Introduction
Dylan DeMelo (born May 1, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). DeMelo was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the 6th round (179th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Junior
DeMelo played four seasons (2009–13) of major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors and Mississauga Steelheads, recording 25 goals and 125 points in 218 games.
DeMelo was Mississauga's nominee for both the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award and Bobby Smith Trophy for the 2010–11 season. Both trophies recognize academic excellence.
Professional
San Jose Sharks
DeMelo was selected 179th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks and he signedan entry-level contract with the organization on April 20, 2012. He made his NHL debut with San Jose on October 17, 2015, in a game against the New York Islanders. DeMelo scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Roman Will on January 26, 2016, in a 6–1 San Jose victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
After completing his second full season with San Jose in 2017–18, DeMelo was an impending restricted free agent and was initially not tendered a qualifying offer by the Sharks. Despite the limited opportunity to explore free agency, DeMelo ultimately re-signed with the Sharks for two more years on July 7, 2018.
Ottawa Senators
DeMelo was involved in a blockbuster trade on September 13, 2018, as he was dealt by San Jose to the Ottawa Senators as part of a package including Rudolfs Balcers, Chris Tierney, Josh Norris, a conditional 2019 second-round draft pick and a conditional 2020 first-round draft pick, in exchange for Ottawa's captain and two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.
In his first season in Ottawa, DeMelo recorded 22 points in 77 games and was paired with the franchise's top defensive prospect Thomas Chabot. "I've been very pleased", he said of his debut season with the Senators, noting that the Ottawa coaching staff trusted him to play a top-four role, an opportunity he had never received in San Jose.
Winnipeg Jets
On February 18, 2020, DeMelo was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Mississauga Chargers | OJHL | 36 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Mississauga St. Michael's Majors | OHL | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Mississauga St. Michael's Majors | OHL | 67 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 70 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 | ||
| 2011–12 | Mississauga St. Michael's Majors | OHL | 67 | 7 | 40 | 47 | 70 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | ||
| 2011–12 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Mississauga Steelheads | OHL | 64 | 15 | 35 | 50 | 68 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 68 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 65 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | San Jose Barracuda | AHL | 15 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 45 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 25 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 63 | 0 | 20 | 20 | 34 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 77 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 49 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 259 | 7 | 57 | 64 | 125 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||