Jacob "Jake" Middleton (born January 2, 1996) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

for the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He was originally drafted 210th overall (the last pick in the draft) by the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

in the 2014 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

After being drafted by the

Owen Sound Attack The Owen Sound Attack are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Based in Owen Sound since 1989, and operating under the current name since 2000, the Attack play their home games at the J. D. ...

in the 2012

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

draft, Middleton played 14 games for the team before being traded to the

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's currently play thei ...

on January 7, 2013. On January 8, 2016, in his fourth season with the 67's, Middleton was named captain of the team. After concluding that season, on April 8, 2016, Middleton signed an amateur try-out agreement with the

Manchester Monarchs Manchester Monarchs may refer to: *Manchester Monarchs (AHL) (2001–2015) *Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL which began play in the 2015–16 ECHL season, 2015–16 season. Bas ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. He played seven games for the Monarchs before joining the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) affiliate of the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

, the

San Jose Barracuda The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s San Jose Sharks. The team has played its home games at Tech CU Are ...

, for the 2016–17 season. On September 7, 2017, Middleton signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. He subsequently played the 2017–18 season with their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. While attending the Sharks' training camp prior to the 2018–19 season, on September 23, 2018, Middleton was reassigned to Barracuda. On January 5, 2019, Middleton was recalled from the Barracuda, and made his NHL debut that night against the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

. He recorded his first point on April 4, 2019, in a 3–2 victory against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

. On October 5, 2019, he was placed on injured reserve. In the 2021–22 season, while remaining on the Sharks roster, Middleton scored his first NHL goal in a 6–3 win against the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

on November 24, 2021. He compiled career best marks of 3 goals and 9 points through 45 games. While in the midst of his first full NHL season he was traded by the Sharks, along with a

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

fifth-round draft pick to the

in exchange for

Kaapo Kähkönen Kaapo Kähkönen (born 16 August 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kähkönen was ...

on March 21, 2022. As a pending free agent, Middleton opted to remain with the Wild in signing a three-year, $7.35 million extension on July 6, 2022.

International play

On May 5, 2023, Middleton was named to

Canada men's national ice hockey team The Canada men's national ice hockey team (popularly known as Team Canada; ) is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally. The team ...

at the

2023 IIHF World Championship The 2023 IIHF World Championship was co-hosted by Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. The tournament was held from 12 to 28 May 2023, organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Canada men's national ice hockey team, Canada won ...

where he recorded five assists in ten games and won a gold medal.

Personal life

Jake was brought up in Stratford Ontario. Jake formerly played alongside his brother, Keaton Middleton, for the AHL's San Jose Barracuda between 2018 and 2020. Keaton currently plays within the rival

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

organization. Jake was married in 2022 to his wife Natalie who is a nurse in Minneapolis. The two have one daughter named Stevie, born in 2024.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Jacob 1996 births Living people 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Ice hockey people from Stratford, Ontario Los Angeles Kings draft picks Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) players Minnesota Wild players Owen Sound Attack players Ottawa 67's players San Jose Barracuda players San Jose Sharks players