Jamie Drysdale

Lore & Background

Drysdale was raised in Toronto and played minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League with the North York Knights and Toronto Marlboros, also attending St. Michael's College School. The Erie Otters selected him fourth overall in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, and he set a franchise record for points by a rookie defenceman with 40 in 63 games, earning OHL First All-Rookie Team honors. In his second junior season, he recorded 47 points in 49 games and was named to the OHL First All-Star Team.

After signing an entry-level contract with Anaheim in November 2020, Drysdale began the 2020–21 season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, where he was named Rookie of the Month for February. He made his NHL debut on March 18, 2021, scoring a goal and an assist in a 3–2 overtime win against the Arizona Coyotes. Drysdale played 24 games that season, finishing with three goals and eight points.

In the 2021–22 season, Drysdale played on Anaheim's top defensive pairing with Hampus Lindholm and finished with four goals and 32 points in 81 games, second among rookie defencemen in scoring. He missed nearly all of the 2022–23 season after suffering a torn glenoid labrum in October, and the following season he signed a three-year, $6.9 million extension before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in January 2024.

Reader's Guide

Drysdale's tenure with the Anaheim Ducks was marked by high expectations as a top prospect and early success, followed by significant injury setbacks. His 32-point rookie season in 2021–22 demonstrated his offensive potential as a defenceman, but a torn glenoid labrum in 2022–23 limited him to just eight games, and a lower-body injury in 2023–24 further reduced his playing time. Despite these challenges, Drysdale was part of a notable moment in Ducks history when he and Trevor Zegras became the youngest set of NHL teammates to score their first goals within 2:30 of one another. His trade to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Cutter Gauthier in January 2024 ended his time in Anaheim after 123 games, during which he recorded eight goals and 45 points. Drysdale's legacy with the Ducks is that of a promising young defenceman whose development was interrupted by injuries, leaving questions about what he might have achieved had he remained healthy.

Did You Know?

• Drysdale wore No. 4 as a young skater as a tribute to Bobby Orr, one of his father's favorite players.
• He was named the GTHL Player of the Year in 2017–18 after recording 50 points in 57 games for the Toronto Marlboros.
• Drysdale's overtime goal against the London Knights on February 15, 2019, broke Travis Dermott's franchise record for points by a rookie defenceman for the Erie Otters.