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Wild: Brandon Duhaime’s Journey To The NHL Paying Off

By Brandon Quast

Nov 11, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) breaks his stick during warm ups before the start of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 11, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) breaks his stick during warm ups before the start of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s been a long road of grit and determination for Minnesota Wild rookie Brandon Duhaime.

Duhaime has travelled a long distance to even be able to give himself the opportunity to play professional hockey. One would wonder how a kid born in Coral Springs, Florida would reach such a milestone, this is one of those stories.

Nov 7, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Brandon Duhaime (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports /

Brandon Duhaime started his junior hockey career all the way in the BCHL with the West Kelowna Rockets, not given much of an opportunity with the team only playing in 3 games in the 13-14 season, Duhaime didn’t give up from there. The next year he would play for the Merritt Centennials where he would start to show some production at the junior level. In 53 games he put in 6 goals and 19 assists, a brilliant effort for the kid from Florida.

The next season, Brandon Duhaime would move onto a bigger stage in junior hockey joining the Chicago Steel of the USHL, the top junior league in North America. He would split the season between Chicago and Tri-City but his numbers are the impressive part, he scored 15 goals and 27 assists in the 15-16 season in one of the toughest junior leagues anywhere.

The effort on Duhaime’s part to this point had paid off as the Minnesota Wild selected him in the 4th round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

Duhaime would move along to Providence College after his lone USHL season where he would put up very respectable numbers over the course of three seasons and further develop in the NCAA.

BUFFALO, NY – APRIL 11:Brandon Duhaime #9 of the Providence Friars and Noah Cates #21 of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs battle for the puck during the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Semifinals held at KeyBank Center on April 11, 2019 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – APRIL 11:Brandon Duhaime #9 of the Providence Friars and Noah Cates #21 of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs battle for the puck during the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Semifinals held at KeyBank Center on April 11, 2019 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

The Wild signed Duhaime out of college and he joined the Iowa Wild for the 2019-2020 season. Although cut short due to the Coronavirus outbreak, he didn’t go unnoticed as the forward would put up 6 goals and 14 assists in the 63 games he played, again, he may have had more production had the remainder of the season not been cancelled.

In the 2020-2021 season, Duhaime really started to look in shape for NHL time as he played a big role for the Iowa Wild and in 24 games didn’t have a game where he wasn’t unnoticeable.

Now we are at the present time, Brandon Duhaime came to the Minnesota training camp in the fall ready to compete for an open roster spot and he didn’t disappoint as he was awarded the final roster spot on the team for this season.

Duhaime has been something of a surprise for the Wild this season but has proven with out a doubt that he belongs where he is now and has worked hard along the way. I have seen some say having Duhaime in the lineup is almost like having another Marcus Foligno, not a bad comparison.

*All stats/info from eliteprospects.com

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