — —
2012–13 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 68 12 29 41 116 6 1 3 4 6
2013–14 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 64 13 37 50 91 9 3 5 8 12
2013–14 Oklahoma City Barons AHL 4 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 1 7
2014–15 Edmonton Oilers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2014–15 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 36 10 23 33 58 14 3 5 8 26
2015–16 Bakersfield Condors AHL 9 0 2 2 7 — — — — —
2015–16 Edmonton Oilers NHL 69 3 7 10 60 — — — — —
2016–17 Edmonton Oilers NHL 44 5 6 11 33 13 0 2 2 6
2017–18 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 6 20 26 67 — — — — —
2018–19 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 10 31 41 87 — — — — —
2019–20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 5 28 33 48 4 0 2 2 6
2020–21 Edmonton Oilers NHL 56 16 20 36 57 4 0 1 1 2
2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 9 26 35 54 15 2 4 6 26
2022–23 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 12 31 43 64 11 0 4 4 21
2023–24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 10 22 32 79 25 2 4 6 12
NHL totals 640 76 191 267 549 72 4 17 21 73

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 Canada Ontario U17 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 1 2 3 8
2012 Canada U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 14
2012 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 0 0 0 4
2015 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 6
2018 Canada WC 4th 10 0 1 1 4
2019 Canada WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 2 2 4 8
Junior totals 24 1 3 4 32
Senior totals 20 2 3 5 12

Awards and honours

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Awards Year
World U-17 Hockey Challenge All-Star Team 2012 [24]
IIHF World U18 Championships Bronze Medal 2012 [43]
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal 2012 [44]
CHL Top Prospects Game 2013 [45]
IIHF World U20 Championships Gold Medal 2015 [46]

References

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  1. ^ "Darnell Nurse Stats and News". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Wharnsby, Tim (December 23, 2011). "Athletic bloodlines run in the Nurse family". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013.
  3. ^ Campbell, Tim (February 28, 2020). Written at Edmonton. "Nurse leans on prominent athletes in family to find success with Oilers". NHL.com. New York City: National Hockey League. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (November 18, 2010). "Darnell Nurse". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021 – via Sports Illustrated.
  5. ^ Ontario Hockey League (May 7, 2011). "OHL Draft Class of 2011: Top 10 Picks". ontariohockeyleague.com. Scarborough, Ontario. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017.
  6. ^ McCurdy, Bruce (June 30, 2013). "Edmonton Oilers draft Darnell Nurse 7th overall". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018.
  7. ^ "Oilers ink Nurse to entry-level contract". EdmontonOilers.com. Edmonton Oilers. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014.
  8. ^ "Greyhounds announce Leadership Group including Captain Darnell Nurse". ontariohockeyleague.com. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: Ontario Hockey League. June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  9. ^ Tychkowski, Robert (October 11, 2014). "Edmonton Oilers 'need the points' against Vancouver Canucks". Edmonton Sun. Edmonton. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
  10. ^ Tychkowski, Robert (October 15, 2014). Written at Los Angeles. "Oilers unable to match Kings goal output, dig themselves early hole". Edmonton Sun. Edmonton. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Edmonton Oilers (October 17, 2014). "#Oilers recall d-man Martin Marincin from @OKCBarons , assign fwd Steve Pinizzotto to OKC and d-man Darnell Nurse to Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)". Twitter (Posted by @EdmontonOilers, the official account of the team). Archived from the original on April 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Edmonton Oilers (September 30, 2015). "#Oilers assign Darnell Nurse, Mitch Moroz, Martin Gernat & Iiro Pakarinen to @Condors . Roster now sits at 28 players (3G, 10D, 15F)". Twitter (Posted by @EdmontonOilers, the official account of the team). Archived from the original on May 7, 2021.
  13. ^ Edmonton Oilers (October 26, 2015). "The #Oilers have recalled d-man Darnell Nurse from the @Condors and placed d-man Griffin Reinhart on IR". Twitter (Posted by @EdmontonOilers, the official account of the team). Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Campbell, Dave (October 27, 2015). Written at St. Paul, Minnesota. "Wild score 43 seconds apart in 3rd period to beat Oilers 4-3". globalnews.ca. Vancouver, British Columbia: Global News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017.
  15. ^ NHL Department of Player Safety (March 10, 2016). "Edmonton's Darnell Nurse suspended 3 games under Rule 46.2 Aggressor of an altercation with San Jose's Roman Polak". Twitter (Posted by @NHLPlayerSafety, an official account of the NHL). National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Darnell Nurse suspended 3 Games" (Video). NHL.com. National Hockey League. March 10, 2016.
  17. ^ "Darnell Nurse of Oilers to miss up to 12 weeks". NHL.com. National Hockey League. December 12, 2016. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019.
  18. ^ Written at Nashville. "Filip Forsberg, James Neal lead Predators over Oilers". sportsnet.ca. Toronto: Sportsnet. Associated Press. February 26, 2017. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017.
  19. ^ Romero, Diego (September 17, 2018). Written at Edmonton. "Darnell Nurse signs $3.2M AAV deal with Oilers". ctvnews.ca. Toronto: CTV News. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
  20. ^ "Oilers name Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl alternate captains". sportsnet.ca. Toronto: Sportsnet. October 1, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019.
  21. ^ "Nurse signs two-year contract with Oilers". NHL.com. National Hockey League. February 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Matheson, Jim (February 9, 2020). "Two-year deal for Nurse just what Oilers' doctor ordered". Edmonton Sun. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020.
  23. ^ "Nurse signs eight-year contract extension with Oilers". NHL.com. NHL.com staff writer Tim Campbell contributed to this report. National Hockey League. August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  24. ^ a b c Girard, Daniel (January 2, 2012). "OHL: Darnell Nurse, a Greyhound with impeccable pedigree". Toronto Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  25. ^ Verdone, Mike (August 7, 2012). "Hounds defenceman gets Team Canada nod". Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014.
  26. ^ "Darnell Nurse and U18 Team Wins Gold in Slovakia". saultsports.com. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. May 6, 2013. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014.
  27. ^ Klein, Jeff (June 17, 2013). Written at Boston. "Nurse climbing to the top in Hockey after selecting a different path". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  28. ^ Carter, Adam (January 6, 2015). "World Juniors: Hamilton's Darnell Nurse named player of gold medal game". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  29. ^ Gazzola, Paul (April 12, 2018). Written at Edmonton. "Nurse named to Team Canada's roster at Worlds". NHL.com. New York: National Hockey League. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  30. ^ "Hockey Canada names 22 players to 2019 IIHF World Championship roster". hockeycanada.ca. Calgary: Hockey Canada. April 29, 2019. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  31. ^ "Finland defeats Canada for Gold Medal at World Championship". The Sports Network. May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  32. ^ "Darnell and Kia Nurse bring Pan Am torch into Hamilton stadium". simcoe.com. June 22, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2018. The Nurse siblings are graduates of St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School.
  33. ^ "Nurse recognized as Scholastic Player of the Year". Soo Today. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  34. ^ "Edmonton Oilers baby boom: Kane, Nugent-Hopkins and Nurse welcome kids over the summer". Global News. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  35. ^ Wharnsby, Tim (December 23, 2011). "Athletic bloodlines run in the Nurse family". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013.
  36. ^ "Back on Top! UConn Wins 2015 NCAA National Championship". uconnhuskies.com. University of Connecticut Athletics. Associated Press. April 7, 2015. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021.
  37. ^ Berkes, Peter (April 5, 2016). "UConn vs. Syracuse 2016: Huskies win Women's NCAA Tournament championship, 82-51". SBNation. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  38. ^ Graves, Wendy (August 13, 2015). "Nurse looks to add to family's success". hockeycanada.ca. Calgary: Hockey Canada. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  39. ^ "USA Win Shootout To Claim Women's Ice Hockey Gold". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  40. ^ "Sarah Nurse Stats and Player Profile". thepwhl.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  41. ^ Smith, Doug (May 16, 2015). "The Nurses: A sporting family tree". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  42. ^ Morreale, Mike G. "Nurse has great source for advice in uncle -- McNabb". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  43. ^ 2013 NHL Draft Profile: Darnell Nurse | Dallas Stars Inside Edge Archived July 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  44. ^ Nurse, Subban enjoy Canada's Ivan Hlinka gold - Hockey's Future
  45. ^ "Darnell Nurse – The Hockey News". Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  46. ^ World Juniors: Hamilton's Darnell Nurse named player of gold medal game
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick
2013 		Succeeded by
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