Vegas Golden Knights Players Codexery

Gage Quinney

First Nevada-born player in NHL history; debuted for hometown Golden Knights.

Gage Quinney is an American professional ice hockey forward currently with the Shanghai Dragons of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He holds the distinction of being the first player born in Nevada to appear in an NHL game, debuting for his hometown Vegas Golden Knights.

Quinney grew up playing youth hockey for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and the Las Vegas Storm in the T1EHL. After being selected 83rd overall in the 2011 USHL Futures Draft by the Tri-City Storm, he chose to play major junior hockey in Canada’s Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Prince Albert Raiders, Kelowna Rockets, and Kamloops Blazers.

Undrafted, he turned professional in the 2016–17 season by signing an ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers. After producing at a point-per-game rate, he moved up to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins the following season, where he posted 14 goals and 33 points in 57 games while playing in a top-nine role.

On June 2, 2018, Quinney signed his first NHL contract—a two-year, entry-level deal—with the Vegas Golden Knights. After their 2018 training camp, he was assigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves for the 2018–19 season. Playing in a top-six forward role, he set career highs with 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 68 regular-season games, then added 9 points in 18 playoff games as the Wolves reached the Calder Cup finals.

He remained with the Wolves for the 2019–20 season, recording 32 points in 42 games before earning his first NHL recall on February 21, 2020. The next day, he made his NHL debut against the Florida Panthers, becoming the first Nevadan to play in the league. In his second game, on February 23, 2020, he registered his first NHL point—an assist—in a 6-5 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks.

After his entry-level contract expired, Quinney stayed with the Golden Knights organization on a one-year AHL deal with the Henderson Silver Knights on July 14, 2022. Following that season, he re-signed with Vegas on a two-year contract on July 1, 2023.

After seven seasons in the Golden Knights system, Quinney moved overseas, signing a one-year contract with the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons on August 15, 2025. On August 29, he scored the first two goals in franchise history during a pre-season game in the Mayor of Moscow Cup.

His father, Ken Quinney, played for the Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1993 to 1998.

Quick Facts

Position
Left wing
Shoots
Left
Height Ft
5
Height In
11
Weight Lb
185
Team
Shanghai Dragons
League
KHL
Former Teams
Vegas Golden Knights
Birth Date
1995-07-29
Birth Place
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Career Start
2016
Draft
Undrafted

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

Quinney played youth hockey with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and the Las Vegas Storm of the T1EHL. He was selected 83rd overall in the 2011 USHL Futures draft by the Tri-City Storm but chose to play major junior hockey in Canada for the Prince Albert Raiders, Kelowna Rockets, and Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Undrafted, he began his professional career in 2016–17 with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, producing at a point-per-game pace. The following season he moved up to the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, contributing 14 goals and 33 points in 57 games.

On June 2, 2018, Quinney signed a two-year, entry-level contract with his hometown Vegas Golden Knights. He spent the 2018–19 season with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, setting career highs of 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 68 games, and added 9 points in 18 postseason games as the Wolves reached the Calder Cup finals. In the 2019–20 season, he recorded 32 points in 42 AHL games before being recalled by the Golden Knights on February 21, 2020. He made his NHL debut the next day against the Florida Panthers, becoming the first native Nevadan to play in the league. He registered his first NHL point, an assist, in his second game on February 23, 2020, in a 6-5 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks.

After his entry-level contract ended, Quinney signed a one-year AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights on July 14, 2022, and later re-joined the Golden Knights on a two-year contract on July 1, 2023. Following seven seasons in the Golden Knights organization, he moved overseas, signing a one-year contract with the Shanghai Dragons of the KHL on August 15, 2025. On August 29, 2025, he scored the first two goals in the franchise's history during a pre-season Mayor of Moscow Cup game.

Reader's Guide

Gage Quinney's significance lies in his unique place in NHL history as the first player born in Nevada to reach the league, doing so with the Vegas Golden Knights, the team representing his home state. His path to the NHL was unconventional: undrafted out of major junior hockey, he worked his way up from the ECHL to the AHL before earning an NHL contract with his hometown club. His debut on February 22, 2020, marked a milestone for Nevada hockey, and he recorded his first NHL point the following night. Quinney spent seven seasons within the Golden Knights organization, including stints with their AHL affiliates in Chicago and Henderson, before moving to the KHL's Shanghai Dragons in 2025. His father, Ken Quinney, also played professional hockey in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL from 1993 to 1998, adding a family dimension to his local hockey legacy.

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