Sean Durzi
Canadian defenceman who debuted with the Kings and later played for Utah and the Rangers.
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Sean Durzi is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, he was drafted 52nd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL entry draft after a standout major junior career with the Owen Sound Attack and Guelph Storm. Durzi made his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings in 2021, scoring a goal and an assist in his first game, and later set the Kings record for most assists by a rookie defenceman in a single game.
Lore & Background
Durzi began skating at age five, originally playing goaltender in the Timbits Learn To Play Program before his mother forced him to switch to defenceman. He grew up idolizing Toronto Maple Leafs player Bryan McCabe and attempted to emulate his play. After playing AAA hockey with the Mississauga Braves and later the Mississauga Rebels, he was drafted by the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Durzi missed significant time in the 2017–18 season due to an ankle injury that required surgery to remove an extra bone, but he finished with 15 goals and 34 assists. He was traded to the Guelph Storm alongside Nick Suzuki and later to the Los Angeles Kings as part of a deal involving Jake Muzzin. Durzi helped the Storm reach the 2019 Memorial Cup, contributing seven points and earning a spot on the Memorial Cup All-Star Team.
Reader's Guide
Durzi's significance lies in his rapid transition from a late-blooming OHL defenceman to an NHL contributor. After going undrafted in 2017, he improved his scoring to rank second among OHL defencemen in goals per game, leading to his selection by the Maple Leafs in 2018. His NHL debut with the Kings was notable: he scored a goal and an assist against the Maple Leafs, and he later tied the Kings record for most assists by a rookie defenceman in a single game. Durzi's rookie season saw him surpass Drew Doughty for most points by a Kings rookie defenceman.
He was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in 2023 and scored the final goal in Coyotes history before the franchise was suspended and its assets transferred to Utah. After two seasons with Utah, he was traded to the New York Rangers in 2026. Durzi's career illustrates how perseverance through injury and undrafted status can lead to a steady NHL role.
Career statistics and honours
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2014–15 | St. Michael's Buzzers | OJHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 45 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 60 | 2 | 36 | 38 | 24 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| 2017–18 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 40 | 15 | 34 | 49 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 4 |
| 2018–19 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 18 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 17 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 14 |
| 2019–20 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 39 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 39 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 13 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 64 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 55 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2022–23 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 72 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 50 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2023–24 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 76 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024–25 | Utah Hockey Club | NHL | 30 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025–26 | Utah Mammoth | NHL | 60 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| NHL totals | 302 | 30 | 114 | 144 | 237 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | ||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| Second All-Star Team | 2018 | |
| CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2019 | |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Sean Durzi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Durzi scored the final goal in Arizona Coyotes history on April 17, 2024.
- He tied the Kings record for most assists by a rookie defenceman in a single game during a 4–3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sean Durzi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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