Troy Stecher

Troy Stecher
Troy Stecher
Born	April 7, 1994 (age 32); Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey defenceman
Years active	2016–present
Known for	Playing for Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Troy Stecher, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 28 November 2025

Troy Stecher ( ; born April 7, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). Throughout his career, he has also been rostered by the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers.

Despite not being selected in the NHL Draft, Stecher competed for three seasons at the University of North Dakota, where he earned distinctions such as Second-Team All-American West, inclusion in the All-NCHC Second Team, and was honored as the NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year during his final collegiate campaign.

Amateur

Stecher began playing hockey at six years old with the Richmond Minor Hockey Association. After completing elementary school, he enrolled at South Delta Secondary School to participate in its hockey academy while competing at the bantam level. Although drafted by the Portland Winterhawks in the 2009 WHL Draft, he opted instead to develop his skills with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL.

During his sophomore season with Penticton, Stecher was appointed Assistant Captain and played a pivotal role in guiding the team to a national junior ‘A’ Championship victory. He was also loaned to Team Canada West for the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, where he achieved a personal best of 42 points across 53 regular-season contests. At the RBC Cup, he amassed 10 points over 15 games and earned recognition as the tournament's top defenceman.

On June 28, 2012, Stecher was named captain of the Penticton Vees for his final BCHL season (2012–13). That year, he committed to playing NCAA hockey at the University of North Dakota. By season’s end, he received BCHL First-Team All-Star accolades and was awarded the Top Defenceman Trophy for the Interior region.

Collegiate

Stecher spent three seasons competing in college hockey at the University of North Dakota. As a freshman, he distinguished himself by participating in all 42 games—the only freshman to do so—and totaled 11 points. After going undrafted in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, he returned for his sophomore year but missed eight contests due to injury, finishing with 13 points in 34 appearances.

In his junior and final collegiate season, Stecher set a personal best with 29 points over 43 games. His performance earned him Second-Team All-American West honors and a spot on the All-NCHC Second Team. Additionally, he was nominated for both NCHC Defenseman of the Year and Offensive Defenseman of the Year awards while contributing significantly to North Dakota’s national championship win. Following this impressive season, Stecher signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on April 13, 2016.

Vancouver Canucks

Stecher started the 2016–17 NHL season assigned to Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, but was recalled after just four games. He made his NHL debut on October 25, 2016, becoming the first Richmond, British Columbia-born player to represent Vancouver at the NHL level. His initial NHL assist came on November 5, followed by his first goal on November 13 during a 5–4 overtime victory against the Dallas Stars.

In March 2017, an upper-body injury briefly sidelined Stecher; however, he returned promptly to action. During the 2017–18 season, he engaged in his first NHL fight but sustained a knee injury in October that caused him to miss six weeks. He concluded that season with 11 points over 68 games. On July 20, 2018, Stecher secured a two-year contract extension worth $4.65 million with Vancouver.

Detroit Red Wings

Following the Canucks' decision not to extend a qualifying offer, Stecher agreed to a two-year deal worth $3.4 million with the Detroit Red Wings on October 10, 2020.

Los Angeles Kings

In the final season of his contract on March 20, 2022, Stecher was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in return for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft. He contributed one assist across 13 regular season games and added two goals along with four points in four playoff appearances against the Edmonton Oilers.

Arizona Coyotes

As an unrestricted free agent, Stecher inked a one-year contract valued at $1.25 million with the Arizona Coyotes on July 13, 2022.

Calgary Flames

On March 3, 2023, Stecher was part of a trade package along with Nick Ritchie sent to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Connor Mackey and Brett Ritchie. During his 20 games with Calgary, he tallied three goals and seven points but was unable to help the team secure a playoff berth.

Return to Arizona

Stecher rejoined the Coyotes as a free agent on July 1, 2023, signing a one-year contract worth $1.1 million.

Edmonton Oilers

On March 7, 2024, Stecher, along with a seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2024. He recorded two assists over seven regular season contests and subsequently signed a two-year extension averaging $787,500 annually. During the 2025–26 NHL season, he appeared in six games before being placed on waivers on November 15, 2025.

Toronto Maple Leafs

On November 15, 2025, Stecher was claimed off waivers by the Maple Leafs.

International play

Stecher debuted internationally on April 29, 2019, when he was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia. Over ten games, he contributed one goal and two points as Canada secured the silver medal after losing to Finland in the championship match.

At the 2021 IIHF World Championship, Stecher earned Gold with Team Canada following a 3-2 overtime victory against Finland on June 6, 2021. He assisted on the decisive overtime goal during the quarterfinals versus Russia, finishing the tournament with two points in ten games.