Nick Holden

Nick Holden (born May 15, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). As an undrafted player in the NHL, Holden has played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins.

Holden was born on May 15, 1987, in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, to parents Lynda and John Holden. He grew up in Alberta with siblings Tiffany and Jack and attended St. Albert Catholic High School. When he was 12 years old, Holden worked as a referee.

Junior

As a youth, Holden played bantam and midget-A ice hockey without trying out for the team. He later played Midget AAA hockey for the St. Albert Raiders alongside Ryan Stanton. He played 35 games and recorded 22 points which drew attention from the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). Holden eventually played Junior A-level hockey for the Camrose Kodiaks and Sherwood Park Crusaders in the AJHL, but disliked the attention he received. While playing in the AJHL, Holden has said he was more focused on earning a college scholarship than continuing to play hockey. By the age of 18, Holden secured an apprenticeship in plumbing which he planned on continuing if hockey did not pan out.

He joined the Chilliwack Bruins of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as an undrafted player in 2006 after graduating from St. Albert's. Standing at 6 foot 3 and weighing 200 pounds, Holden garnered attention from Allain Roy of CMG Sports, a sports agent company. Holden said this is when he'd first "ever thought about it....I never figured I needed an agent." After his rookie season, Holden earned a scholarship to the University of the Fraser Valley and was invited to the Edmonton Oilers 2007 National Hockey League (NHL) training camp as a NHL Amateur Tryout. In his second season with the Bruins, Holden was named captain of the team while recording 22 goals and 38 assists for a total of 60 points. On March 28, 2008, Holden signed a three year entry level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, thus concluding his major junior career.

Professional

Holden joined the Columbus Blue Jackets then-American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, for the remainder of the 2007–08 season and 2009–10 season. After the 2009–10 season, the Blue Jackets switched their AHL affiliate to the Springfield Falcons. He earned his first NHL call up during the 2010–11 season and made his NHL debut on October 20, 2010, in a 3–1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. He was reassigned to the AHL on November 5, 2010, after Mike Commodore was activated off injured reserve.

Although Holden started the 2011–12 season with the Springfield Falcons, he suffered an ankle and shoulder injury which cut his season to 25 games. He returned to the Falcons during the lock-out-shortened 2012–13 season, after attending the Jackets training camp. He was named an alternate captain of the Falcons and appeared in a brief, two-game return to the NHL with the Blue Jackets. After recording 4 goals and 18 assists, Holden was called up to the NHL level on February 4, 2013. He finished the season with nine goals and 39 points in 73 games, and was named the Falcons IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year.

On July 5, 2013, Holden left the Blue Jackets organization and signed a two-year contract as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche. After partaking and impressing in his first Avalanche training camp, Holden was unexpectedly successful in making the team's opening night roster for the 2013–14 season. Holden sat as a healthy scratch in the first 11 games of the season before making his Avalanche debut as a forward in a 3–2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars on November 2, 2013. In returning to his natural position of defence, Holden scored his first career NHL goal, a game-winner, against Braden Holtby in a 4–1 victory over the Washington Capitals on November 10, 2013. As the season progressed, Holden solidified his position within the Avalanche blueline, and on January 18, in a game against the Nashville Predators, he set a career high in scoring two goals and three points whilst also recording an all-time team record of nine hits for a defenceman. His three points and nine hits were last matched by Jiří Šlégr of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2001. Holden finished the season second amongst Avalanche defencemen with ten goals in only 54 games. He also led all Avalanche defenceman with three goals and four points in their Western Conference Quarter-final series defeat in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Minnesota Wild. Holden was rewarded from his break-out season in signing a three-year contract extension on July 1, 2014.

On June 25, 2016, with two years remaining on his contract, Holden was traded by the Avalanche at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the New York Rangers in exchange for a 4th-round pick in 2017. In the 2016–17 season, Holden enjoyed a successful year with the Rangers in establishing new career highs with 11 goals and 34 points in 80 games.

In the following 2017–18 season, while in the final year of his contract with the Rangers, Holden was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Rob O'Gara and a 2018 third-round draft pick on February 20, 2018. He appeared in 18 games with the Bruins to close out the season with 1 goal and 5 points. In the post-season, Holden was relegated to a healthy scratch throughout the run, appearing in just 2 games.

As a free agent from the Bruins, Holden left to sign with his fifth NHL club, the Vegas Golden Knights, on a two-year $4.4 million contract on July 1, 2018.

At the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, Vegas rewarded Holden's play with a two-year $3.5 million contract extension; preventing Holden from becoming a UFA at the end of the2019-20 season. Holden had 26 points in 115 games in a season-and-a-half for Vegas.

Holden and his wife Angela have four children together. On September 7, 2011, Holden was inducted into the St. Albert Skating Wall of Fame.

Charity work

During the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, Holden worked with Sport Central, a sports charity, to donate hockey equipment to children of Fort McMurray who lost theirs. He also purchased and donated tickets for military organizations during the Avalanche's 2015 Military Appreciation Night.