Darcy Kuemper

Lore & Background

Kuemper was born on May 5, 1990, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to police officer Brent and accountant Sharon Kuemper. He began ice skating by the age of three and decided to become a full-time goaltender at age 10. He played minor ice hockey alongside fellow Saskatoon natives Luke and Brayden Schenn. His goaltending abilities first attracted attention when he played for the Saskatoon Contacts and Blazers in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL). During the 2005–06 SMAAAHL season, Kuemper had a 16-3 record and was third in the league with 2.32 goals against average (GAA). Kuemper and the Blazers came within one game of winning the SMAAAHL championship in 2008, but lost to the Notre Dame Hounds in five games.

Reader's Guide

Kuemper played three seasons with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL, winning the Del Wilson Trophy in the 2010–11 season as the WHL's top goaltender, as well as the CHL Goaltender of the Year. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild on May 26, 2011. He made his NHL debut with the Wild and earned his first career NHL win on February 17, 2013, against the Detroit Red Wings. He later played for the Los Angeles Kings (2017–2018), Arizona Coyotes (2018–2021), and Colorado Avalanche (2021–2022), winning the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022. He was traded to the Avalanche on July 28, 2021, in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick, a conditional 2024 third-round pick, and defenceman Conor Timmins.

Did You Know?

• Kuemper finished fifth in Vezina Trophy voting in the 2018–19 season.
• He won a gold medal at the 2021 World Championship and a silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics with Canada.