Brandon DeFazio
Brandon DeFazio | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 13, 1988 Oakville, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (former) |
| Years active | 2010–2023 |
| Known for | Ice hockey career in NHL, AHL, KHL, DEL |
Brandon DeFazio (born September 13, 1988) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey athlete who last competed for the Schwenninger Wild Wings in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
Playing career
DeFazio completed four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey at Clarkson University before embarking on his professional journey. He concluded the 2010–11 season playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins' minor league affiliates, the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL.
Following this, Wilkes-Barre offered him a one-year contract in the AHL, and he participated in Pittsburgh's NHL training camp ahead of the 2011–12 season.
On July 2, 2012, DeFazio inked a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. After completing a season there, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks on July 12, 2013.
DeFazio made his NHL debut during the 2014–15 season with Vancouver on November 9, 2014, appearing in two games total.
He agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with the Boston Bruins on July 6, 2015. The following year, DeFazio secured a one-year AHL contract with the Texas Stars, where he achieved a personal best of 47 points during the 2016–17 campaign.
After spending six seasons mainly in the AHL, DeFazio signed a one-year contract with Chinese club HC Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on June 6, 2017. He then joined Finnish Liiga team Lukko for the 2018–19 season before returning to Kunlun for the 2019–20 KHL season.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, DeFazio signed with Czech Extraliga’s HC Kometa Brno on November 17, 2020. After six games without scoring, he transferred to German DEL side ERC Ingolstadt on December 5, 2020.
On June 9, 2022, DeFazio committed to a one-year contract with fellow DEL outfit Schwenninger Wild Wings for the 2022–23 season. He participated in every regular season match that year, tallying 10 goals and accumulating 21 points. It was announced on March 9, 2023, that he would depart from the team following contract expiration.
Post-playing career
After concluding a professional career spanning thirteen years, DeFazio joined the Pittsburgh Penguins organization as a scout on August 30, 2023. His role focuses on evaluating amateur junior talent within Ontario.
Personal life
His father, Dean DeFazio, also had a professional career within the Pittsburgh Penguins system. Throughout his time in the AHL, Brandon received several Man of the Year awards recognizing his community involvement. He is married and has one daughter, with a second child expected.
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1988 births
- Living people
- Bridgeport Sound Tigers players
- Canadian ice hockey players competing in Germany as expatriates
- Canadian ice hockey players competing in the United States as expatriates
- Canadian left wing ice hockey players
- Clarkson Golden Knights men's ice hockey team members
- ERC Ingolstadt team players
- HC Kometa Brno team members
- HC Kunlun Red Star team players
- Ice hockey athletes originating from Oakville, Ontario
- Lukko team players
- Providence Bruins team members
- Schwenninger Wild Wings team players
- Texas Stars team members
- Undrafted players in the National Hockey League
- Utica Comets team players
- Vancouver Canucks team members
- Wheeling Nailers team players
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team members
- Canadian sportsmen active in the 21st century
- Canadian ice hockey expatriates in Finland
- Utica Comets players