Here are four things you may have not known about the towering Edmonton Oilers defenseman.
The Edmonton Oilers have a plethora of top end talent on their roster. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were all drafted in the first round.
When it comes to defensive talent, that's something Vincent Desharnais has in spades. Here are five things you didn't know about Desharnais.
He's Been Recognized For His Philanthropy
Desharnais is no stranger to philanthropy. In 2019 he was a nominee for the Hockey Humanitarian Award. It's rewarded to an NCAA hockey player (male or female) who has contributed to their team on the ice - but also has given back to the community in a truly humanitarian way.
He hosted an event called "PC Beats Cancer". The fundraiser raised $5100 for the Gloria Gemma Foundation.
He's Older than Connor McDavid
McDavid was born January 13th, 1997 and was drafted in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Desharnais, even though he was drafted more recently than McDavid is actually older. Born May 29th, 1996, Desharnais is about seven and a half months older than McDavid.
He's a 7th Round Draft Pick
Desharnais was not a first round draft pick. He was drafted in the 2016 draft at 183rd overall - which was in the seventh round. Jesse Puljujarvi, Tyler Benson and Markus Niemelainen were all drafted by the Oilers ahead of him in the 2016 draft.
When the Oilers picked him it was actually his third year of being draft eligible. So every other team in the league had two whole years to draft Desharnais before the Oilers eventually did.
He Was Defenseman of the Year
Desharnais spent four years playing for Providence College in the Hockey Eastern division of the NCAA. In his last year of college hockey he won the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman of the Year award. It's voted on by all of the head coaches in the league and distributed at the end of the regular season.
Previous NHLers to win the award are Josh Manson, Dennis Gilbert, and Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin is the only player to ever win the award twice. Former NHLer Justin Braun has also won the award.
Visit the Striking Oil Podcast website
Subscribe to the Striking Oil Podcast on YouTube.
Related: Former Oilers Enforcer Out Long Term
Related: Regret Awaits Oilers if Defender is Moved
Related: New Oilers Defender Paired With Ekholm
Related: Oilers Most Valuable Player is Not McDavid