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Darnell Nurse

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Darnell Nurse
Nurse with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022
Born (1995-02-04) February 4, 1995 (age 31)
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 player who is a 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 university basketball player for the McMaster Marauders.[2] As a child, Nurse played football, basketball, lacrosse, and hockey, but by high school, he was only playing the last. 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 at nearly 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighing 176 pounds (80 kg) by the age of 15, Nurse established himself quickly as a strong, physically assertive defenceman for the Don Mills Flyers minor ice hockey team.[4]

Playing career

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Major junior

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Nurse with the Oklahoma City Barons in 2014

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 with the Oilers in 2015

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, 2014, 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 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, 2015.[13] On October 27, Nurse scored his first 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
Men's ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Slovakia
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Canada
World U18 Championships
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 for Canada under-18 team at the 2012 World U18 Championships, winning the bronze medal.[24]

During the 2012–13 season he again played for the under-18 team and won 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 junior team at the 2015 World Junior Championships 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 Canada senior team's roster for the 2018 World Championship.[29]

On April 29, 2019, Nurse returned to the international stage to be named to Canada's roster for the 2019 World Championship.[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.[31] He completed the tournament posting 2 goals and 4 points from the blueline in 10 games.

On May 5, 2026, Nurse and Oilers teammate Evan Bouchard were added to Canada's roster for the 2026 World Championship.[32]

Personal life

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Nurse attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School[33] 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.[34]

Nurse and his wife have three sons.[35]

Family sports connections

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He is the son of former Canadian Football League wide receiver Richard Nurse.[36] His sister, Kia, plays for the Toronto Tempo of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She won two NCAA championships with the Connecticut Huskies,[37][38] and is a member of the Canada women's basketball team. His cousin Sarah Nurse[39] won a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics with Canada women's ice hockey team and a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is a forward for the Vancouver Goldeneyes of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).[40][41] His uncle Donovan McNabb was an National Footbal League (NFL) quarterback who played in six Pro Bowls and had his number retired by the Philadelphia Eagles.[42][43] Darnell's cousin Isaac is a professional ice hockey player for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.[44]

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
2024–25 Edmonton Oilers NHL 76 5 28 33 72 22 3 5 8 31
2025–26 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 7 17 24 104 6 0 0 0 4
NHL totals 798 88 236 324 725 100 7 22 29 108

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
2026 Canada WC 4th 10 0 6 6 2
Junior totals 24 1 3 4 32
Senior totals 30 2 9 11 14

Awards and honours

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Awards Year Ref
World U-17 Hockey Challenge All-Star Team 2012 [24]
CHL Top Prospects Game 2013 [45]

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. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  3. ^ Campbell, Tim (February 28, 2020). "Nurse leans on prominent athletes in family to find success with Oilers". NHL.com. Edmonton: National Hockey League. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (November 18, 2010). "Darnell Nurse". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  5. ^ "OHL Draft Class of 2011: Top 10 Picks". ontariohockeyleague.com. May 7, 2011. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  6. ^ McCurdy, Bruce (June 30, 2013). "Edmonton Oilers draft Darnell Nurse 7th overall". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  7. ^ "Oilers ink Nurse to entry-level contract". EdmontonOilers.com. Edmonton Oilers. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  8. ^ "Greyhounds announce Leadership Group including Captain Darnell Nurse". ontariohockeyleague.com. 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. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  10. ^ Tychkowski, Robert (October 15, 2014). "Oilers unable to match Kings goal output, dig themselves early hole". Edmonton Sun. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "#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. October 17, 2014. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  12. ^ "#Oilers assign Darnell Nurse, Mitch Moroz, Martin Gernat & Iiro Pakarinen to @Condors . Roster now sits at 28 players (3G, 10D, 15F)". Twitter. September 30, 2015. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  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. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  14. ^ Campbell, Dave (October 27, 2015). "Wild score 43 seconds apart in 3rd period to beat Oilers 4-3". globalnews.ca. Global News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  15. ^ "Edmonton's Darnell Nurse suspended 3 games under Rule 46.2 Aggressor of an altercation with San Jose's Roman Polak". Twitter. National Hockey League. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  16. ^ "Darnell Nurse suspended 3 Games" (Video). NHL.com. National Hockey League. March 10, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  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. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  18. ^ "Filip Forsberg, James Neal lead Predators over Oilers". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Associated Press. February 26, 2017. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  19. ^ Romero, Diego (September 17, 2018). "Darnell Nurse signs $3.2M AAV deal with Oilers". ctvnews.ca. CTV News. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  20. ^ "Oilers name Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl alternate captains". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. October 1, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  21. ^ "Nurse signs two-year contract with Oilers". NHL.com. National Hockey League. February 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  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. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  23. ^ "Nurse signs eight-year contract extension with Oilers". NHL.com. August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  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. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  26. ^ "Darnell Nurse and U18 Team Wins Gold in Slovakia". saultsports.com. May 6, 2013. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  27. ^ Klein, Jeff (June 17, 2013). "Nurse climbing to the top in Hockey after selecting a different path". The New York Times. Boston. 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). "Nurse named to Team Canada's roster at Worlds". NHL.com. 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. 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. ^ "Bouchard, Nurse to join Canada for men's World Championship". TSN.ca. May 5, 2026. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ "Nurse recognized as Scholastic Player of the Year". Soo Today. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  35. ^ "Edmonton Oilers baby boom: Kane, Nugent-Hopkins and Nurse welcome kids over the summer". Global News. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  36. ^ 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. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  37. ^ "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. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  38. ^ Berkes, Peter (April 5, 2016). "UConn vs. Syracuse 2016: Huskies win Women's NCAA Tournament championship, 82-51". SBNation. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ "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.
  41. ^ "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.
  42. ^ 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.
  43. ^ Morreale, Mike G. "Nurse has great source for advice in uncle -- McNabb". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  44. ^ "Everblades Agree to Terms with Isaac Nurse". Florida Everblades. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  45. ^ "Darnell Nurse – The Hockey News". Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
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