Kurtis MacDermid
Enforcer and Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche.
Kurtis MacDermid (born March 25, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is best known as an enforcer and won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.
MacDermid began his junior career with the Owen Sound Greys in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) selected him in the seventh round, 139th overall, in the 2010 OHL Priority Draft, originally as a defenceman. He debuted with the Attack in the 2011–12 season, playing nine games and recording two assists. In his first full season in 2012–13, he played 65 games, scoring one goal and seven assists. The Attack reached the conference semifinals in the playoffs, where they lost to the Plymouth Whalers; MacDermid added three assists in 12 postseason games.
He started the 2013–14 season with Owen Sound, tallying five goals and 16 points in 38 games. On January 9, 2014, the Attack traded him to the Erie Otters for draft picks. He finished that season in Erie with two goals and three points, and the Otters advanced to the conference finals before falling to the Guelph Storm. In the 2014–15 season, MacDermid played 61 games for Erie, posting eight goals and 40 points. The Otters made it to the OHL championship final, where they were defeated by the Oshawa Generals; he recorded five assists in 12 playoff games.
Undrafted by NHL teams, MacDermid signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on September 13, 2012. He made his professional debut with the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Ontario Reign, in the 2015–16 season. On December 29, 2015, the AHL suspended him for 12 games for an illegal check to the head of San Diego Gulls forward Matt Bailey. In 56 games that season, he had four goals and 16 points. Ontario finished first in the Pacific Division and reached the semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champion Lake Erie Monsters; MacDermid scored two goals and three points in 13 playoff games. In his second season with the Reign in 2016–17, he recorded six goals and 20 points. The Reign finished third in the division and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the San Diego Gulls; he went scoreless in five postseason games.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1994-03-25
- Birth Place
- Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 5
- Weight Lb
- 239
- Position
- Forward
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Ottawa Senators
- Prospect League
- AHL
- Former Teams
- Los Angeles Kings / Colorado Avalanche / New Jersey Devils
- Draft
- Undrafted
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
MacDermid began his junior career as a defenceman with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), selected in the seventh round of the 2010 OHL Priority Draft. He played parts of four OHL seasons, including a trade to the Erie Otters in January 2014, and reached the OHL championship final with Erie in 2015. Undrafted by NHL teams, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings in September 2012 and turned professional with their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, in 2015–16. He made his NHL debut with the Kings on opening night of the 2017–18 season and scored his first NHL goal later that October. Known as the Kings' 'meanest fighter,' he received multiple suspensions for illegal checks during his time in the organization.
Reader's Guide
MacDermid's career is defined by his role as an enforcer and his journey from undrafted junior player to Stanley Cup champion. After four seasons with the Kings, he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft and immediately traded to the Colorado Avalanche. In his first season with Colorado, he set a career high in games played (58) and contributed two goals and five points. Though he did not play in any playoff games, he was part of the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. He signed a two-year extension with Colorado but was traded to the New Jersey Devils in March 2024, then re-signed with the Devils before being dealt to the Ottawa Senators in October 2025. Throughout his NHL career, MacDermid has consistently served as a physical presence and enforcer, seeing limited ice time but providing toughness. He has never appeared in an NHL playoff game despite his teams reaching the postseason multiple times.
Did You Know?
- MacDermid was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL expansion draft and traded to the Colorado Avalanche four days later.
- He won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022 but did not play in any playoff games that year.
- His father, Paul MacDermid, also played in the NHL, and his older brother, Lane, played for the Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, and Calgary Flames.
- MacDermid received a 12-game suspension from the AHL in December 2015 for an illegal check to the head.
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