Darnell Nurse

Darnell Nurse (born February 4, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nurse was selected by the Edmonton Oilers seventh overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

Early life Nurse was born on February 4, 1995, in Hamilton, Ontario. Both of his parents were athletes in their youth: his father Richard Nurse played as a wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, while his mother Cathy was a university basketball player for the McMaster Marauders. As a child, Nurse played football, basketball, lacrosse, and hockey, but by high school, he was only playing the last. His father was worried that Nurse would suffer an injury playing football, while he was, in his own words, "just no good" at basketball.

Standing at nearly and weighing by the age of 15, Nurse established himself quickly as a strong, physically assertive defenceman for the Don Mills Flyers minor ice hockey team.

Playing career

Major junior

Nurse was selected third overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection. After two seasons with the Greyhounds, he was selected seventh overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2013 NHL entry draft. On July 25, the Oilers signed Nurse to a three-year, entry-level contract. He was returned to the Greyhounds for the 2013–14 season. Prior to the season beginning, he was named team captain. He scored a career-high 50 points in 64 games. After the Greyhounds' season ended, Nurse joined the Oilers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. He skated in four regular season games as well as three playoff games.

Edmonton Oilers

Nurse made the Oilers' opening night roster for the 2014–15 season, but did not partake in the team's first three games. He made his NHL debut on October 14, 2014, in a 6–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. After skating in two games for the team, the Oilers sent Nurse back to the Greyhounds on October 17.

Nurse began the 2015–16 season with the Oilers' new AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. After six games with the Condors, the Oilers recalled Nurse on October 26, 2015. On October 27, Nurse scored his first NHL goal in a 4–3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. On March 10, 2016, Nurse was suspended three games for "serving as the aggressor" during an altercation with San Jose Sharks defenceman Roman Polák. He finished his rookie season skating in 69 games for the Oilers and nine for the Condors.

On December 12, 2016, the Oilers announced Nurse underwent successful ankle surgery that would sideline him for up to 12 weeks. After a 35-game absence, he returned on February 26, 2017, in a 5–4 loss to the Nashville Predators.

On September 17, 2018, the Oilers re-signed Nurse to a two-year, $6.4 million contract extension.

On October 1, 2019, Nurse, alongside Leon Draisaitl, was named an alternate captain for the Oilers. On February 10, 2020, the Oilers signed Nurse to a two-year, $11.2 million contract extension.

On August 6, 2021, Nurse signed an eight-year, $74 million extension with the Oilers.

San Jose Sharks On July 1, 2026, Nurse was traded by the Oilers to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp.

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 for Canada under-18 team at the 2012 World U18 Championships, winning the bronze medal. Nurse was also an invited participant at the 2013 CHL Top Prospects Game.

He won gold with Canada junior team at the 2015 World Junior Championships 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.

On April 12, 2018, Nurse and teammates Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were named to Canada senior team's roster for the 2018 World Championship.

On April 29, 2019, Nurse returned to the international stage to be named to Canada's roster for the 2019 World Championship. Nurse helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the silver medal on May 26. He completed the tournament posting 2 goals and 4 points from the blueline in 10 games.

On May 5, 2026, Nurse and Oilers teammate Evan Bouchard were added to Canada's roster for the 2026 World Championship.

Activism On August 1, 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Nurse supported Matt Dumba when he became the first NHL player to kneel during the U.S. national anthem. Dumba, a Filipino-Canadian member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, was a member of the Minnesota Wild but he was not playing that night. Two Black players from the teams who were playing placed their hands on his shoulders while he knelt: Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers and Malcolm Subban of the Chicago Blackhawks. The three of them remained in this position during both the American and Canadian national anthems. Dumba then gave a speech about racism while the screens in the rink displayed the messaged "END RACISM."

Personal life Nurse attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School and St. Mary's College, where he was awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy for "OHL Scholastic Player of the Year" following the 2012–13 season.

Nurse and his wife have three sons.

Family sports connections He is the son of former Canadian Football League wide receiver Richard Nurse. His sister, Kia, plays for the Toronto Tempo of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She won two NCAA championships with the Connecticut Huskies, and is a member of the Canada women's basketball team. His cousin Sarah Nurse won a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics with Canada women's ice hockey team and a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is a forward for the Vancouver Goldeneyes of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). His uncle Donovan McNabb was an National Football League (NFL) quarterback who played in six Pro Bowls and had his number retired by the Philadelphia Eagles. Darnell's cousin Isaac is a professional ice hockey player for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs 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 — — — — — 2016–17 Edmonton Oilers NHL 44 5 6 11 33 13 0 2 2 6 2017–18 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 6 20 26 67 — — — — — 2018–19 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 10 31 41 87 — — — — — 2019–20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 5 28 33 48 4 0 2 2 6 2020–21 Edmonton Oilers NHL 56 16 20 36 57 4 0 1 1 2 2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 9 26 35 54 15 2 4 6 26 2022–23 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 12 31 43 64 11 0 4 4 21 2023–24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 10 22 32 79 25 2 4 6 12 2024–25 Edmonton Oilers NHL 76 5 28 33 72 22 3 5 8 31 2025–26 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 7 17 24 104 6 0 0 0 4NHL totals 798 88 236 324 725 100 7 22 29 108

International

Awards and honours Awards Year Ref World U-17 Hockey Challenge All-Star Team 2012