Brian Dumoulin Bio
Brian Joseph Dumoulin is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born on September 6, 1991, in Biddeford, Maine, he was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, 51st overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Over the course of his career, Dumoulin has suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, and New Jersey Devils, and he won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017. Known for his defensive reliability and steady puck movement, he has represented the United States in international play and remains a respected veteran presence on the blue line.
Early Life and Background
Brian Joseph Dumoulin was born on September 6, 1991, in Biddeford, Maine, to parents Deb and Pete Dumoulin. His mother introduced both of her sons to skating after she roller skated at a nursing conference in California, and the boys soon began playing hockey in the family driveway. They were later enrolled in a learn-to-skate program at the Biddeford Ice Arena, where Dumoulin started in Atoms hockey before taking a year off following the birth of his younger sister. He returned to the sport at age seven and eventually joined the Maine Renegades, a select travel team based in the region.
When he reached middle school age, Dumoulin returned to Biddeford hoping to play with his friends, but he did not qualify for the top local youth team. As a result, he played peewee and bantam hockey in New Hampshire with the Seacoast Spartans, where he skated alongside future NHL players Casey DeSmith and Garnet Hathaway. While growing up in Maine, Dumoulin worked his first job washing dishes at a local restaurant called Huot’s Seafood. He later attended Biddeford High School, where he played for the Tigers and helped them win back-to-back state championships, accumulating 107 points across 48 games before leaving as a junior to play at a higher level.
Path to Hockey
After leaving Biddeford High School, Dumoulin joined the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, a Tier III Junior A program. He believed that playing junior hockey would give him a stronger path to Division I college hockey than remaining in high school competition. During the 2008–09 season, he helped the Monarchs capture a regular-season championship and was named the EJHL’s Defensive Player of the Year. His success drew attention from several major programs, including the University of Maine, Providence College, Northeastern University, Harvard University, the University of New Hampshire, and Boston College.
Dumoulin chose Boston College because of the school itself, the caliber of players developing there, and its proximity to his hometown of Biddeford. He was drafted 51st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, having earned a final ranking of 61st among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He enrolled at BC’s Carroll School of Management and joined the Boston College Eagles men’s ice hockey team, competing in NCAA Division I’s Hockey East conference. He trained under head coach Jerry York and was surrounded by other Pittsburgh Penguins prospects, including Carl Sneep, Philip Samuelsson, and Brian Gibbons.
Brian Dumoulin Career
Early Career (2012–2014)
Following his junior year at Boston College, where he was a finalist for the 2012 Hobey Baker Award and helped the Eagles win the NCAA championship, Dumoulin signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on April 10, 2012. Just over two months later, on June 22, 2012, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the package that brought Jordan Staal to Carolina. After attending Pittsburgh’s development camp, Dumoulin was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League to begin the 2012–13 season, where he tallied six goals and 18 assists for 24 points across 79 games.
Dumoulin began the 2013–14 season in the AHL before being recalled to Pittsburgh on December 9, 2013. He made his NHL debut on December 14 against the Detroit Red Wings, logging 18:10 of ice time, and recorded his first NHL point, an assist on Chris Conner’s goal, two days later against the Toronto Maple Leafs. After one assist in six NHL games, he was reassigned to the AHL, where he joined the WBS Penguins’ 2014 Calder Cup playoff run and recorded 12 points in 17 games.
Pittsburgh Penguins Breakthrough (2014–2017)
Dumoulin made his full-time NHL arrival during the 2014–15 season, scoring his first career NHL goal on December 15, 2014, against Evgeni Nabokov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He and linemate Bryan Rust became the first Penguins pair to score their first NHL goals on the same night since 2006. Dumoulin signed a two-year, one-way contract with Pittsburgh on July 9, 2015, and by the 2015–16 season had become the team’s most consistent defender. Paired with Trevor Daley, he was entrusted with the Penguins’ top shutdown role, finishing the regular season with 16 assists and a plus-11 rating.
During the 2016 playoffs, Dumoulin scored his first NHL postseason goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, then added another goal in Game 6 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals against the San Jose Sharks. With Pittsburgh’s 3–1 series-clinching win, Dumoulin became the first Maine-born NHL player to lift the Stanley Cup. In 2016–17, he endured a broken jaw in late December but returned to assume an even larger role after an injury to Kris Letang, helping the Penguins capture their second consecutive Stanley Cup on June 11, 2017. It was later revealed he had been playing through a hand injury suffered when he blocked a slap shot in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. On July 24, 2017, Pittsburgh re-signed him to a six-year, $24.6 million contract extension.
Pittsburgh Penguins Veteran Years (2017–2023)
In the first year of his new contract, Dumoulin set career highs with five goals and 18 points in 80 games while missing only two games following a concussion. He also completed his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Boston College. During the 2018 playoffs, he and Evgeni Malkin tied a postseason record for the fastest two goals by one team when Dumoulin scored five seconds after Malkin against the Philadelphia Flyers. Injuries continued to affect his seasons afterward, including a concussion during the 2019 NHL Stadium Series and ankle surgery that caused him to miss 33 games in 2019–20. In the shortened 2020–21 season, Dumoulin ranked fifth among Penguins defensemen in both goals and points while logging a team-best 2:45 per game on the penalty kill. He played out the remainder of his contract before leaving Pittsburgh as a free agent on July 1, 2023, after 10 seasons with the organization.
Seattle Kraken Era (2023–2024)
On July 1, 2023, Dumoulin signed a two-year, $6.3 million contract with the Seattle Kraken. In his only season with the club, he set a single-season career high with six goals while adding 10 assists for 16 points in 80 appearances, ranking third among Kraken defensemen in goals scored.
Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils (2024–2025)
With a year remaining on his contract, Dumoulin was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on July 2, 2024, in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. In the final year of his deal, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils on March 6, 2025, in a package that brought prospect Herman Träff and a 2025 second-round pick to Anaheim. Dumoulin slotted into a second-pairing role for the playoff-bound Devils, recording one goal and six points across 19 regular-season games. He went scoreless in five postseason contests as New Jersey fell in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Los Angeles Kings Era (2025–Present)
After completing his contract with the Devils, Dumoulin signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2025. The deal carries an average annual value of $4 million and runs through the 2027–28 season. He joined a Kings team looking to reinforce its defensive corps with a two-time Stanley Cup champion and reliable penalty-killer.
Driving Style and Strengths
Dumoulin has long been recognized for his size, sound defensive-zone positioning, and efficient puck movement. Hurricanes executive Ron Francis once described him as a “big, puck-moving defenseman” upon signing his entry-level deal, while Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan praised him as more than just an “off-the-glass-and-out” defender. He has credited much of his professional growth to former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach John Hynes and assistant Alain Nasreddine, and he is widely valued for his penalty-killing instincts and steady, low-event play.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Dumoulin’s defining career moments is becoming the first Maine-born NHL player to win the Stanley Cup in 2016, followed by a second Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017. He was also a Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2012 after leading all Hockey East defensemen in scoring during Boston College’s national championship run. Internationally, he helped the United States win a bronze medal at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Brian Dumoulin Career Wins
Across his professional career, Brian Dumoulin has accumulated two Stanley Cup championships, both won with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He has also contributed to deep postseason runs with the New Jersey Devils during the 2024–25 season and helped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton reach the Calder Cup playoffs in 2014.
NHL Highlights
Dumoulin scored his first NHL playoff goal in Game 5 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, then added another goal in Game 6 of that year’s Stanley Cup Finals against the San Jose Sharks. He helped Pittsburgh capture back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017, and on July 1, 2023, signed a multi-year free-agent deal with the Seattle Kraken before later stints in Anaheim, New Jersey, and Los Angeles.
Other Wins and Performances
At the junior level, Dumoulin won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In college, he was part of Boston College’s 2012 NCAA championship team and was named to the All-Tournament Team alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Parker Milner.
Brian Dumoulin Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Dumoulin was raised in Biddeford, Maine, by his parents, Deb and Pete Dumoulin, who supported his early interest in skating and hockey. He has a brother, John, who also played at Biddeford High School before retiring upon graduation, as well as a younger sister whose birth briefly interrupted Brian’s youth hockey development.
Personal Life
Dumoulin and his wife, Kayla, welcomed their first child together in November 2019. Off the ice, he developed a passion for cooking inspired by the late chef and television host Anthony Bourdain, having watched every episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover.
2025 Season Performance
Brian Dumoulin opened the 2025 calendar year with the Anaheim Ducks before being traded to the New Jersey Devils on March 6, 2025. With New Jersey, he slotted into a second-pairing role and registered one goal and six points across 19 regular-season appearances, helping the Devils secure a playoff berth. His veteran presence was viewed as a steadying influence on a New Jersey blue line pushing for a deep postseason run.
Dumoulin went scoreless through five playoff games as the Devils were eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes. After his contract expired, he signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2025, joining a club aiming to reinforce its defensive corps for a championship push. The move paired him with a young Kings core looking to benefit from his two Stanley Cup-winning experiences.
Entering the 2025–26 season, Dumoulin is expected to serve as a reliable top-four defenseman and key penalty-killer for Los Angeles, with his current contract running through the 2027–28 campaign.