Brandon Gormley
Brandon Gormley | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1992 Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | Ice hockey defenseman, NHL and international competitions |
Brandon Gormley (born February 18, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently an unrestricted free agent. His latest team was the Iserlohn Roosters competing in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Drafted 13th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Gormley earned recognition on the QMJHL All-Rookie Team, was twice named to the QMJHL Second Team All-Star list, and captured the President's Cup with the Moncton Wildcats in 2010. On the international stage, he participated in key junior tournaments such as the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the IIHF World U20 Championship.
Junior
At age 14, Gormley relocated from Prince Edward Island to join Athol Murray College of Notre Dame’s hockey program in Saskatchewan. Following two seasons with the Notre Dame Hounds in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, he was selected first overall in the 2008 QMJHL Draft by the Moncton Wildcats. During his debut season (2008–09), he tallied 7 goals and 27 points across 62 games, earning a spot on the QMJHL All-Rookie Team.
The 2009–10 campaign saw Gormley elevate his performance to 9 goals and 43 points, along with 17 playoff points—ranking third among defensemen in the league—and played a pivotal role in Moncton's President's Cup victory as QMJHL champions, which secured their place in the 2010 Memorial Cup. Although Gormley contributed three points in three games during the tournament, the Wildcats were eliminated after losing all their matches. That year, he received the Mike Bossy Trophy as Quebec’s premier professional prospect and was honored as a Second-Team QMJHL All-Star.
Leading up to the 2010 NHL Draft, NHL Central Scouting ranked him sixth among North American skaters while International Scouting Services placed him third overall. Scouts praised his comprehensive playing style, high hockey intelligence, and adept puck-handling skills. Ultimately, he was picked 13th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes.
Gormley attended the Coyotes’ training camp in September 2010 but returned to Moncton for his third QMJHL season. He recorded 13 goals and 48 points over 47 games and earned a second straight selection to the QMJHL Second All-Star Team. After Moncton's early playoff departure, he joined Phoenix’s AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage for four games, registering one assist.
In his fourth junior year, Gormley appeared in 26 games before being traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes just prior to the January 7, 2012 QMJHL trade deadline, where he completed his junior career.
Professional
Gormley initiated his professional journey with the Portland Pirates, Phoenix’s AHL affiliate during the 2012–13 season. He played in 68 games and ranked second among defensemen on his team with 24 assists and totaled 29 points.
In his sophomore AHL season (2013–14), he was appointed Alternate Captain and stood eighth in scoring among AHL defensemen before earning his first NHL call-up by Phoenix on March 7, 2014. He made his NHL debut on March 10 against Tampa Bay Lightning and appeared in five scoreless games before returning to Portland to conclude the season with personal offensive bests.
Starting his final year under rookie contract during the 2014–15 season, Gormley began with Portland but was recalled several times by Arizona. He netted his first NHL goal on November 16, 2014, against Ben Scrivens of Edmonton Oilers. Despite these chances, he was unable to secure a permanent roster spot and finished with a career-high of 27 NHL games and four points.
On July 31, 2015, Gormley agreed to a one-year two-way contract extension with the Coyotes. Due to limited progression and waiver eligibility constraints, he was traded on September 9, 2015, to Colorado Avalanche for rights to restricted free agent Stefan Elliott. Gormley made Colorado’s opening roster for the 2015–16 season and debuted on October 21, 2015. Employed primarily as a depth player, he recorded his first point with Colorado in December but was placed on waivers in January 2016. After clearing waivers, he was reassigned to San Antonio Rampage (AHL), where he remained through season end. The Avalanche chose not to tender him a new contract in June 2016, rendering him a free agent.
On July 28, 2016, Gormley signed a one-year two-way deal with New Jersey Devils. He was assigned leadership responsibilities with their AHL affiliate Albany Devils and contributed two goals and ten points over 35 games before being traded to Ottawa Senators for future considerations on March 6, 2017. This move aimed at strengthening Ottawa’s AHL affiliate Binghamton Senators; however, Gormley was not eligible for NHL recall following trade deadline.
After departing Ottawa without a contract offer, Gormley accepted an invitation to Toronto Marlies’ AHL training camp on September 25, 2017. Upon release from camp, he signed a one-year contract with Swedish SHL club Mora IK on October 16, 2017.
Following two seasons competing for SHL’s Frölunda HC, Gormley entered free agency and signed late December 2020 with Germany’s Straubing Tigers of DEL. During the 2020–21 DEL season, he enhanced his offensive production from defenseman position by scoring three goals and accumulating seventeen points across thirty-four games.
Continuing his European tenure, Gormley inked a one-year agreement with KHL Latvian club Dinamo Riga on August 19, 2021. Midway through that season, he was traded to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and contributed one assist over three playoff contests.
Once again a free agent, Gormley joined KHL side HC Sochi on August 15, 2022. After completing one season there, he returned to Germany’s DEL by signing a one-year deal with Iserlohn Roosters on October 2, 2023.
Beginning the following season (2024–25) without a contract elsewhere, Gormley secured another one-year extension with Iserlohn Roosters on October 18, 2024.
International competition
Gormley had the opportunity to represent Atlantic Canada on two occasions at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he accumulated six points across five games during both the 2008 and 2009 events. Progressing to the national under-18 squad, he took part in the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where his three goals played a key role in Canada's gold medal victory.
Although Gormley received an invitation to the Canadian national junior team's selection camp for the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he was not included on the under-20 roster at age 17. Anticipated to compete in the 2011 edition, a knee injury prevented his participation. Subsequently, he was chosen for the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships held in Alberta, earning Canada's player of the game recognition after registering two goals and one assist against Denmark. His performance led to his selection as the tournament's top defenseman and placement on the All-Star team.
On January 25, 2022, Gormley was officially named to Team Canada for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2007–08 | Notre Dame Hounds AAA | SMHL | 42 | 23 | 33 | 56 | 63 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 18 | ||
| 2008–09 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 62 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 34 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 58 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 54 | 21 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 10 | ||
| 2010–11 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 47 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 2011–12 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 26 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 18 | |||||||
| 2011–12 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2012–13 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 68 | 5 | 24 | 29 | 44 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 54 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 34 | |||||||
| 2013–14 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| 2014–15 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 23 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 27 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | |||||||
| 2015–16 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||
| 2015–16 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 39 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 26 | |||||||
| 2016–17 | Albany Devils | AHL | 35 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 30 | |||||||
| 2016–17 | Binghamton Senators &&AHL &&17 &&2 &&3 &&5 &&12 && | |||||||||||||
| 2017–18 &&Mora IK &&SHL &&41 &&2 &&15 &&17 &&30 && | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–19 &&TPS &&Liiga &&24 &&2 &&6 &&8 &&8 && | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–19 &&Frölunda HC &&SHL &&17 &&2 &&5 &&7 &&6 &&15 &&2 &&5 &&7 &&8 | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–20 &&Frölunda HC &&SHL &&42 &&5 &&6 &&11 &&26 && | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–21 &&Straubing Tigers &&DEL &&34 &&3 &&14 &&17 &&16 &&3 &&0 &&3 &&3 &&4 | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–22 &&Dinamo Riga &&KHL &&26 &&1 &&10 &&11 &&22 && | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–22 &&Lokomotiv Yaroslavl &&KHL &&2 &&0 &&0 &&0 &&0 &&3 &&0 &&1 &&1 &&4 | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–23 &&HC Sochi &&KHL &&43 &&1 &&11 &&12 &&47 && | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–24 &&Iserlohn Roosters &&DEL &&31 &&2 &&9 &&11 &&36 && | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–25 &&Iserlohn Roosters &&DEL &&38 &&4 &&14 &&18 &&12 && | ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals | 58 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| SHL totals | 100 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 62 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | ||||
| KHL totals | 71 | 2 | 21 | 23 | 69 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Placement | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Canada Atlantic | U17 | 8th place | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2009 | Canada Atlantic | U17 | 9th place | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Canada | IH18 | Template:Gold1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Canada | WJC | Template:Bronze3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Canada | SC | Template:Gold1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Junior career totals | 20 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 8 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award title | Year received | |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Hockey League / QMJHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team selection | 2008–09 QMJHL season | |
| Mike Bossy Trophy recipient | 2009–10 QMJHL season | |
| President's Cup (with Moncton Wildcats) | 2010 | |
| Second-Team All-Star designation | 2009–10, 2010–11 QMJHL season | |
| Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup All-Star Team member | 2012 Memorial Cup | |
| Champions Hockey League (Frölunda HC) | ||
| Champions title | 2018–19 Champions Hockey League | |
| Swedish Hockey League (Frölunda HC) | ||
| Le Mat Trophy winner | 2018–19 SHL season | |
| International Ice Hockey Federation | ||
| Gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament | 2008 | |
| First Team All-Star and Best Defenseman at World Juniors | 2012 | |
| Bronze medal at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships | 2012 | |