Travis Dermott

Lore & Background

Dermott began his youth hockey career with the Minor Midget 'AAA' York Simcoe Express, helping the team win five OMHA championships and an OHF peewee title. He was drafted by the Erie Otters in the 2012 Ontario Hockey League draft and later named to the 2013–14 OHL First All-Rookie Team. During his tenure with the Otters, he scored 45 points in 61 games in one season, including a franchise record seven-game assist streak by a defenceman. He was rated as a top prospect projected as a possible first round pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft but was selected in the second round, 34th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After making his professional debut in 2016 with the Toronto Marlies, Dermott was utilized on the team's penalty-kill and moved to the right hand side as a left-handed shot. He made his NHL debut in 2018 and scored his first career NHL goal in a 5–0 win against the New York Islanders on January 31. He recorded his first playoff goal during Game 7 against the Boston Bruins, though the Leafs lost the game 7–4. After the Leafs were eliminated, he helped the Marlies win their first Calder Cup in franchise history.

Reader's Guide

Dermott's career trajectory reflects a player who was highly regarded as a junior prospect, projected as a possible first-round pick before being selected 34th overall. His time with the Toronto Maple Leafs saw him develop as a defenceman who could kill penalties and play on the right side despite being left-handed. He contributed to the Marlies' first Calder Cup championship in 2018, a significant achievement for the franchise. After his tenure with the Maple Leafs, he moved on to play for the Vancouver Canucks, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Minnesota Wild, demonstrating his ability to compete at the NHL level across multiple organizations. His most recent professional activity was a tryout with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, indicating he remains active in professional hockey. Dermott's career illustrates the path of a second-round draft pick who carved out a role as a dependable defenceman in the NHL and contributed to a Calder Cup victory.

Did You Know?

• Dermott's mother, a retired figure skater, encouraged him to begin skating before age four.
• He played lacrosse with future Erie Otters teammate Connor McDavid.
• He was named to the 2014 First All-Rookie Team in the OHL.
• He competed with Canada at the 2016 IIHF World U20 Championship.

Early Life & Formative Years

Travis Dermott came into the world on December 22, 1996, in Newmarket, Ontario, the son of Jim and Paula Dermott and the younger sibling to an older sister. His introduction to the ice came through his mother, a retired figure skater who nudged him toward skating before his fourth birthday and later enrolled him in Timbits hockey. By the age of seven he had advanced to the Super 7 Tyke Team in Newmarket, where his father took on the coaching role. Growing up in the orbit of the Chicago Blackhawks, Dermott idolized Duncan Keith as his favourite player, a choice that perhaps foreshadowed his own path as a defenceman. His athletic range extended well beyond hockey; he also played lacrosse alongside a young Connor McDavid, a future fellow Erie Otters teammate. These early years in a small Ontario community, shaped by a skating mother and a coaching father, laid the groundwork for a player who would eventually navigate the OHL, the NHL, and the broader professional landscape.

Junior Dominance & the 2015 Draft

Dermott's junior journey began with the Minor Midget AAA York Simcoe Express, where a brutal 2010–11 season saw him suffer two collarbone fractures and limit him to just 19 games. Despite that setback, the team captured five OMHA titles and an OHF peewee championship, drawing scout attention that led to a tryout with an East Coast select spring team. He then signed with the Newmarket Hurricanes in the OJHL, earning a 2nd Team All-Stars nod and the Fan Favourite honour before committing to the Erie Otters in May 2013. His OHL career showed a clear upward arc: 28 points in 67 games earned him a 2013–14 First All-Rookie Team nod, while the following season produced 45 points in 61 games, a franchise-record seven-game assist streak for a defenceman, and 17 playoff points that led all Erie blue-liners. NHL Central Scouting ranked him 46th among North American skaters, yet the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him 34th overall in the 2015 entry draft, a second-round pick that fell short of the first-round projection many had anticipated.

NHL Debut & the Marlies' Calder Cup Run

Dermott's professional path began in the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs, where he stepped in as a replacement for Stuart Percy during the Marlies' third-round series before falling to the Hershey Bears. His full AHL season in 2016–17 saw him record 24 points in 59 games, finishing second among Marlies defencemen in scoring. The 2017–18 campaign proved transformative. Paired with Timothy Liljegren and assigned to the penalty kill, the left-handed shooter was shifted to the right side of the ice. His playmaking earned a first NHL recall in January 2018, and after a brief stint back in Toronto he was named to the AHL All-Star Classic alongside Kasperi Kapanen. A second recall in mid-January brought him to the NHL full-time, where he donned number 23 in place of his customary 3. On January 31 he scored his first career NHL goal in a 5–0 rout of the New York Islanders. In the 2018 playoffs his Game 7 goal against Boston tied the series 3–3 before the Leafs ultimately fell 7–4. After that loss, Dermott helped the Marlies capture their franchise's first-ever Calder Cup.

Wandering Years & Current Status

After his time with Toronto, Dermott's career carried him to the Vancouver Canucks, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Minnesota Wild, each organization adding another chapter to a journey that began with a second-round selection in 2015. Along the way he represented Canada at the 2016 IIHF World U20 Championship, a tournament from which the team returned empty-handed, and he also endured a five-game suspension after being ejected for a hit to the head on Owen Tippett during his final OHL season with Erie. Today Dermott exists as an unrestricted free agent, a status that marks the endpoint of his tenure across multiple NHL franchises. His most recent professional appearance came on a tryout with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, a role that speaks to both his continued desire to compete at the professional level and the narrowing window available to players in their late twenties. From a prospect projected as a potential first-round pick to a player seeking a professional tryout, Dermott's career arc captures the unpredictable, often unforgiving trajectory of professional hockey.

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