Jason Demers (born June 9, 1988) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) 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. In ice hockey, two o ...

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

who is currently playing for the

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) while under contract with 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 of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL). He was drafted by the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

in the seventh round, 186th overall, at the

2008 NHL Entry Draft The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, but because of ...

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Demers played in the 2001 and 2002

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

s with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

team from

West Island The West Island () is the unofficial name given to the cities, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Dorval, Pointe-Cl ...

, Montreal. Demers played major junior ice hockey in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...

(QMJHL), splitting his time between the

Moncton Wildcats The Moncton Wildcats are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The franchise was granted for the 1995–96 season, known as the Moncton Alpines for one season, and as the Wildcat ...

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

in the seventh round of the

, 186th overall. JasonDemers

Professional

San Jose Sharks

Demers began his professional career with San Jose's

(AHL) affiliate, the

Worcester Sharks The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2006 to 2015. Affiliated with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Sharks played ...

, 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. Demers made his NHL debut on October 1, 2009, against the

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

after surviving the final cut in the San Jose Sharks training camp for the 2009–10 season. 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. Demers himself scored his first career NHL goal on November 15 against Cristobal Huet of the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

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

. 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. On March 28, 2013, in a 2–0 victory against the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, Demers suffered a head injury after suffering a hit from

Cory Emmerton Cory Emmerton (born June 1, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing for Lausanne HC of the National League (NL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings. Emmerton w ...

; he was replaced on defence by forward

Brent Burns Brent Burns (born March 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted as a right wing (20th overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild, he wa ...

for the Sharks' next game, which was against the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mu ...

on March 30.

Dallas Stars

On November 21, 2014, just over one month into the 2014–15 season, Demers was traded to the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

, along with a third-round pick, in exchange for defenceman Brenden Dillon.

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 The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home game ...

. In his lone season with the club, Demers recorded 9 goals and 28 points in 81 games.

Arizona Coyotes

On September 17, 2017, Demers was traded to the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...

in exchange for former teammate,

Jamie McGinn James Robert McGinn IV (born August 5, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 36th overall, by the San Jose Sharks of the 2006 NHL Entr ...

Ak Bars Kazan

Following his fourth season within the Coyotes organization and having played 12 years in the NHL, Demers entered the 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.

Edmonton Oilers

As a free agent at the conclusion of 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

training camp and pre-season in preparation for the season. Remaining with the Oilers through the entire pre-season, Demers was released from his tryout from the Oilers, however joined AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, on a professional tryout on October 11, 2022. Registering 9 assists through 23 games with the Condors, Demers having established himself within the team, secured a one-year, two-way contract with the Edmonton Oilers on December 18, 2022.

International play

Demers first played for Team Canada during the

NHL Lockout The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League: * The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season * The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...

at the 2013 Spengler Cup. Demers was added to Team Canada for his first IIHF-sanctioned tournament at the 2017 World Championships in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. 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 The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Bei ...

Personal life

Demers was born in

Dorval Dorval () is an on-island suburban city on the island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Census indicated that the population increased by 4.2% to 18,980. Although the city has the largest surface area in Montré ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, the son of Guylaine and Darrell Demers. In the 2010s, he discovered that he has Jewish ancestry on his father's side; upon his realization, Demers stated, " eing Jewishis 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." Demers has been in a relationship with Broadway actress Jillian Mueller since 2015.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
Hockey's Future prospect profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demers, Jason 1988 births 21st-century Canadian Jews Ak Bars Kazan players Anglophone Quebec people Arizona Coyotes players Bakersfield Condors players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian people of Jewish descent Dallas Stars players Florida Panthers players French Quebecers Ice hockey people from Quebec Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Jewish Canadian sportspeople Jewish ice hockey players Living people Moncton Wildcats players Olympic ice hockey players of Canada Oulun Kärpät players People from Dorval San Jose Sharks draft picks San Jose Sharks players Sportspeople from Montreal Tucson Roadrunners players Victoriaville Tigres players Worcester Sharks players