Quinton Byfield (born August 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Byfield was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the highest-drafted black player in NHL history.[1][2] He made his NHL debut with the Kings in 2021.
| Quinton Byfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Byfield with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023 | |||
| Born |
August 19, 2002 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team | Los Angeles Kings | ||
| NHL draft |
2nd overall, 2020 Los Angeles Kings | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Early life
editAn up-and-coming legend of Newmarket, Ontario,[1] Byfield is the son of Clinton Byfield, who is Jamaican,[1] and Nicole Kasper, who is Canadian.[2][3] His parents met when his mom was a student at the University of Toronto and his dad had just moved from Jamaica to Toronto.[4] He was raised with his oldest sister, Chloe, in a Toronto suburb, and also has an older half-sister.[4] Although neither his mom nor dad played hockey when they were younger,[1][3] his parents built an ice rink in their backyard so that his friends and he could play hockey.[3]
As a teenager, Byfield was named the 2002 Division’s All-Tournament Most Valuable Player At Pro-Am’s 2015 Mini Chowder Cup.[5] At the age of 15, he played AAA hockey in the Toronto area and first met former NHL player Gary Roberts, who encouraged him to join his training and development program.[4]
Career
editByfield was drafted first overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the 2018 OHL Draft and won both OHL Rookie of the Year and CHL Rookie of the Year.[6] In 2018–19, he put up 29 goals and 61 points in 64 games.[7]
After his second overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Byfield was signed by the Los Angeles Kings to a three-year, entry-level contract on October 16, 2020.[8] He was assigned to the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) roster to begin the 2020–21 season where he played on a line with Akil Thomas and Devante Smith-Pelly. His line became the first all-Black line in professional ice hockey since Herb Carnegie, Ossie Carnegie, and Manny McIntyre in the 1940s. During their first game together, Thomas recorded a natural hat-trick and his line combined for six points in the eventual win.[9] On April 28, 2021, Byfield made his NHL debut in a 3–2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.[10] He recorded his first NHL point on May 5, 2021, in a 4–2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.[11]
In October 2021, Byfield fractured his ankle, keeping him from joining the Kings.[12] Byfield eventually returned to the NHL level on January 20, 2022.[13] He scored his first NHL goal in a matchup against the New York Islanders on January 27, in a 3–2 win over the New York Islanders.[14] On April 25, 2023, Byfield scored his first NHL Playoff goal in a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.[15]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2020 Czech Republic | |
 |
2021 Canada | |
Byfield won a silver medal at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.[16] Byfield won a Gold Medal with Canada at the 2020 World Junior Championships held in the Czech Republic, posting one assist in seven games. Byfield won a silver medal with Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championships held in Canada, posting two goals and five assists for seven points in seven games.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | Newmarket Hurricanes | OJHL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 64 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 38 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 | ||
| 2019–20 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 45 | 32 | 50 | 82 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 32 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 11 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 40 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 16 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 53 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 46 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| NHL totals | 260 | 51 | 91 | 142 | 140 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Canada Black | U17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2019 | Canada | HG18 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2020 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2021 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 24 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 24 | |||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| Emms Family Award | 2018–19 | |
| CHL | ||
| CHL Rookie of the Year | 2018–19 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Wyshynski, Greg (October 6, 2020). Los Angeles Kings select Quinton Byfield, highest-drafted Black player in NHL history. ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2025.]
- ^ a b Franck, Cameron (March 27, 2023). Perhaps Quinton Byfield’s biggest fan is ... Quinton Byfield. Rink Royalty. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ a b c Harris, Jack (October 7, 2020). Quinton Byfield wants to be a role model for other Black hockey players. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ a b c Burnside, Scott (April 13, 2025). Path To The Throne – Quinton Byfield. LA King Insider. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ News (October 9, 2020).NEPAHL Alum Quinton Byfield makes NHL history. Mini Chowder Cup.
- ^ Kerr, Ben. "2020 NHL Draft – An Early Look and Rankings". Last Word on Hockey. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ Morreale, Mike. "Lafreniere headlines 2020 NHL Draft prospects". NHL. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "LA Kings sing Quinton Byfield to three-year, entry-level contract". Los Angeles Kings. October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ Harrison, Doug (March 22, 2021). "Akil Thomas notches natural hat trick to lead hockey's 1st all-Black line since '40s". cbc.ca. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Quinton Byfield Makes NHL Debut with LA Kings". NHL.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Elliott, Helene (May 5, 2021). "Column: 1,000-point milestone reaffirms Kopitar as one of L.A.'s most accomplished athletes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Promising rookie forward Quinton Byfield, 19, out indefinitely with ankle injury for Los Angeles Kings". ESPN.com. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ Whicker, Mark (January 20, 2022). "Whicker: Quinton Byfield's return spices up Kings' season". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Kreda, Allan (January 27, 2022). "Quinton Byfield scores 1st NHL goal as Kings edge Islanders". Daily News. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ "Kings' Byfield scores first career playoff goal off slick feed from Vilardi". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ "Byfield scores, but Canada settles for silver at Hlinka". The Sudbury Star. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database