Travis Dermott Bio
Travis Dermott is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman born on December 22, 1996, in Newmarket, Ontario. Selected 34th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Dermott has spent his career moving between several organizations in the National Hockey League, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Vancouver Canucks, the Arizona Coyotes, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Minnesota Wild. He is currently listed as an unrestricted free agent, having most recently been under contract with the Edmonton Oilers. Standing 183 cm tall and weighing 98 kg, the left-shot defenceman is recognized for his mobility, penalty-killing reliability, and willingness to play on his off side.
Across his professional career, Dermott has been known for steady two-way play, his work on the penalty-kill, and a willingness to speak openly on social and personal matters, including his long-standing use of Pride tape in support of the LGBTQ+ community. He is married to Katerina Di Lucia and is the father of two children, Rosa and James.
Early Life and Background
Travis Dermott was born to Jim and Paula Dermott and grew up in Newmarket, Ontario, alongside an older sister. His mother, a retired figure skater, introduced him to skating before the age of four and later signed him up for Timbits hockey, the entry-level program of Hockey Canada. By the age of seven, he had advanced to the Super 7 Tyke Team in Newmarket, where his father served as his coach and helped shape his early fundamentals.
Growing up, Dermott followed the Chicago Blackhawks and admired defenceman Duncan Keith, a player whose composed two-way game foreshadowed Dermott’s own development. In his early teens, he also played lacrosse alongside a future Erie Otters teammate, Connor McDavid. The pair’s friendship, forged in minor sports, would later continue in the Ontario Hockey League and beyond.
Path to Hockey
Dermott began his youth hockey career with the Minor Midget AAA York Simcoe Express. A pair of broken collarbones during the 2010–11 season limited him to just 19 games that year, but he returned to help the Express capture five OMHA championships and an OHF peewee title. His success drew the attention of scouts, and he was offered a tryout with an East Coast select spring hockey program before committing to the Newmarket Hurricanes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
After being named to the OJHL’s Second All-Star Team and earning the league’s Fan Favourite award, Dermott was selected by the Erie Otters in the 2012 Ontario Hockey League draft. He joined the Otters on May 4, 2013, and balanced his hockey schedule with classes at McDowell High School, where he was recognized as the Midwest Division Academic Player of the Month for January 2014. In his first OHL season, he produced 28 points in 67 games and was named to the 2013–14 OHL First All-Rookie Team, setting the stage for his NHL draft year.
Travis Dermott Career
Junior Career and Draft (2013–2016)
During his draft year with the Erie Otters, Dermott elevated his offensive output, scoring 45 points in 61 regular-season games, including a franchise-record seven-game assist streak by a defenceman. He also led all Erie blueliners in playoff scoring with 17 points. The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked him 46th among North American skaters in its final ranking, and on June 26, 2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him 34th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club on July 22, 2015, and was invited to represent Canada at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Finland.
Following the World Juniors, Dermott returned to the Otters and helped them qualify for the 2016 OHL Playoffs, where they were swept in the Western Conference final by the London Knights. He was also assessed a five-game suspension during that stretch for a hit to the head on Mississauga Steelheads forward Owen Tippett, a discipline that briefly punctuated his final major-junior campaign.
Toronto Maple Leafs Era (2016–2022)
After the Otters’ playoff run ended, Dermott joined the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League for the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs, making his professional post-season debut. He was assigned to the Marlies for the 2016–17 season, recording 24 points in 59 games and finishing second among Marlies defencemen in scoring. The following year, he was paired with Timothy Liljegren, deployed on the penalty-kill, and moved to the right side despite being a left-handed shot, all in the service of maximizing his versatility.
Dermott earned his first NHL recall on January 5, 2018, and recorded his first career NHL goal on January 31, 2018, in a 5–0 win over the New York Islanders. He went on to play 37 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs, tallying one goal and 12 assists, and scored his first playoff goal in Game 7 of the 2018 first-round series against the Boston Bruins. After Toronto’s elimination, he rejoined the Marlies and helped them capture their first Calder Cup in franchise history. Following the 2018–19 campaign, in which he played on a pairing with Ron Hainsey and later suffered a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery, Dermott signed a one-year, $874,125 extension on October 23, 2020, and then a two-year, $3 million extension on July 8, 2021. By the 2021–22 season, his ice time had diminished as Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren passed him on the Toronto depth chart, and on March 20, 2022, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2022 third-round pick.
Vancouver Canucks Era (2022–2023)
Dermott played 18 games for the Canucks after the 2022 trade, helping to stabilize the third defensive pairing during the final stretch of the regular season. The 2022–23 season proved difficult: he suffered a concussion during a practice on September 27, 2022, returned on December 29, 2022, and played 11 games before another injury placed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the campaign. Vancouver declined to issue him a qualifying offer, allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency.
Arizona Coyotes Era (2023–2024)
On July 11, 2023, Dermott signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes worth $800,000 at the NHL level and $450,000 in the AHL. He quickly became a public talking point on October 21, 2023, when he became the first NHL player to defy the league’s new ban on Pride-themed hockey tape during Arizona’s home opener, using the tape as he had throughout his time in the AHL. After the NHL, NHL Players’ Association, and NHL Player Inclusion Coalition reviewed the incident, the ban on Pride tape was rescinded. He completed the season with the Coyotes before becoming an unrestricted free agent over the summer of 2024.
Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild (2024–2025)
On September 14, 2024, Dermott accepted a professional tryout with the Edmonton Oilers and, after a strong camp, had his PTO converted into a one-year, two-way contract for the 2024–25 season. He went scoreless through 10 NHL appearances before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Minnesota Wild on December 13, 2024. He was later reclaimed by the Oilers on February 26, 2025, and assigned to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL.
Driving Style and Strengths
Although the term driving style is more often used in motorsport, in hockey terms Dermott’s strengths mirror that phrase: he is a mobile, transition-oriented defenceman who excels at retrieving pucks, exiting the defensive zone with controlled passes, and supporting the rush. Coaches have praised his penalty-killing instincts and his willingness to play the right side despite being a natural left-handed shot, traits that have made him a reliable third-pairing option and a steady hand on a Stanley Cup-caliber blueline.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his career milestones, Dermott counts his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders on January 31, 2018, his first playoff goal in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins, and a Calder Cup championship with the Toronto Marlies in 2018. His decision to wear Pride tape with the Arizona Coyotes in October 2023 stands as a defining off-ice moment, prompting the NHL to reverse its ban on the equipment and earning him recognition from inclusion advocates across the sport.
Travis Dermott Career Wins
Across junior, AHL, and NHL competition, Dermott’s most celebrated victories include the 2018 Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies and the franchise’s first professional championship in modern history. He has also contributed to deep playoff runs with the Erie Otters and recorded key regular-season wins, including his NHL debut goal against the Islanders.
OHL and AHL Highlights
With the Erie Otters, Dermott played a leading role in back-to-back deep OHL Playoff runs, including a Western Conference final appearance in 2015–16. In the AHL, his first-year performance with the Toronto Marlies produced 24 points in 59 games, and he was named to the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic alongside Kasperi Kapanen before helping the Marlies capture the Calder Cup that spring.
Other Wins and Performances
At the junior level, Dermott helped the York Simcoe Express win five OMHA championships and an OHF peewee title. He also represented Canada at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Finland, an experience he has described as a key step in his development before transitioning fully to professional hockey.
Travis Dermott Family
Family Background and Hockey Lineage
Dermott credits his parents, Jim and Paula Dermott, with shaping his early career. His mother’s background as a retired figure skater introduced him to skating before the age of four, and his father coached him on the Super 7 Tyke Team in Newmarket. He also grew up with an older sister and, in his youth, shared minor-sport experiences with Connor McDavid, a relationship that has endured into the professional ranks.
Personal Life
Travis Dermott is married to Katerina Di Lucia, and the couple has two children, a daughter named Rosa and a son named James. He and his dog Niylah have appeared in a Nulo dog food commercial and serve as brand ambassadors. Dermott also signed a multi-year partnership with Levelwear Pro-Sports as a club partner. Within the Maple Leafs organization, he earned the playful nickname Skin Doctor, a nod to his last name’s resemblance to dermatologist.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 portion of the 2024–25 schedule, Dermott was working to re-establish himself as a reliable depth defenceman. After going scoreless through 10 appearances with the Edmonton Oilers to begin the year, he was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Wild on December 13, 2024, providing a fresh opportunity on a new blueline. He was reclaimed by the Oilers on February 26, 2025, and assigned to the Bakersfield Condors, where he was expected to play top-four minutes and work his way back into Edmonton’s NHL rotation.
Across both organizations, Dermott’s role remained primarily a third-pairing, penalty-kill, and situational deployment, with the focus on keeping games simple, winning defensive-zone battles, and limiting high-danger chances against. His veteran presence and right-side versatility were viewed as valuable assets for a contending Oilers squad preparing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As of the 2025 calendar year, Dermott is once again an unrestricted free agent, evaluating potential landing spots and weighing his next opportunity. With interest in steady, mobile defencemen typically peaking around the trade deadline, he is widely expected to draw attention from contending teams seeking blue-line depth for a 2025–26 playoff push.