Chris Tierney (ice hockey)
Chris Tierney | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1994 Keswick, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Ice hockey centre |
| Known for | Playing for HC Ambrì-Piotta in the National League (NL), former NHL player |
Chris Tierney (born July 1, 1994) is a Canadian ice hockey centre currently playing for HC Ambrì-Piotta in the National League (NL). Selected 55th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Tierney has also been a member of the New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators during his professional career.
Junior
Tierney was picked 19th overall in the 2010 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) priority draft by the London Knights. He made his debut in the 2010–11 season, contributing 11 points across 47 games. In the following season, 2011–12, he played alongside Josh Anderson and Bo Horvat, tallying 11 goals and a total of 34 points over 65 games. That year, the Knights captured the OHL's 2012 J. Ross Robertson Cup and advanced to the final of the 2012 Memorial Cup, where they were narrowly defeated 2–1 by the Shawinigan Cataractes.
During the 2012–13 campaign, Tierney added 21 points in 21 playoff contests as London secured their second consecutive J. Ross Robertson Cup but fell short in the Memorial Cup semifinals against the Portland Winterhawks. Serving as captain in his final junior season (2013–14), he led the Knights to a third straight Memorial Cup appearance as tournament hosts, finishing in last place. Over his junior tenure, Tierney amassed a total of 191 points in 247 games.
Professional
Tierney was drafted in the second round, 55th overall, by the San Jose Sharks at the 2012 NHL entry draft. On April 2, 2013, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks. Turning professional in the 2014–15 NHL season, Tierney earned a spot on San Jose’s opening night roster and registered his first NHL point—a helper—on October 8. He netted his initial NHL goal on February 5, 2015, during a 5–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Throughout that season, he also spent time with San Jose’s AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks.
In the 2015–16 NHL season, Tierney appeared in all 79 regular-season games and participated in 24 playoff matches as the Sharks advanced to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, ultimately losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The subsequent season saw him play in 80 games, recording 11 goals and accumulating 23 points.
On July 11, 2017, Tierney agreed to a one-year, one-way contract extension valued at $735,000. During the 2017–18 season, he led San Jose’s penalty kill unit in ice time and achieved personal bests with 17 goals and 40 points over an entire 82-game schedule. He signed a two-year contract extension on July 18, 2018; however, on September 13 of that year, he was included in a trade package sent to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Tierney made his Ottawa debut during their season opener in 2018 and recorded his first point by assisting on a power play goal. His first goal as a Senator came on October 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. On December 14, he scored twice to help secure a win over the Detroit Red Wings. In the pandemic-shortened 2019 season, Tierney ranked sixth on Ottawa with totals of 11 goals and 36 points across 71 games. On October 26, 2020, he signed a two-year extension worth $7 million. During the 2021 season, he contributed two power play goals in an important victory against the Dallas Stars.
Following his tenure with Ottawa, Tierney inked a one-year two-way deal with the Florida Panthers on July 16, 2022. Beginning with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, he tallied 16 points in just 20 games before being called up to Florida’s NHL roster for thirteen contests where he recorded three points. His Florida debut occurred on December 6, and he scored his first goal for the Panthers two days later versus Detroit. In February of 2023, Tierney was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Montreal Canadiens to strengthen their lineup amid injuries. He debuted for Montreal on February 24 and notched his first goal with them during a win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He ended that campaign with five points across twenty-three games.
On July 14, 2023, Tierney agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils. He made his debut on October 20 playing alongside Nathan Bastian and Curtis Lazar. His initial point for New Jersey came on December 29 assisting Luke Hughes during a victory over Ottawa; his first goal for the Devils followed on February 6, 2024 against Colorado’s Justus Annunen. He finished that season accumulating twelve points over fifty-two games.
On September 23, 2024, Tierney signed a one-year contract with HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In his inaugural professional season outside North America (2024–25), he contributed ten goals and twenty points during sixty regular-season games and added eight points across eleven playoff contests as Minsk progressed to round two.
On June 21, 2025, Tierney departed from the KHL to join Swiss outfit HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL) under a one-year contract featuring an option for an additional year.
Personal life
Tierney is the child of Jim and Liz Tierney. He was born in Keswick, Ontario and has relatives residing near Ottawa. During his youth, he supported the Atlanta Thrashers.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | London Knights | OHL | 47 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | London Knights | OHL | 65 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 20 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | London Knights | OHL | 68 | 18 | 39 | 57 | 12 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | London Knights | OHL | 67 | 40 | 49 | 89 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 29 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 43 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 6 | |||||||
| 2015–16 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 79 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2016–17 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 80 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 82 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 81 | 9 | 39 | 48 | 26 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2019–20 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 71 | 11 | 26 | 37 | 20 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2020–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 55 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 8 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2021–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 70 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 14 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2022–23 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 20 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 10 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2022–23 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| 2022–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 23 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | |||||||
| 2023–24 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 52 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 21 | |||||||
| 2024–25 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 60 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 649 | 80 | 168 | 248 | 135 | 40 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 8 | ||||