Introduction
Thatcher Douglas Demko (born December 8, 1995) is an American ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing with the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. Demko was selected by the Canucks in the second round (36th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Demko was ranked number 1by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on their final list of the top draft-eligible North American goalies leading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program team during the 2012–13 season, winning Silver Medals with Team USA at both the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships. He also was a member of the United States team that played in the 2014 World Juniors, although he was backup to fellow Hockey East net minder Jon Gillies of Providence and did not play.
The following year, at the 2015 World Juniors, Demko earned the #1 goaltender job, starting 7 of the 8 games the US played. Although bowing out in the quarterfinals to Russia, Demko finished third in the tournament among goalies with a 1.74 GAA and .938 save percentage.
Demko was named the 2016 Co-Player of the Year by the Hockey East Association on Thursday, March 17 along with UMass Lowell River Hawks goaltender Kevin Boyle, while receiving the Mike Richter Award (most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men's ice hockey).
After his third season at Boston College, Demko signed a three-year entry level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on April 20, 2016.
The Canucks assigned Demko to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets for the 2016–17 season. However, he was recalled on December 10 due to an injury to Ryan Miller.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2011–12 | Omaha Lancers | USHL | 15 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 754 | 36 | 1 | 2.87 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 19 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1059 | 39 | 1 | 2.21 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Boston College | HE | 24 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 1446 | 54 | 2 | 2.24 | .919 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Boston College | HE | 35 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 2107 | 77 | 1 | 2.19 | .925 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Boston College | HE | 39 | 27 | 8 | 4 | 2362 | 74 | 10 | 1.88 | .935 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 98 | 62 | 26 | 10 | 5915 | 205 | 13 | 2.08 | .928 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
| Honours | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge Silver Medal | 2012 | ||
| IIHF World U18 Championship Silver Medal | 2013 | ||
| Hobey Baker Award Finalist | 2015–16 | ||
| Mike Richter Award | 2015–16 |