Dermott Impresses at Camp, ‘He Was Excellent’

Travis Dermott signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes in July, hoping to earn a role with the team after playing 11 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season.

Just days before the team’s season opener in New Jersey, Dermott hasn’t just earned that spot – he’s been one of the most talked about players at all of training camp.

The 26-year-old defenseman suffered a concussion with the Canucks during the 2022 preseason, which limited him to just 11 NHL games last year. The injury was an “emotional rollercoaster” for Dermott, who said the recovery process took both physical and mental tolls.

He’s now fully healthy, excited for the start of the 2022-23 season, and more grateful than ever for his newfound opportunity in the desert.

“Injuries are never fun to battle through, and this one has been one of the longer ones for myself,” Dermott said. “It makes you realize you’re not at the start of your career any longer. I now try to do everything I can to make sure I’m on top of my game, coming back healthy, making sure my nutrition is on point and my fitness is on point. 

“I control the controllables, that’s been my mindset with something that’s such a gray area.”

Dermott traveled with the Coyotes for the 2023 NHL Global Series in Melbourne, Australia, giving him an opportunity to immediately gel with the majority of Arizona’s final NHL roster.

As it turns out, he’s done much more than that, becoming one of the most impressive players throughout the team’s training camp and preseason schedule. Both head coach André Tourigny and General Manager Bill Armstrong have taken note, and it earned the blue liner a spot on the opening night roster despite signing a two-way contract in July.

His work ethic and performance spoke volumes, and he scored one goal in four preseason games.

“He’s been really, really solid,” Tourigny said. “He made a case for himself as maybe one of, if not the best, defensemen during our camp, so he’s been really good. I think it’s been a really positive training camp for him.”

Dermott, in turn, credited Tourigny for the strong culture that has been gradually developing in Arizona -- one that's been easy to adapt to since his arrival in The Valley.

“He finds the right time to be hard with the guys, you really gain confidence within each other and yourself,” he said. “If you’re trying your best and you make mistakes, he's going to be right there to help you learn the right thing, but he’s not going to be harping on you. But the second you’re lackadaisical, he’s going to let you hear it, and that’s where you learn to trust and respect your coach, and that goes a lot further than the naked eye can see.”

Though he was limited with Vancouver last season, Dermott has 279 games of experience in the NHL, having scored 14 goals and recorded 41 assists over that span. The former second-round pick (34th overall, 2015) started his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017-18, and he played with them until Vancouver acquired him for a third-round pick in March 2022.

Armstrong said Dermott has been on his radar for some time – dating back to the GM’s time with the St. Louis Blues – and the team was able to come to terms on a deal after the Canucks did not make a qualifying offer to the then-restricted free agent.

Armstrong and his team pounced at the opportunity to bring him to Arizona, officially inking a one-year, two-way deal in July.

“We loved him in his draft year, and I loved him when he played in Toronto. It was a great opportunity for us to jump in,” Armstrong said. “I think what he liked in the situation here was the opportunity he was going to get, and he’s been one of our best D-men in camp. Now he’s got to come back and show us what he can do in the regular season, but he’s been a great add so far, and we’ll see what he can do.”

Officially listed at 6-foot, 202 pounds, Dermott is a strong, mobile defenseman that prides himself on doing the little things right. Tourigny said he was impressed with the blueliner’s battle ability throughout training camp, while also excelling on the penalty kill.

For his part, Dermott said he’s focused on doing all of the little things right that can help him continue to grow as a hockey player, with an emphasis on nutrition.

“I was never really a calorie counter, but I’m trying to think about those things,” he said. “I need to be ready for games, practices, recovery, all that stuff. There’s always room for improvement.”

He said his time in Arizona has been extremely rewarding, especially considering he wasn’t sure what to expect following time spent with both the Maple Leafs and the Canucks. Dermott is part of a defensive group that includes Josh Brown, Matt Dumba, Sean Durzi, J.J. Moser, Troy Stecher, and Juuso Valimaki – and all of them push each other to continually improve every day.

It’s not about taking someone else’s job – it’s about challenging everyone to be at their very best at all times.

“It’s such a great atmosphere to push one another to be better,” Dermott said. “Everyone is happy for each other, and everyone’s pushing each other to be the best that they can. Not to steal anyone’s spot, but you’re pushing each other to grind for a spot. Teams really gel together and gain the confidence to play well together.”

Heading into the season with the fourth-youngest average age, according to CapFriendly, Dermott said it’s been fun getting to know the group as he acclimates to his new surroundings.

Based on his performance during training camp and the preseason, he’s already quite accustomed to being one of the newest Desert Dogs.

“My goal this year is to get back to my type of hockey -- Have fun, work hard, and really create something that I’m proud to be a part of,” Dermott said. “We’re playing the game we love to play, the game we grew up playing. It’s easy to be stressed, but I’m always going to be the smiling, saying hi to fans, and signing stuff whenever I get the chance.

“There’s definitely a lot of love around the game, and I can’t wait to give that back to the community this year.”