| Damon Severson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Severson with theNew Jersey Devils in 2014 | |||
| Born | (1994-08-07)August 7, 1994 (age 31) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Columbus Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 60th overall,2012 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Damon Severson (born August 7, 1994) is a Canadian professionalice hockey player who is adefenceman for theColumbus Blue Jackets of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by theNew Jersey Devils in the second round, 60th overall, in the2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Growing up inMelville, Saskatchewan, Severson began skating at the age of two and enrolled in hockey at the age of four. He played with the Yorkton Harvest of theSaskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League andMelville Millionaires of theSaskatchewan Junior Hockey League during the 2009–10 season. As a result of his outstanding junior play, Severson was a ninth-round pick of theKelowna Rockets in the 2009WHL Bantam Draft. In his second season with the Rockets, Severson recorded career-high seven goals and 30 assists for 37 points through 56 games. As such, he won the Rockets' Most improved player and was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Severson made his professional debut during the2014–15 season and recorded his first career NHL point and goal in the same game. By December, he had tallied four goals and eight assists for 12 points through New Jersey's first 32 games but then missed several games due to a hairline fracture in his ankle. Upon rejoining the NHL roster, Severson finished his first professional season with five goals and 17 points in 51 games. Prior to the start of the 2020–21 season, Severson was promoted to the rank of alternate captain by new head coach Lindy Ruff. He also became the longest-tenured player on the roster at the age of 26 following the trade ofKyle Palmieri andTravis Zajac to theNew York Islanders.
Internationally, Severson has represented Canada at both the junior and senior levels. He made his junior team debut in 2011 at the2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where Team Canada failed to medal. Severson made his senior team debut during the2019 IIHF World Championship where he helped them clinch a silver medal.
Severson was born on August 7, 1994, inBrandon,Manitoba[1] to Doug Severson and Donna Dixon. He began skating at the age of two and enrolled in hockey at the age of four.[2] Beyond hockey, he also played football, baseball, basketball, and badminton.[3]
Growing up in Melville, Saskatchewan Severson played with the Yorkton Harvest of theSaskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League andMelville Millionaires of theSaskatchewan Junior Hockey League during the 2009–10 season. As a result of his outstanding junior play, Severson was a ninth-round pick of theKelowna Rockets in theWestern Hockey League (WHL) 2009 bantam draft.[4] He made his major junior debut at the age of 15 after impressing the coaching staff during training camp.[5] He tallied his first career WHL goal on November 3, 2010, in a 5–2 win over theKamloops Blazers.[6] After recording four goals and seven assists for 11 points through 32 games, Severson was named to Team West at the2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[7]
Severson returned to the Rockets for his sophomore campaign during the2011–12 WHL season. Severson finished the season with a career-high seven goals and 30 assists for 37 points through 56 games.[1] As such, he won the Rockets' Most improved player.[8] At the conclusion of the season, Severson was invited to participate in the 2012 NHL Draft Combine as the 48th-ranked North American skater by theNHL Central Scouting Bureau's final rankings.[9] He was eventually drafted 60th overall by theNew Jersey Devils.[10] Following the draft, Severson was signed to a three-year,entry-level contract with the Devils on September 6, 2012.[11]
Following the signing, Severson and teammateColton Sissons were not asked to attend their NHL teams' training camp and returned to the Rockets.[12] He finished the season with a career-high 52 points through 71 games[1] to win the Rockets Top Defenceman Award.[13] As the season concluded, Severson signed an Amateur Tryout Agreement with theAlbany Devils of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) and played two games.[14] He then spent the offseason in his home province with a personal trainer before being selected for Team Canada's World Junior summer development camp.[15] Following the tournament, Severson attended his first New Jersey Devils training camp.[16] During this time, he played in two exhibition games with the Devils while averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time. He was eventually returned to the Rockets as the coaches decided it was in his best interest to return to the major juniors league for another year.[17]
Upon returning for the2013–14 season, Severson and teammates Myles Bell and Tyson Baillie were named assistant captains for the Rockets on November 1, 2013.[18] As a result of his play, Severson was also named to Team WHL to compete with during theCHL Canada/Russia Series.[19] By December, Severson had tallied nine goals and 19 assists in 27 games and was invited to participate in Team Canada's World Junior Team training camp.[20] After finishing the season with a plus-47 rating, Severson was again named the Rockets Top Defenceman.[21] He also tallied 15 goals throughout the season, becoming the franchise's fourth most all-time in a single season. As such, he was also selected for the WHL Western ConferenceSecond All Star team.[22]
After attending the Devils' 2014 rookie and training camp,[23] Severson cracked the NHL roster prior to the start of the2014–15 season.[24] Upon making the lineup, he became one of four players 23 years old or younger to make the roster.[25] He was subsequently paired with veteranAndy Greene and given the jersey number 28.[26] Prior to his debut, Greene spoke highly of Severson, saying: "He's very mobile, makes a lot of great plays, can skate like the wind and is very confident." Severson then made his NHL debut on October 9, 2014, against thePhiladelphia Flyers at theWells Fargo Center.[27] Two days later, he scored his first career NHL point, an assist, against theFlorida Panthers and later recorded his first goal in the same game, six minutes later.[28] As a result of his early success, he was named an early candidate for theCalder Memorial Trophy as the NHLs best rookie.[29] By the end of October, Severson averaged over three minutes per game on the power play and logged a career-high 27:31.[30] He continued to gain the trust of his coaches as the season continued and he ranked second among all NHL rookies in ice time per game at 22:45.[31] By December, he had tallied four goals and eight assists for 12 points through New Jersey's first 32 games. However, on December 18, it was announced that Severson would remain out of the lineup for four-to-five weeks to recover from a hairline fracture in his ankle.[32] He had suffered the injury on December 6, but played five more games before being placed on injured reserve. Severson returned to the Devils' lineup on March 3, 2015, after the Devils tradedMarek Židlický to theDetroit Red Wings.[33] Upon rejoining the NHL roster, Severson finished his first professional season with five goals and 17 points in 51 games.[1]
The following season, Severson returned to the Devils to compete in his first full NHL season.[34] After being ahealthy scratch for their game against theWashington Capitals,[35] Severson recorded his points in two straight game for the first time since December 9–11, 2014.[36] He played in 72 games for the Devils, recording one goal and 21 points. After the Devils' regular season ended, Severson was re-assigned to the Albany Devils.[37] Severson's play improved during the2016–17 season, leading to a career-high of 28 assists and 31 points.[1] Head coachJohn Hynes noted his increased confidence as the season continued, leading him to say: "His work ethic and compete on the puck is night and day from what it was last year...He's more poised with the puck. He's willing to accept hits to make plays. Last year, he was a little bit nervous in those situations."[38] On October 29, 2016, Severson tallied his first game-winning goal in a win over theTampa Bay Lightning.[39] By November, Severson was tied withTaylor Hall for the Devils team-lead in points with three goals and nine assists for 12 points. His play also helped the Devils reach a five-game winning streak.[40] As injuries began to plague the lineup, Severson's time on the ice increased to a team-high 28:05.[41] He missed one game, a 3–0 loss to theColumbus Blue Jackets, in March due to an injury.[42] Upon returning to the lineup, he played in his 200th career NHL game on April 1, 2017.[43] In the Devils' final home game of the season, Severson was benched by coach John Hynes for the final 16 minutes of the game.[44]
Prior to the start of the2017–18 season, Severson signed a new six-year, $25.2 million contract with the Devils worth $4,166,700 annually.[39] He began the season slow and was a healthy scratch twice by November 7, 2017.[45] He later snapped a seven-game pointless drought at 13:45 of the second period in a 5–2 loss to theNew York Rangers on December 9.[46] On January 15, 2018, Severson helped the Devils end a six-game losing streak by scoring two goals in a 4–1 win over the Rangers.[47] He also scored two goals in a 4–1 win over theNew York Islanders to become the third defenceman in franchise history to do so against the team.[48] Later, Severson continued to increase his career-high in goals during a game against theCarolina Hurricanes. His ninth even-strength goal of the season, which tied the game at 1–1, placed him third amongst all NHL defencemen in even strength goals.[49] He ended the regular season by serving as a healthy scratch for the final three games.[50] As the Devils qualified for the2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, they met the Tampa Bay Lightning for Round 1. Severson served as a healthy scratch for Game 1 but returned for Game 2 and played 16:41 minutes of ice time.[51] Despite this, the Devils fell to the Lightning in five games after losing 3–1 in Game 5.[52]
During the2018–19 NHL season, Severson set a career-high in goals with 11 and tied his career-high in assists with 28.[1] He began the season strong and tallied five points through four games in November.[53] The following month, Severson scored the opening goal just 25 seconds into a game against theBoston Bruins to mark the fastest goal of the Devils' season.[54] In January, Severson lost his regular defence partnerJohn Moore and was paired withSeth Helgeson.[55] On March 12, 2019, Severson tallied an assist onKyle Palmieri's goal to become the fourth Devils defencemen to record 100 assists before their 350th game.[56] As he continued to produce, Severson's time on ice increased to a season-best 24:18[57] and he became one of only two Devils players to compete in all 82 games of the season.[58] During the 2019 offseason, Severson competed with Team Canada at the2019 IIHF World Championship and played in a charity softball game.[59]
Severson returned from the 2019 IIHF World Championship after helping Team Canada win a silver medal after a 3–1 loss to Finland.[60] Although he split his offseason time between the tournament and training back home in Kelowna, Severson expressed his excitement for the moves Devils General ManagerRay Shero made during the summer.[61] Severson continued to produce and recorded an eight-game point streak by February 13, 2020, to match the longest streak by a Devils defenceman sinceBrian Rafalski in 2006-07.[62] As a result, Severson was tied for 11th amongst NHL defencemen in points for the month of February.[63] When the season was paused due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Severson led all Devils defencemen in goals, points, power-play points, takeaways, and average ice time.[64]
Prior to the start of the2020–21 season, Severson was promoted to the rank ofalternate captain by new head coachLindy Ruff.[65] On February 2, 2021, Severson was one of five Devils players placed on the NHL's COVID protocol list.[66] He was eventually taken off the list on February 14.[67] Following the trade ofKyle Palmieri andTravis Zajac to the New York Islanders, Severson became the longest-tenured player on the roster at the age of 26.[68] At the conclusion of the season, Severson revealed that he played the second half of the season with a broken toe which impacted his mobility. He also said it impacted his ability to push off his leg, and acted up during quick reactions during games.[69]
During the preseason prior to his2021–22 campaign, Severson stepped on a puck in practice and suffered a lower-body injury.[70] This delayed his debut for the season until October 19, where he also scored his first goal in a 4–2 win over theSeattle Kraken.[71] On November 18, 2021, Severson played in his 500th career NHL game against theFlorida Panthers.[72]
.jpg)
On June 9, 2023, after signing an eight-year extension with New Jersey, Severson was traded to theColumbus Blue Jackets in asign-and-trade deal in exchange for a third-round pick in the2023 NHL Entry Draft.[73][74]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2019 Slovakia | |
| 2022 Finland | |
As a native of Canada, Severson has represented his home country at both the junior and senior levels. He made his international debut with Team Canada West at the2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where they placed sixth.[1] The following year, he competed at the2012 IIHF World U18 Championships for Team Canada and clinched a bronze medal.[75]
On April 29, 2019, Severson was selected to make his senior international debut after he was named toCanada's roster for the2019 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia.[76] On May 23, in the quarterfinal game againstSwitzerland, Severson scored the game-tying goal for Canada with 0.4 seconds left to play in regulation time. Canada went on to win the game in overtime to advance to the semifinals.[77] Severson helped Canada progress through to the final before losing toFinland to finish with the silver medal on May 26.[78] He finished the tournament with one goal and five assists in ten games.[1] Three years later, he rejoined Team Canada for the2022 IIHF World Championship.[79] The team again lost in the gold medal game to Finland.[80]
Severson joined the senior national team for a third time in advance of the2024 IIHF World Championship.[81]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Yorkton Harvest | SMHL | 44 | 9 | 25 | 34 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | ||
| 2009–10 | Melville Millionaires | SJHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 64 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 53 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 | ||
| 2011–12 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 56 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 80 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 71 | 10 | 42 | 52 | 74 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 18 | ||
| 2012–13 | Albany Devils | AHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 64 | 15 | 46 | 61 | 63 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 18 | ||
| 2014–15 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 51 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 72 | 1 | 20 | 21 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Albany Devils | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 14 | ||
| 2016–17 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 3 | 28 | 31 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 2018–19 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 69 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 56 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 11 | 35 | 46 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 38 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 67 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 70 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 784 | 73 | 243 | 316 | 486 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Canada Western | U17 | 6th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Canada | U18 |  | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2019 | Canada | WC |  | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | |
| 2022 | Canada | WC | | 10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Canada | WC | 4th | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 12 | ||||
| Senior totals | 30 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 26 | ||||
| Honours | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL Top Prospects Game – Team Cherry | 2012 | [82] |