York Region has become a hotbed for NHL talent over the past few decades with Newmarket’s Connor McDavid, Markham’s Steven Stamkos, and Thornhill’s Mitch Marner being a few of the biggest names from the area currently carving it up at the pro level.
The NHL season got underway this month and many local stars are maintaining success. Many have taken their game up a notch while playing in the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The NHL is littered with former CJHL players and coaches with 70 league alumni on NHL rosters two weeks into the 2023-24 season and another 12 bench bosses from the league now head coaches.
Among those 82, seven come from York Region programs.
The Newmarket Hurricanes are well represented in the NHL this season, with Arizona Coyotes defenceman Travis Dermott, Dallas Stars defenceman Joel Hanley, and Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Sean Walker making up the three alumni.
Dermott, who was born and raised in Newmarket, spent one season with the Hurricanes in 2012-13 putting up 15 points in 53 games before being selected by the Erie Otters in the OHL Draft.
He was ultimately selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs 34th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. In 285 career NHL games with the Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Coyotes, Dermott has totalled 52 points.
Hanley, from Keswick, spent parts of three seasons with the Hurricanes racking up 39 points in 75 games.
He went on to play four seasons of collegiate hockey at UMass and signed with the Montreal Canadians as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Hanley has played in 151 games with the Canadians, Coyotes, and Stars, putting up 18 points.
Also from Keswick, Walker played parts of two seasons with the Hurricanes, appearing in 58 games and totalling 27 points.
Walker then played collegiate hockey at Bowling Green before signing with the Ontario Reign of the AHL and eventually being called up by the Los Angeles Kings in 2018. Between his time with the Kings and Flyers, Walker has played in 239 NHL games with 70 points.
Another alumni hails from the Stouffville Spirit with Arizona Coyotes forward Michael Carcone. Carcone, from Ajax, played one season with the Spirit, putting up 37 points in 49 games.
He would go on to sign with the Utica Comets of the AHL before eventually being called up to the NHL in 2021 by the Coyotes. In 35 games with Arizona, he has 11 points.
Rounding out the York Region OJHL programs represented in the NHL is the Markham Waxers, with Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft and brothers Chris Tanev, a Calgary Flames defenceman, and Brandon Tanev, a Seattle Kraken forward.
Woodcroft, from Toronto, played with the Aurora Eagles in the MetJHL in 1993-94 before spending two seasons with the Waxers where he had 147 points in 100 games. The Oilers coach then played collegiate at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and in the minors before getting into coaching. He’s been Edmonton’s head coach since 2021-22 and has a record of 77-37.
From Toronto, Chris Tanev played parts of two seasons with both the Stouffville Spirit and Waxers finishing with 46 points in 80 games with the two programs.
He then spent one collegiate season with the Rochester Institute of Technology before signing with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL and making his NHL debut with the Canucks in 2010. Between his time with Vancouver and Calgary, Tanev has 171 points in 725 games.
His brother Brandon Tanev played a season with the Waxers finishing with 42 points in 46 games and eventually signed his national letter of intent to play collegiately at Providence College.
After four seasons with the Friars, he signed undrafted with the Winnipeg Jets in 2016. He’s played in 408 NHL games with the Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Kraken, totalling 142 points.
You can see the full list of CJHL alumni, including local stars, in the NHL here.
