Logan Couture

Logan Couture (born March 28, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a centre and spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the San Jose Sharks, who selected him ninth overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft. Couture was forced to retire in 2025 after not playing since January 2024 due to injury. Despite retirement, he will formally remain on the Sharks roster on long-term injured reserve until 2027.

Outside of the NHL, Couture briefly played internationally with Genève-Servette HC during the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

Playing career

Minor Although he was born in Guelph, Ontario, Couture spent most of his youth growing up in Birr, near London, Ontario. He started playing minor hockey with the Lucan Irish (DD) of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA)'s Southwestern Ontario League.

Couture led his Lucan Irish Novice team to the OMHA's Red Lobster Cup for a SW Ontario title in 1998 and an OMHA All-Ontario DD title in 1998. His Irish Atom team also won the OMHA Ontario DD title in 2001. Both of those teams also won the International Silver Stick 'C' championships. He then moved to London and played three years with the 'AAA' London Junior Knights of the Minor Hockey Alliance League, where he was a teammate of current Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty. After his Bantam year with the Jr. Knights, Couture signed with the Junior B St. Thomas Stars.

Junior In May 2005, Couture was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Ottawa 67's 12th overall in the 2005 OHL Priority Draft. He went on to score at a near point-per-game pace as a rookie with 64 points in 65 games in 2005–06, third in league rookie scoring behind John Tavares and Sergei Kostitsyn. The next season, in 2006–07, Couture was added to the OHL roster for the 2006 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, replacing Jordan Staal, who was retained by the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Couture was also selected to play for the Eastern Conference in the 2007 OHL All-Star Game, winning the shooting accuracy competition. After completing his second OHL season, where he improved to 78 points in 54 games, Couture was drafted ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2007 NHL entry draft.

Returning to the 67's in 2007–08, Couture's production dipped to 58 points in 51 games, his lowest major junior total. He had also been named to the 2008 OHL All-Star Game, but was replaced by Michael Swift of the Niagara IceDogs due to injury. Next season, in 2008–09, he finished in ninth place in league scoring with 39 goals and 48 assists for 87 points in 62 games. He also appeared in the 2009 OHL All-Star Game. Near the end of the season, he was named OHL Player of the Week on March 16, 2009, following an eight-point performance in three games.

Professional Couture with the Sharks during a preseason game, September 2009. He made his NHL debut with the team several weeks later. On October 25, 2009, Couture made his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks against the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored his first NHL goal on November 5, 2009, against Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings. On April 22, 2010, Couture scored his first two playoff goals against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored the game-tying goal in Game 3 in the second round against the Red Wings.

Couture was also an integral part of the success of the 2009–10 American Hockey League (AHL)'s Worcester Sharks, as he played 42 games and scored 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points. He was a league-leader with nine game-winning goals and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team. He was also voted onto the AHL All-Star starting line-up for AHL Team Canada, and finished the game with a goal and two assists as well as scoring a shoot-out goal.

Couture played his first full season with the Sharks in 2010–11 and finished with 32 goals (second among rookies) and 56 points (also second). He earned a nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy for these achievements, along with the New York Islanders' Michael Grabner and the Carolina Hurricanes' Jeff Skinner, the latter of which who won the award.

On August 26, 2011, Couture signed a two-year, $5.75 million extension through to the 2013–14 season. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Couture played for Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss National League A. In the 2012–13 NHL season, when play resumed after the lockout, Couture played in all 48 regular season and 11 playoff games with the Sharks, leading the team in goals (21), blocks among forwards (51), game-winning goals (5), shots (151) and power play goals (7).

On July 5, 2013, the Sharks announced that the club had signed Couture to a five-year, $30 million contract extension, which would come into effect on July 1, 2014. On December 29, 2013, against the Anaheim Ducks, Couture scored his 100th career regular season goal. On January 6, 2014, the Sharks reported that Couture would have surgery to repair a wrist injury on January 8; he missed six weeks as a result.

After the 2014 seven-game playoff series loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings, Couture underwent surgery on his hand to repair an injury suffered in a fight with the Kings' Mike Richards in Game 6.

During the 2015–16 season, Couture suffered a broken fibula in a practice, and in the second game after he returned to play from that injury he suffered an arterial bleed which required remedial surgery. These injuries caused him to miss 30 games. However, he bolstered the San Jose Sharks line-up upon his return and helped lead the team all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Couture led all players in playoff assists (20) and scoring (30).

In August 2016, Couture was named to the Team Canada team for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, replacing the Dallas Stars' Jamie Benn.

On July 1, 2018, he signed an eight-year, $64 million contract extension with the Sharks.

During the 2018–19 season, Couture amassed a personal-best 70-point season. The Sharks advanced as far as the 3rd round in the 2018–19 playoffs, losing to the eventual Stanley-Cup champion St. Louis Blues in 6 games. Despite not playing in the championship final round, Couture still led all playoff players in goals with 14 and finished third overall in playoff scoring with 20 points.

Prior to the 2019–20 season, Couture was named the Sharks captain. It was his first captaincy since his junior career with the Ottawa 67's in 2008–09. He fractured his left ankle on January 9, 2020.

On October 27, 2022, he scored his 300th NHL goal, in a 4–3 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

During the 2023–24 season, Couture began dealing with osteitis pubis, causing him to miss all but six games of the campaign.

On April 15, 2025, Couture announced his retirement from the NHL, citing his ongoing struggles with osteitis pubis. He had not appeared in an NHL game since January 31, 2024, due to this injury. Couture recalled that even then he had been in considerable pain, and had been unable to put together enough good days to suit back up. The pain was so severe that he had been unable to skate. Although he has retired, he will remain officially listed as an active player to finish out his contract, which is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2026–27 season.

Personal life Couture was born in Guelph, Ontario to firefighter Chet and physical education teacher Lori Couture. At birth, one of the delivery-room nurses was Bernadette Devorski, mother of NHL referee Paul and NHL linesman Greg Devorski.

Couture has a younger brother by two years, Judson. He grew up in a small town called Birr, just north of London, Ontario. He attended Prince Andrew Public School and Northridge Public School for grades seven and eight. In 2003, Couture graduated from Northridge. Couture then attended A.B. Lucas Secondary School and Hillcrest High School (Ottawa).

His father played OHA senior ice hockey for 13 years and was a veteran Ontario Lacrosse League (OLA) and National Lacrosse League (NLL) referee, while his mother, Lori, a graduate of Brock University, was a physical education teacher at Lucas Secondary School. Couture's grandfather on his mother's side, the late Cy Lemon, is a Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Bold indicates led league Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2004–05 London Jr. Knights AAA AH U15 56 51 56 107 42 — — — — — 2004–05 St. Thomas Stars WOHL 48 24 22 46 6 11 4 6 10 2 2005–06 Ottawa 67's OHL 65 25 39 64 52 6 3 4 7 0 2006–07 Ottawa 67's OHL 54 26 52 78 24 5 1 7 8 4 2007–08 Ottawa 67's OHL 51 21 37 58 37 4 2 1 3 0 2008–09 Ottawa 67's OHL 62 39 48 87 46 7 3 7 10 6 2008–09 Worcester Sharks AHL 4 0 0 0 7 12 2 1 3 11 2009–10 Worcester Sharks AHL 42 20 33 53 12 — — — — — 2009–10 San Jose Sharks NHL 25 5 4 9 6 15 4 0 4 4 2010–11 San Jose Sharks NHL 79 32 24 56 41 18 7 7 14 2 2011–12 San Jose Sharks NHL 80 31 34 65 16 5 1 3 4 0 2012–13 Genève-Servette HC NLA 22 7 16 23 10 — — — — — 2012–13 San Jose Sharks NHL 48 21 16 37 4 11 5 6 11 0 2013–14 San Jose Sharks NHL 65 23 31 54 20 7 1 2 3 7 2014–15 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 27 40 67 12 — — — — — 2015–16 San Jose Sharks NHL 52 15 21 36 20 24 10 20 30 8 2016–17 San Jose Sharks NHL 73 25 27 52 12 6 2 1 3 0 2017–18 San Jose Sharks NHL 78 34 27 61 18 10 4 8 12 4 2018–19 San Jose Sharks NHL 81 27 43 70 22 20 14 6 20 6 2019–20 San Jose Sharks NHL 52 16 23 39 18 — — — — — 2020–21 San Jose Sharks NHL 53 17 14 31 25 — — — — — 2021–22 San Jose Sharks NHL 77 23 33 56 18 — — — — — 2022–23 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 27 40 67 19 — — — — — 2023–24 San Jose Sharks NHL 6 0 1 1 4 — — — — — NHL totals 933 323 378 701 255 116 48 53 101 31

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2006 Canada Ontario U17 5th 5 5 5 10 2 2007 Canada U18 4th 6 2 2 4 2 2016 Canada WCH 6 1 3 4 0 Junior totals 11 7 7 14 4 Senior totals 6 1 3 4 0

Records and accomplishments All-time NHL leader in rookie-season road game-winning goals scored – 7 San Jose Sharks franchise leader in rookie-season goals scored – 32 First San Jose Shark to record 30 goals in his first two NHL seasons Led NHL in points during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs – 30

Awards Named to the OHL All-Star Game in 2007, 2008* and 2009. Named OHL Player of the Week on March 16, 2009. Named NHL Rookie of the Month – December 2010 NHL Rookie All-Star team captain – 2010–11 Named to NHL All-Star Game – 2012 and 2020* NHL 2K SuperCard cover athlete – 2017 unable to play due to injury