Darcy Kuemper

Darcy Kuemper (born May 5, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Kuemper was born on May 5, 1990, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to police officer Brent and accountant Sharon Kuemper.

Saskatoon is home to a large ice hockey community, and Kuemper began ice skating by the age of three.

In his early youth hockey leagues, players would take various turns at goaltender, and Kuemper always enjoyed his turn.

At the age of 10, he decided to become a full-time goaltender.

His enjoyment of the position came from the fact that, while other skaters came on and off the ice in shifts, the goaltender was constantly involved in play.

As a child, Kuemper often played minor ice hockey alongside fellow Saskatoon natives Luke and Brayden Schenn.

Kuemper's goaltending abilities first attracted attention when he played for the Saskatoon Contacts and Blazers in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL) as an adolescent.

During the 2005–06 SMAAAHL season, Kuemper, who split time in net for the Contacts with Carl Jahrus, had a 16-3 record and was third in the league with 2.32 goals against average (GAA).

The Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Kuemper 45th overall in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft.

With most of his time under contract spent playing in Saskatoon as a WHL prospect, however, Kuemper only had 19 seconds of goal time with Spokane, when he relieved starting goaltender Dustin Tokarski at the end of a period during the 2007 WHL playoffs.

On December 13, 2007, Spokane traded Kuemper, who at that point was still playing with the Blazers, to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a conditional selection in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.

Kuemper and the Blazers came within one game of winning the SMAAAHL championship in 2008, but lost to the Notre Dame Hounds in five games.

Kuemper started playing in the WHL during the 2008–09 season, backing up Morgan Clark on the Rebels.

Halfway through the season, however, he had taken over as the everyday goaltender for Red Deer.

He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round, 161st overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

He has also played in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche.

Kuemper won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.

Competing internationally with Team Canada, he won gold at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.

Kuemper played three seasons with the Red Deer Rebels, winning the Del Wilson Trophy in the 2010–11 season as the WHL's top goaltender, as well as the CHL Goaltender of the Year with 45 wins, a goals against average (GAA) of 1.86 and a save percentage of .933.

On May 26, 2011, Kuemper signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild.

On October 13, 2011, he was loaned to the Ontario Reign of the ECHL.

Kuemper was later recalled by the Wild on November 12, 2011.

Kuemper was recalled by the Wild on February 12, 2013.

After then-backup goaltender Josh Harding had been ill due to complications from multiple sclerosis treatment, the Wild recalled Kuemper to start the same night to relieve Harding and the team's starting goaltender, Niklas Bäckström.

Five days later, on February 17, Kuemper made 29 saves on 31 shots to earn his first career NHL win against the Detroit Red Wings.

On May 1, 2013, Kuemper was again recalled by the Wild to back up Josh Harding, who was starting as a result of an injury to Niklas Bäckström.

On May 7, Kuemper made his Stanley Cup playoff debut when he replaced Harding, who had suffered a left leg injury in the first period of a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

In the next season's playoffs, in 2014, Kuemper started in Game 3 of the Wild's Western Conference Quarter-finals matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, replacing Ilya Bryzgalov.

Kuemper recorded a shutout in the game, and continued to start for the Wild until sustaining an injury in the third period of Game 7 of the same series.

Bryzgalov replaced Kuemper again and was credited with the win upon Minnesota's overtime victory.

The following season, Kuemper opened as Minnesota's starter with Bryzgalov departed and Harding unable to play.

However, Kuemper struggled, and Minnesota traded for Devan Dubnyk, who immediately became the starter.

Kuemper and Niklas Bäckström finished the season splitting time as Dubnyk's backup.

On July 1, 2017, Kuemper agreed to a one-year, $650,000 contract with the Los Angeles Kings.

In the 2017–18 season, Kuemper excelled in the backup role with the Kings, recording 10 wins in 19 appearances.

On February 21, 2018, Kuemper was traded to the Arizona Coyotes for goaltender Scott Wedgewood and forward Tobias Rieder.

Kuemper was immediately re-signed to a two-year, $3.7 million extension by the Coyotes.

With Antti Raanta injured for most of the 2018–19 season, Kuemper appeared in a career-high 55 games and posted a 27–20–8 record.

He finished fifth in voting for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best goaltender.