Brandon Duhaime Explained

Brandon Duhaime
Birth Date:22 May 1997
Birth Place:Coral Springs, Florida, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:200
Position:Winger
Shoots:Left
League:NHL
Team:Washington Capitals
Former Teams:Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche
Draft:106th overall
Draft Year:2016
Draft Team:Minnesota Wild
Career Start:2019

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.

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

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

Amateur

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

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

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

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

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

Career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
2013–14West Kelowna WarriorsBCHL3 0 0 0 0
2014–15Merritt CentennialsBCHL53 6 19 25 434 0 0 0 2
2015–16Chicago SteelUSHL39 10 22 32 97
2015–16Tri-City StormUSHL18 5 5 10 4611 4 4 8 24
2016–17Providence CollegeHE35 4 8 12 45
2017–18Providence CollegeHE40 7 19 26 64
2018–19Providence CollegeHE42 11 23 34 53
2019–20Iowa WildAHL63 6 14 20 71
2020–21Iowa WildAHL24 6 3 9 32
2021–22Minnesota WildNHL80 6 11 17 1226 0 0 0 2
2022–23Minnesota WildNHL51 9 1 10 426 0 0 0 10
2023–24Minnesota WildNHL62 4 4 8 66
2023–24Colorado AvalancheNHL18 1 4 5 411 1 0 1 8
NHL totals211 20 20 40 23423 1 0 1 20

Awards and honours

AwardYearRef
USHL
Clark Cup champion2016
College
Hockey East All-Tournament Team2018
Hockey East Third All-Star Team2019

Notes and References

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