Parker Wotherspoon (born August 24, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the New York Islanders in the fourth round, 112th overall, at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Wotherspoon played four seasons of junior hockey for the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Tri-City Americans.
| Parker Wotherspoon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
August 24, 1997 Surrey, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Boston Bruins New York Islanders | ||
| NHL draft |
112th overall, 2015 New York Islanders | ||
| Playing career | 2016–present | ||
Playing career
editNew York Islanders
editWotherspoon was drafted by the New York Islanders in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
On May 2, 2016, the Islanders signed Wotherspoon to a three-year, entry-level contract.[2] On October 27, 2020, he signed a two-year contract extension with the team.[3] Wotherspoon made his NHL debut on December 23, 2022, playing for 14:47 minutes while recording two shots on goal and one hit in the Islanders' 5–1 win against the Florida Panthers.[4][5]
Boston Bruins
editFollowing six full seasons within the Islanders organization, Wotherspoon left as a free agent to sign a one-year, two-way contract with the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2023.[6]
Although Wotherspoon initially started the 2023–24 season with the Bruins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins, injuries to Boston's defense corps caused him to bounce between Providence and Boston for much of the first half of the season.[7] However, his consistent stability on Boston's blue line earned him a permanent spot on the NHL squad as the team's seventh defenceman,[8] as well as a one-year, $800,000 contract extension on March 8, 2024.[9] In his first full season staying at the NHL level, Wotherspoon scored eight assists in 41 games. Wotherspoon made his NHL playoff debut in Game 3 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Similarly as he had done in the regular season, once Wotherspoon was slotted into the playoff lineup, he found a consistent and stable role in the lineup. Wotherspoon would help the Bruins beat the Leafs in seven games, and would record his first NHL playoff point, an assist, in Game 1 of the second round against the Florida Panthers. However, the Panthers would eliminate the Bruins in six games, ending Wotherspoon's and the Bruins' season.
Personal life
editWotherspoon is the younger brother of Tyler Wotherspoon, who was selected 57th overall by the Calgary Flames at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 62 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 74 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 72 | 9 | 33 | 42 | 93 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 71 | 11 | 45 | 56 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Tri-City Americans | WHL | 69 | 10 | 56 | 66 | 99 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2016–17 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 50 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 64 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 62 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 23 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Bridgeport Islanders | AHL | 57 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 127 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Bridgeport Islanders | AHL | 27 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | New York Islanders | NHL | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 41 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 53 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 35 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Canada Pacific | U17 | 
|
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Canada | U18 | 
|
7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| West Second All-Star Team | 2016–17 | |
References
edit- ^ Saraceni, Dan (June 27, 2015). "Islanders select defenseman Parker Wotherspoon of WHL's Tri-City in fourth round (112 overall)". Lighthouse Hockey. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "Islanders Sign Wotherspoon to Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. May 2, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "Islanders Sign Greer, Ho-Sang, Vande Sompel and Wotherspoon". NHL.com. October 27, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Gorman, Denis P. (December 23, 2022). "Raty scores in NHL debut for Islanders in win against Panthers". NHL.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
...Islanders defenseman Parker Wotherspoon had two shots and one hit in 14:47 in his NHL debut after being called up from Bridgeport on Friday. The 25-year-old was selected No. 112 in the 2015 NHL Draft...
- ^ Kreda, Allan (December 23, 2022). "Raty scores in NHL debut, leads Islanders past Panthers 5-1". AP News. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
...Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, a fourth-round pick by the Islanders in 2015, also made his NHL debut...
- ^ "Bruins announce July 1 transactions". Boston Bruins. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Bruins notebook: Parker Wotherspoon looking to stick in NHL". Boston Herald. December 19, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Ty (January 22, 2024). "It looks like the Bruins have a new 7th defenseman". 98.5 The Sports Hub. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ "Bruins Sign Parker Wotherspoon to One-Year NHL Contract Extension". NHL.com. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database