Thomas Harley (ice hockey)
Dallas Stars defenceman drafted 18th overall in 2019.
Thomas Harley is a professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for the Dallas Stars in the National Hockey League. He was born on August 19, 2001, in Syracuse, New York, to parents Brian and Stephanie, who are both from Edmonton. Hockey runs in the family: his father played for the University of Alberta, his older brother Stuart played for the Milwaukee School of Engineering, his younger brother Greg played Junior A for the Hearst Lumberjacks and now plays at Iowa State University, and his older sister Emilie played college hockey at Robert Morris University before being drafted into the Premier Hockey Federation. Harley grew up playing youth hockey in Syracuse and holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada.
Harley originally played forward, but his father switched him to defenceman to fill a roster spot. He was drafted 14th overall by the Mississauga Steelheads in the 2017 OHL Priority Draft. In his rookie season (2017–18), he played his first game on September 22, 2017, recording no points in a 4–3 loss to the Ottawa 67’s. His first career point—an assist on a goal by Albert Michnac—came on October 15 in a 4–3 loss to the Saginaw Spirit. He scored his first OHL goal on December 8 against Kai Edmonds of the Barrie Colts in a 3–2 loss. His first multi-point game came on February 23, with two assists in a 4–0 win over the Niagara IceDogs. In early March, he had a three-game point streak with four assists. Over 62 games, he finished with one goal and 15 points. In the playoffs, he made his debut on March 22 with no points in a 6–2 win over Barrie, then got his first playoff assist on March 29 on a goal by Cole Carter in a 5–4 loss. He ended the postseason with two assists in six games.
The 2018–19 season saw major improvement. On September 23, he recorded his first three-point game with three assists in an 8–6 loss to Niagara. He added five more three-point games that season. On December 31, he had his first multi-goal game, scoring twice against the Windsor Spitfires in a 9–5 win. In 68 games, he put up 11 goals and 58 points. In the playoffs, he notched his first multi-point playoff game on March 22 with two assists in a 5–2 loss to the Sudbury Wolves, finishing with four assists in four games. At season’s end, he won the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year and was named to the OHL Third All-Star Team.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 2001-08-19
- Birth Place
- Syracuse, New York, U.S.
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 3
- Weight Lb
- 214
- Position
- Defence
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Dallas Stars
- Ntl Team
- Canada
- Draft
- 18th overall
- Draft Year
- 2019
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Harley was born into an athletic family in Syracuse, New York, to Edmonton-born parents Brian and Stephanie. His father and three siblings all play ice hockey; his father played for the University of Alberta, his older brother Stuart played for the Milwaukee School of Engineering, his younger brother Greg played Junior A for the Hearst Lumberjacks before attending Iowa State University, and his older sister Emilie played college hockey for Robert Morris University before being drafted into the Premier Hockey Federation. Harley is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. He played much of his youth hockey in Syracuse and was originally a forward before his father converted him to defenceman to fill a gap in the lineup. In junior hockey, Harley was selected by the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League in the first round, 14th overall, during the 2017 OHL Priority Draft. Over three seasons with the Steelheads, he improved from one goal and 15 points in 62 games as a rookie to a career-high 18 goals and 57 points in 59 games in the 2019–20 season. He was named the winner of the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year and was named to the OHL Third All-Star Team. After being drafted by the Stars, Harley attended their training camp and drew comparisons to defenceman Miro Heiskanen from head coach Jim Montgomery. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract on September 23, 2019.
Reader's Guide
Harley made his NHL debut on August 5, 2020, during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, playing alongside Esa Lindell after John Klingberg and Taylor Fedun were deemed unfit to play. He became the youngest player on either team's roster when the Stars qualified for the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals. In the 2020–21 season, Harley was assigned to the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League, where he led all AHL defencemen with eight goals and ranked second in assists with 17, leading all league rookies with 25 points. He recorded his first professional goal in overtime on February 8, 2021. In the 2021–22 season, Harley was recalled to the NHL multiple times and recorded his first career NHL point, an assist, on February 28, 2022, against the Buffalo Sabres, and his first career NHL goal on April 28, 2022, against the Anaheim Ducks. He finished that regular season with one goal and three assists through 34 games. Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Harley was expected to become an NHL regular and take some of John Klingberg's responsibilities as an offensive defenceman, but following a trade for Nils Lundkvist and an unimpressive training camp, he spent the majority of that season in the AHL with the Texas Stars.
Did You Know?
- Harley was born in Syracuse, New York, but is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.
- His father converted him from forward to defenceman to fill a gap in the lineup.
- He was named the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year, winning the Bobby Smith Trophy.
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