Introduction
Darnell Nurse (born February 4, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nurse was selected by the Oilers seventh overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Selected third overall in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, he played three seasons with Sault Ste. Marie in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Nurse was rated as a top prospect who fulfilled the expectation to be a Top-10 selection at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round (seventh overall) of the draft.
On July 25, 2013, he was signed by the Oilers to a three-year entry level contract. While he was the only one of the top eight picks in his draft class to not make his team's opening night roster, he was called up and scored his first NHL goal on October 27 against the Minnesota Wild, in his third NHL game.
On March 10, 2016, Nurse was suspended 3 games by the NHL for ambushing Sharks defenceman Roman Polák who suffered a broken nose.
After an injury on December 1, 2016, Nurse underwent ankle surgery and would likely be out of action until March 2017.
International play
During the 2011–12 season he won a bronze medal with Team Ontario at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team. That same season, Nurse was one of only four underage players to play with Team Canada at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships, winning the bronze medal.
During the 2012–13 season he played with Team Canada to win a gold medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Nurse was also an invited participant at the 2013 CHL Top Prospects Game.
He won gold with Canada at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship and was named one of Canada's top three players, as well as the player of the match for the gold medal game against Russia.
Personal
Darnell is the son of former Canadian Football League wide receiver Richard Nurse. He is also the nephew of former NFL star quarterback Donovan McNabb, who is married to Darnell's aunt, Raquel Nurse McNabb. He is also the nephew of Canadian musician Ron Nurse. His cousin, Sarah Nurse, plays ice hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers.
His sister Kia plays basketball for the Connecticut Huskies, where she has so far been a member of two NCAA championship teams, and is a member of the Canadian national team.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | St. Michael's Buzzers | OJHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 53 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 68 | 12 | 29 | 41 | 116 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 64 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 91 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 2013–14 | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2014–15 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 36 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 58 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 26 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 69 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 71 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Canada Ontario | U17 | 03 ! |
5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 2012 | Canada | WJC18 | 03 ! |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| 2012 | Canada | IH18 | 01 ! |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2015 | Canada | WJC | 01 ! |
7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 24 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 32 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Awards | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge All-Star Team | 2012 | |
| IIHF World U18 Championships Bronze Medal | 2012 | |
| Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Gold Medal | 2012 | |
| CHL Top Prospects Game | 2013 | |
| IIHF World U20 Championships Gold Medal | 2015 |