Connor Dewar facts for kids

Connor Dewar was born on June 26, 1999. He is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). Before joining the Maple Leafs, he played for the Minnesota Wild.

Early Life and Hockey Start

Connor Dewar was born in The Pas, Manitoba, Canada. His parents are Kim and Jade. Connor is part of the Red River Métis community.

When he was young, Connor learned to skate on a rink his dad built in their backyard. Later, he moved to Dauphin, Manitoba with his mom. There, he played for the Parkland Rangers bantam team. He stayed in Dauphin until he was 15 years old. He played with the Rangers midget AAA team. His great play led to him being drafted by the Everett Silvertips. This team is part of the Western Hockey League (WHL). This happened in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.

Playing Career

Major Junior Hockey

Connor signed with the Everett Silvertips on September 1, 2015. He joined the team as a 16-year-old rookie for the 2015–16 season. He scored his first WHL goal in his very first game. This goal helped his team win 2–0 against the Prince George Cougars.

During his first season, he played in all 72 regular-season games. He also played in all nine playoff games. For this, he won the "Iron Man Award" and "Rookie of the Year." He finished his first year with 11 goals and seven assists. He was the first Silvertips rookie in a long time to score double-digit goals.

In his second season, Connor played even better. He set new personal bests for goals, assists, and total points. After this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs invited him to their training camp.

Connor returned to the Silvertips for his third season. He was named an alternate captain. He kept improving his game, setting new career highs in points, assists, and goals. Because of his strong play, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked him as one of the top North American skaters. The Minnesota Wild then drafted him 92nd overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Before the 2018–19 season, Connor was chosen as the 16th captain in Everett Silvertips history. He also went to the Minnesota Wild's training camp again. He was later sent back to play in the WHL. During this season, he was suspended for a few games. But he came back strong. He led the Silvertips with 73 points before getting an injury. He finished his fourth year with 81 points. This was one of the best single-season point totals in Silvertips history. He was also named to the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team.

Professional Hockey

Connor finished his junior hockey career by signing a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild on March 5, 2019. He then joined the Iowa Wild. This team is Minnesota's affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He played for them for the rest of that season.

He scored his first professional goal and assist on November 17 in a game against the Chicago Wolves. In his first AHL season, he had 19 points. This included six goals and 13 assists in 52 games.

Connor played his first NHL game on October 28, 2021. This was in a game where the Wild lost to the Seattle Kraken. He got his first NHL point, an assist, on January 6, 2022. This was in a 3–2 win against the Boston Bruins. Just 18 days later, he scored his first NHL goal. This happened in an 8–2 win against the Montreal Canadiens.

On March 8, 2024, the Wild traded Connor Dewar to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In return, the Wild received Dmitri Ovchinnikov and a draft pick. Connor scored his first goal for the Maple Leafs on March 28, 2024. This goal was against the Washington Capitals.