Danny DeKeyser
DeKeyser with the United States in 2014
Born (1990-03-07) March 7, 1990
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
National team  United States
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2013–2022

Daniel Christopher DeKeyser (born March 7, 1990) is a former American professional ice hockey defenseman. He played as an alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, DeKeyser played in the 2003 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Little Caesars minor ice hockey team.[1] He later played midget hockey with the Compuware AAA program from 2006 to 2008, before signing with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League[2] (BCHL) for the 2008–09 season, where he recorded eight goals and 17 assists in 58 games. For his efforts, he was named the Trail Smoke Eaters' Defenseman of the Year. During the 2009–10 season,[3] DeKeyser played for the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he recorded one goal and ten assists in 41 games.[3] Following the 2009–10 season, DeKeyser committed to play college ice hockey for the Western Michigan Broncos.[3]

During the 2010–11 season, DeKeyser appeared in 42 games, where he recorded five goals and 12 assists. He was named to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) All-Rookie team, and named to the CCHA All-Tournament Team for tallying two assists and helping shut down the University of Michigan’s high-powered offense during the CCHA Semifinals and Finals. DeKeyser ranked second on the team in plus-minus with a +12 rating, and led the team in blocked shots with 54. DeKeyser recorded his first collegiate goal on October 8, 2010, in a game against Canisius College.

During the 2011–12 season, DeKeyser appeared in 41 games, where he recorded five goals and 12 assists. He was named to the Second Team All-American, Second Team All-CCHA, CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman, and CCHA All-Tournament Team. He became just the second Bronco player in program history to be named CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman.

During the 2012–13 season, DeKeyser appeared in 35 games, where he recorded two goals and 13 assists. He was named to the First Team All-CCHA, and became the first Bronco to be named CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman twice after winning it in consecutive seasons. In three seasons with the Broncos, DeKeyser racked up 12 goals and 37 assists in 118 games.[4]

Professional

After three years with Western Michigan, DeKeyser was being pursued by multiple teams around the NHL. Eventually, he decided to play for his hometown team and signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on March 29, 2013.[5] He began playing for Detroit one week later and recorded his first NHL point against the Nashville Predators on April 14, 2013, assisting on a Henrik Zetterberg goal. DeKeyser appeared in 11 regular season and two post-season games for the Red Wings during the 2012–13 season. Following the conclusion of Detroit's Stanley Cup playoff run in 2013, he joined the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2013 Calder Cup playoffs, where he recorded one assist in six games and helped the team capture their first-ever Calder Cup championship.

On November 4, 2013, DeKeyser scored his first career NHL goal in a game against the Winnipeg Jets.[6] During the 2013–14 season, DeKeyser recorded four goals and 19 assists, as well as a +10 rating, in 65 games. He ranked among the NHL's top rookie blueliners in points (eighth), plus-minus (tied for fourth) and ice time (second). He also placed third among all rookies, and second on Detroit overall, with 116 blocked shots. On September 16, 2014, the Red Wings signed DeKeyser to a two-year, $4.375 million contract extension.[7] DeKeyser was named the 2014 Detroit Red Wings–Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DSBA) Rookie of the Year, receiving the award in a pre-game ceremony on November 9, 2014, at Joe Louis Arena.

On July 26, 2016, the Red Wings signed DeKeyser to a six-year, $30 million contract.[8]

As a free agent following the conclusion of the 2021–22 season and his six-year deal with the Red Wings, DeKeyser went un-signed over the summer. On September 10, 2022, DeKeyser agreed to a professional tryout to join the Vancouver Canucks training camp.[9] After attending camp and participating in the pre-season, DeKeyser was unable to earn a contract offer from the Canucks and was released from his tryout. To begin the 2022–23 season, DeKeyser opted to continue his career in the AHL, agreeing to a professional tryout contract with the Toronto Marlies, the primary affiliate to the Toronto Maple Leafs, on October 19, 2022.[10] He registered 1 goal in 3 appearances with the Marlies, before suffering an injury and was later released from his PTO on November 8, 2022.

International play

DeKeyser represented the United States at the 2014 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded two assists in eight games. DeKeyser again represented the United States at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded no points in eight games.

Personal life

DeKeyser, a native of Macomb, Michigan, is the son of Michael and Linda DeKeyser.[4] On February 13, 2016, he proposed to girlfriend Melissa Beurmann. They married in September 2016,[11] and Beurmann gave birth to their first child in February 2018.[12]

DeKeyser was a communication major at Western Michigan University and graduated from De La Salle Collegiate High School.[4] In 2018, he was inducted into the Western Michigan University Hockey Ring of Honor.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Compuware 18U AAA MWEHL 26 3 6 9 30 — — — — —
2007–08 Compuware 18U AAA MWEHL 25 1 13 14 26 4 1 1 2 9
2008–09 Trail Smoke Eaters BCHL 58 8 17 25 12 3 1 0 1 4
2009–10 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 41 1 10 11 12 — — — — —
2010–11 Western Michigan University CCHA 42 5 12 17 43 — — — — —
2011–12 Western Michigan University CCHA 41 5 12 17 42 — — — — —
2012–13 Western Michigan University CCHA 35 2 13 15 22 — — — — —
2012–13 Detroit Red Wings NHL 11 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0
2012–13 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL — — — — — 6 0 1 1 8
2013–14 Detroit Red Wings NHL 65 4 19 23 30 5 0 0 0 6
2014–15 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 2 29 31 42 7 1 0 1 12
2015–16 Detroit Red Wings NHL 78 8 12 20 44 5 0 1 1 4
2016–17 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 4 8 12 33 — — — — —
2017–18 Detroit Red Wings NHL 65 6 6 12 28 — — — — —
2018–19 Detroit Red Wings NHL 52 5 15 20 39 — — — — —
2019–20 Detroit Red Wings NHL 8 0 4 4 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 4 8 12 18 — — — — —
2021–22 Detroit Red Wings NHL 59 0 11 11 26 — — — — —
2022–23 Toronto Marlies AHL 3 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 547 33 113 146 266 19 1 1 2 22

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 United States WC 6th 8 0 2 2 16
2017 United States WC 5th 8 0 0 0 6
Senior totals 16 0 2 2 22

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
All-CCHA Rookie Team 2010–11
CCHA All-Tournament Team 2011, 2012 [14]
All-CCHA Second Team 2011–12 [15]
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 2011–12
All-CCHA First Team 2012–13 [15]
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 2012–13
Detroit Red Wings
Rookie of the Year" 2014 [16]

References

  1. ↑ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Danny DeKeyser".
  3. 1 2 3 "Danny Dekeyser Stats and Profile". hockeydb.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "Danny DeKeyser Bio". Western Michigan University. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ Custance, Craig (March 29, 2013). "Red Wings land Danny DeKeyser". ESPN. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  6. ↑ Nelson, Andrea (November 6, 2013). "DeKeyser won't forget his first pro goal". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ DiFilippo, Alex (September 16, 2014). "Wings, DeKeyser agree on new deal". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ Kujawa, Kyle (July 26, 2016). "Red Wings, DeKeyser agree to terms". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Canucks sign defenceman Danny DeKeyser to PTO". Vancouver Canucks. September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ Toronto Marlies (October 19, 2022). "Marlies sign defenseman DeKeyser to PTO". Twitter. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  11. ↑ Savage, Brendan (July 26, 2016). "With marriage on horizon, new contract provides peace of mind for Red Wings' Danny DeKeyser". mlive.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  12. ↑ Wakiji, Dana (February 28, 2018). "Notes: Wings offer new dad DeKeyser some advice". NHL.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Steve Abbott and Danny DeKeyser to be Inducted Into WMU Hockey Ring of Honor". wmubroncos.com. July 20, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  14. ↑ "2012-13 CCHA Media Guide". Issuu. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  15. 1 2 "All-CCHA Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  16. ↑ Kujawa, Kyle (June 11, 2014). "Danny DeKeyser named Red Wings Rookie of the Year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
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