Kurtis Gabriel

Kurtis Gabriel
Born	(1993-04-20) April 20, 1993 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey forward (retired)
Known for	Enforcer role in ice hockey; first NHL player to wear Pride Tape outside of designated NHL Pride Nights

Kurtis Gabriel (born April 20, 1993) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward, recognized chiefly for his role as an enforcer.

Initially overlooked during his first two years of NHL Entry Draft eligibility, Gabriel was eventually chosen by the Minnesota Wild in the third round, 81st overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Wild on November 10, 2015, although he spent the majority of his time playing for their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. After nearly five seasons within the organization until 2017–18, Gabriel signed with the New Jersey Devils. While with the Devils for one season, he became the first NHL player to wear Pride Tape outside of designated NHL Pride Nights. His dedication to community service was recognized through the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award earned with both the Wild and later with the Phantoms.

Early life and education

Gabriel was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, to his mother Kim, who along with his maternal grandparents, has Scottish ancestry. His parents separated when he was six years old. Throughout his childhood, Gabriel engaged in various sports such as hockey, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and ultimate frisbee. By age ten, he competed at the Triple-A level in hockey but stepped down two levels following his father’s suicide. This personal tragedy motivated him to collaborate with the Shared Grief Project later in life.

Amateur

While attending Dr. John M. Denison Secondary School, a friend encouraged Gabriel to pursue hockey professionally. Prior to that, he balanced baseball, soccer, and hockey while also exploring a potential college basketball scholarship. He played AAA minor hockey for the Markham Waxers and York-Simcoe Express before participating in evaluation camps for Jr. A Newmarket Hurricanes and Jr. C Georgina Ice. His performance at the Georgina Ice camp caught the attention of Bryan Denney, a scout for the Owen Sound Attack, who invited him to their development camp.

Gabriel spent four seasons (2010–2014) exclusively with the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL. During his rookie season, he appeared in 40 games and tallied four points. Undrafted in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he attended the Phoenix Coyotes Rookie Camp as a free agent invitee. The 2012–13 NHL lockout curtailed additional rookie camp opportunities despite him posting a 17-point season. Returning for 2012–13, Gabriel earned Attacker of the Week honors and achieved personal bests with 13 goals and 15 assists (28 points), although he was not listed by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. The Minnesota Wild selected him 81st overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft after he had been passed over previously.

In his final major junior year, Gabriel served as an alternate captain and surpassed previous personal records in goals, assists, and total points. On March 3, 2014, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with Minnesota Wild. As Owen Sound qualified for playoffs, Gabriel maintained a 10-game point streak and contributed one assist during their first-round playoff defeat by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Professional

Once Owen Sound’s OHL playoff run ended, Gabriel joined Minnesota's AHL affiliate team—the Iowa Wild. He netted his first AHL goal on April 16, 2014, concluding that season with four points over eight games.

After a promising start in 2013–14, Gabriel received an invitation to Minnesota Wild’s training camp ahead of the 2014–15 season. He commenced his first full professional campaign with Iowa, accumulating seven goals and sixteen points across sixty-seven games. This performance led to another call-up to Minnesota’s training camp before the 2015–16 season. Although initially not making Minnesota’s NHL roster, Gabriel debuted on November 10, 2015 against the Winnipeg Jets before returning to Iowa. His community involvement during that season earned him Iowa’s IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year distinction. After missing out on Calder Cup playoff contention with Iowa, he participated in his first Stanley Cup playoff game on April 18 with Minnesota.

Gabriel spent most of the 2016–17 campaign playing for Iowa while appearing in only thirteen NHL games. In February 2017, he faced a six-game suspension in the AHL due to off-ice behavior but wrapped up that season with ten points and sixty-eight penalty minutes over forty games. On July 10, 2017, he re-signed a one-year deal with Minnesota.

During the 2017–18 season, Gabriel sustained a wrist injury necessitating surgery but made a comeback by February 2018. Despite returning from injury, he remained exclusively in the AHL throughout that season and departed Minnesota as a free agent afterward. On July 2, 2018, Gabriel inked a one-year two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils.

For the 2018–19 season, Gabriel was assigned to New Jersey’s AHL affiliate—the Binghamton Devils—before earning an NHL recall where he became notable as the first player to sport Pride Tape during an NHL game beyond official Pride Night events—a gesture symbolizing inclusion that he continued regularly. He scored his inaugural NHL goal on February 21, 2019 against Ottawa Senators. Later that year, he received a one-game suspension due to boarding but concluded his tenure with four points over twenty-two games. On July 1, 2019, Gabriel signed another one-year two-way contract this time with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Starting off with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms during the 2019–20 season, Gabriel remained distinguished for consistently wearing Pride Tape and acted as ambassador for their You Can Play initiative. His leadership qualities led to being honored as Lehigh Valley’s IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year.

Following that season as an unrestricted free agent, Gabriel agreed to a one-year two-way contract with San Jose Sharks on November 2, 2020. He made his debut for San Jose on February 12, 2021. During that campaign, he incurred a $3,017.24 fine related to cross-checking during warm-ups and was also named finalist for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy recognizing leadership and humanitarian efforts.

On July 28, 2021, Gabriel signed a one-year contract worth $750,000 with Toronto Maple Leafs but spent most of that season playing for their AHL affiliate before being traded to Chicago Blackhawks on December 9, 2021.

Primarily competing at AHL level during the 2021–22 season, Gabriel announced his retirement from professional hockey on September 19, 2022.

Player profile

Gabriel is often characterized as an enforcer who can contribute offensively when the situation demands. Early in his career, his skating was frequently pointed out as an area needing improvement.

When Gabriel was signed to a one-year deal, New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes commended him:

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010–11	Owen Sound Attack	OHL		40	1	3	4	20		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Owen Sound Attack	OHL		65	4	13	17	72		4	0	0	0	0
2012–13	Owen Sound Attack	OHL		67	13	15	28	100		12	3	2	5	34
2013–14	Owen Sound Attack	OHL		60	16	35	51	99		5	0	1	1	22
2013–14	Iowa Wild	AHL		8	2	2	4	15		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Iowa Wild	AHL		67	7	9	16	125		—	—	—	—

Awards and honours

Award	Year
American Hockey League (AHL)
IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year	2016, 2020