Thatcher Demko


Thatcher Douglas Demko is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. Demko was selected by the Canucks in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Demko began playing ice hockey in San Diego at the age of 4. He later moved to Los Angeles to play youth hockey for the LA Junior Kings. In the 2011–12 season, Demko played with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. He joined the U.S. National Development Team during the 2012–13 season, winning silver medal with the team at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
Demko was named the 2016 Co-Player of the Year by the Hockey East Association on March 17, 2016, along with UMass Lowell goaltender Kevin Boyle, while receiving the Mike Richter Award. Demko was ranked number 1 by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on their final list of the top draft-eligible North American goalies leading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
After his third season at Boston College, Demko signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on April 20, 2016.
The Canucks assigned Demko to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets for the 2016–17 season. He would record his first win on November 12, 2016, in a 3–2 overtime victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack. Demko was recalled on December 10, due to Ryan Miller's injury; but was reassigned to the Comets on December 13, without playing a game. On March 4, 2017, Demko earned his first shutout, helping the Comets defeat the Albany Devils by a score of 3–0.
On March 31, 2018, Demko made his NHL debut for the Canucks, stopping 26 shots en route to a 5–4 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
On April 24, 2019, the Canucks signed Demko to a two-year, $2.1 million contract extension.

International play

Demko won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. national under-18 team at 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships. He also was a member of the U.S. national junior team in the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, and was a backup to fellow Hockey East goaltender Jon Gillies of Providence.
The following year, at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, Demko was the starting goaltender, starting in 7 of 8 games. Despite the team's elimination in the Quarterfinals, Demko finished third in the tournament among goaltenders with a 1.74 GAA and.938 save percentage.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honors