Thatcher Demko
Thatcher Demko | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 8, 1995 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey goaltender |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Known for | Playing for the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL |
Thatcher Douglas Demko (born December 8, 1995) is a professional American ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 36th overall by Vancouver in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Demko honed his skills through collegiate hockey and minor leagues prior to entering the NHL.
College and minor leagues
Demko started his hockey journey in San Diego at age four before relocating to Los Angeles in 2010 to join the LA Junior Kings. During the 2011–12 season, he guarded the net for the Omaha Lancers in the United States Hockey League (USHL), then advanced to the U.S. National Development Team for 2012–13, where he contributed to earning a silver medal at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
Between 2013 and 2016, Demko served as Boston College Eagles' primary goaltender, compiling an impressive 62–26–10 record with a .928 save percentage, a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.08, and 13 shutouts. Notably, he established a new Boston College single-season shutout record with 10 during his junior year, nearly equaling the NCAA benchmark. His collegiate achievements include selection to the Hockey East All-Rookie team and securing the league’s top goaltender distinction as a freshman, alongside contributing to Boston College’s fifth consecutive Beanpot tournament victory.
Following his freshman year, Demko was rated as the premier North American goaltender available for the 2014 NHL Draft and was subsequently chosen by Vancouver in the second round. In April 2015, he underwent surgery on both hips to repair labral tears that had caused persistent discomfort over several years.
During his junior year, Demko posted a stellar 27–8–4 record with a GAA of 1.88 and a .935 save percentage, guiding Boston College to another Frozen Four appearance. His accolades included receiving the Mike Richter Award as NCAA’s top goaltender and being named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Additional honors comprised AHCA All-American Second Team recognition, inclusion on the Hockey East First All-Star team, and sharing Hockey East Co-Player of the Year honors.
Opting to forgo his senior year, Demko inked a three-year entry-level contract with Vancouver on April 20, 2016. He spent the entire 2016–17 campaign with Vancouver’s AHL team, the Utica Comets, achieving his first professional victory on November 12, 2016, and recording his inaugural shutout on March 4, 2017. A brief recall to Vancouver occurred in December due to injuries on the NHL roster; however, he did not participate in any NHL games before returning to Utica.
Vancouver Canucks
Demko made his NHL debut on March 31, 2018, with the Vancouver Canucks, securing a 5–4 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets while making 26 saves. He spent the remainder of that season playing with the Utica Comets in the AHL.
After backup goalie Anders Nilsson was traded on January 2, 2019, Demko stepped into the full-time backup position. Despite recovering from a concussion and primarily playing in the AHL during that season, he remained part of Vancouver’s NHL roster. On April 24, 2019, Demko agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $2.1 million.
Throughout the 2019-20 season, Demko served as backup until late in the campaign when he started in place of an injured Jacob Markstrom. Beginning February 25, 2020, he started seven of eight final games and posted a .906 save percentage. A standout performance included a shootout win against the New York Islanders on March 10, where he made 45 saves.
Demko’s first NHL playoff start came on September 1, 2020, when he replaced Markstrom during an elimination game versus the Vegas Golden Knights. He conceded only one goal on 43 shots in a 2–1 victory, becoming the first rookie goalie since José Théodore in 1997 to win an elimination playoff debut. Two days later, Demko recorded a shutout with 48 saves in a commanding 4–0 win—setting NHL rookie records for most saves in both a playoff shutout and regulation shutout game. Over his initial three playoff starts, he achieved an outstanding .984 save percentage and was named first star each time.
On March 1, 2021, Demko earned his first regular-season shutout during a dominant 4–0 win against the Winnipeg Jets. This marked the beginning of an eight-win and one-loss streak with an impressive .950 save percentage and a goals-against average of just 1.74—cementing his status as Vancouver’s primary goaltender. On March 31, he secured a five-year contract extension valued at $25 million.
Demko was recognized as NHL Third Star of the Month for December 2021 after compiling a strong record of seven wins and one loss with a GAA of 1.72 and .946 save percentage. His first NHL All-Star Game selection followed on January 13, 2022.
For the upcoming 2023–24 season, Demko earned his inaugural nomination as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.
On April 21, 2024, during a playoff matchup against the Nashville Predators, Demko sustained an injury to his popliteus muscle. After undergoing seven months of rehabilitation, he returned to action on December 10, 2024. Another injury in February 2025 sidelined him for approximately forty days; nonetheless, he concluded that season appearing in six games across late March and early April.
On July 1, 2025, Demko agreed to a three-year contract extension commencing with the 2026–27 season featuring an annual average value of $8.5 million and including a no-move clause.
International competition
Demko secured a silver medal representing the U.S. national under-18 team at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships. He also served as the backup goaltender to Jon Gillies for the U.S. national junior team during the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship. In the following year’s tournament, Demko was the primary goaltender, starting in seven out of eight games. Despite the team's elimination in the quarterfinals, he ranked third among goaltenders with a 1.74 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
His first appearance at the senior international level occurred during the 2019 IIHF World Championship, where he played as Cory Schneider's backup. Demko started two matches and achieved a 2–0–0 record.
Personal details
Demko and his wife Lexie are parents to one child.
Regular season and playoffs
2021–22 NHL season Vancouver Canucks NHL 64 33 22 7 3,701 168 1 2.72 .915 —— 2022–23 NHL season Vancouver Canucks NHL 32 14 14 4 1,879 99 1 3.16 .901 —— 2023–24 NHL season Vancouver Canucks NHL 51 35 14 2 3,016 123 5 2.45 .918 1 1 0 60 2 0 2.00 .917 2024–25 NHL season Vancouver Canucks NHL 23 10 8 3 1,302 63 1 2.90 .889 ——| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2011–12 | Omaha Lancers | USHL | 15 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 754 | 36 | 1 | 2.87 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | US National Development Team | USHL | 19 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1,059 | 39 | 1 | 2.21 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Boston College | HE | 24 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 1,446 | 54 | 2 | 2.24 | .919 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Boston College | HE | 35 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 2,107 | 77 | 1 | 2.19 | .925 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Boston College | HE | 39 | 27 | 8 | 4 | 2,362 | 74 | 10 | 1.88 | .935 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Utica Comets | AHL | 45 | 22 | 17 | 4 | 2,555 | 114 | 2 | 2.68 | .907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Utica Comets | AHL | 46 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 2,781 | 113 | 1 | 2.44 | .922 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 312 | 14 | 0 | 2.69 | .927 | ||
| 2017–18 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 4 | 0 | 3.93 | .867 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 AHL season | Utica Comets | AHL | 8 |5 |1 |860 |37 |0 |2.58 |.911 | — |— |— |— |— |— |— | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–19 NHL season | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 4 |3 |1 |534 |25 |0 |2.81 |.913 | — |— |— |— |— |— |_- | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019–20 NHL season | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 13 |10 |2 |1,529 |78 |0 |3.06 |.905 | 2 |1 |186 |2 |1 |0.64 |.985 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020–21 NHL season | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 16 |18 |1 |2,087 |99 |1 |2.85 |.915 | ||||||||||||||||||
| NHL totals | 242 | 126 | 89 | 20 | 14,108 | 659 | 9 | 2.80 | .910 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 246 | 4 | 1 | 0.97 | .974 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | United States | U18 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 428 | 16 | 1 | 2.24 | .899 | |
| 2015 | United States | WJC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 242 | 7 | 1 | 1.74 | .939 | |
| 2019 | United States | WC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 4 | 0 | 2.00 | .920 | |
| Junior career totals | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 670 | 23 | 2 | 2.06 | .916 | |||
| Senior career totals | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 4 | 0 | 2.00 | .920 | |||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Collegiate | |
| Mike Richter Award | 2015–16 |
| NHL | |
| NHL All-Star Game | 2022, 2024 |
| NHL Second All-Star Team | 2024 |
| Vancouver Canucks | |
| Cyclone Taylor Trophy | 2022 |