The Ducks have agreed to terms with defenseman Jamie Drysdale on a three-year contract through the 2025-26 NHL season.
Drysdale, 21 (4/8/02), has recorded 7-33=40 points with 24 penalty minutes (PIM) in 113 career NHL games with the Ducks since making his debut in 2020-21. He appeared in eight games with Anaheim in 2022-23, missing the final 74 games of the season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder suffered Oct. 28, 2022 at Vegas.
“Jamie is a talented young defenseman with a bright future,” said Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek. “We are happy this process is complete and look forward to his growth as a valued member of our organization.”
The 5-11, 185-pound defenseman scored 4-28=32 points with 22 PIM in 81 games in 2021-22, setting career highs in points, goals, assists and appearances. He became the fourth rookie defenseman in club history to surpass 30 points, joining Hampus Lindholm (2013-14), Cam Fowler (2010-11) and Francois Beauchemin (2005-06). His 28 assists marked the second-most by a rookie defenseman in Ducks history, trailing only Cam Fowler (30 in 2010-11). Among all NHL rookie blueliners, he ranked second in points, assists, shots (137) and appearances.
Selected by Anaheim in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, he was the only defenseman from his draft to appear in an NHL game in 2020-21, earning 3-5=8 points in 24 contests. In his NHL debut March 18, 2021 vs. Arizona (18 years, 344 days), he scored a goal and added an assist, becoming the third defenseman in NHL history to record multiple points in his NHL debut at age 18-or-younger.
Drysdale recorded 16-71=87 points in 112 career Ontario Hockey League (OHL) games with the Erie Otters. He was named an OHL First Team All-Star in 2019-20 after scoring 9-38=47 points in 49 games, ranking 10th among OHL defensemen in points-per game (.96) while leading Erie blueliners in points, goals and assists. He was also named to the 2018-19 OHL First All-Rookie Team after scoring 7-33=40 points in 63 games, leading Erie defensemen in goals, assists, scoring and power-play points (17) in his first OHL campaign.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Drysdale represented Canada in back-to-back World Junior Championships (2020 and 2021), including a gold medal at the 2020 tournament. In 2020 at 17 years old, he became the youngest defenseman since 2001 to appear in a World Junior Championship for Canada, and the sixth-youngest Canadian defenseman all-time. He also helped Canada to silver medals at the 2021 World Junior Championship and the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Drysdale also represented his country at the 2019 U-18 World Championship and 2019 U-17 World Hockey Challenge.
