Darren Archibald facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Darren Archibald |
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Archibald with the Grizzlys Wolfsburg in 2023
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| Born | February 9, 1990 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| DEL team Former teams |
Grizzlys Wolfsburg Vancouver Canucks Ottawa Senators Vienna Capitals |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2011–present | ||
Darren Archibald (born February 9, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a left winger for the Grizzlys Wolfsburg team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), which is a top hockey league in Germany. Before playing professionally, he played major junior hockey in Canada for teams like the Barrie Colts and Niagara IceDogs. Even though he wasn't chosen in the NHL draft, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks and played for different teams within their organization.
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Darren Archibald's Hockey Journey
Starting in Junior Hockey
Darren Archibald's hockey journey began in junior hockey. In his first year, he didn't make an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team and instead played for the Stouffville Spirit in a league called junior A. He scored 21 goals and 47 points in 48 games, showing his talent early on.
The next season, he joined the Barrie Colts in the OHL. He scored 25 goals and 49 points in 68 games. He also added seven points in five playoff games. Even though he wasn't drafted by an NHL team, he was invited to a training camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Big Years in the OHL
When he returned to Barrie, Archibald scored 26 goals and 59 points in 57 games. His team, the Barrie Colts, made it all the way to the OHL championship, but they lost to the Windsor Spitfires. In the playoffs that year, Darren added 5 goals and 10 points.
He was still not drafted by an NHL team, but he kept working hard. He attended another camp, this time with the Detroit Red Wings. For his final season in the OHL, he scored 18 goals in 24 games for Barrie. Then, he was traded to the Niagara IceDogs. Soon after the trade, he signed his first professional contract with the Vancouver Canucks. With the IceDogs, he scored 23 more goals and 36 points in 37 games. He had a great playoff run, scoring four goals in one game and being named OHL Player of the Week.
Becoming a Professional Player
In 2011, Darren Archibald started his professional career. He played for the American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Chicago Wolves, which was connected to the Vancouver Canucks. He scored a goal in his first game with the Wolves. Later, he was sent to the ECHL to play for the Kalamazoo Wings. In Kalamazoo, he scored 9 goals and 30 points in 36 games, which helped him get called back up to the Wolves. He finished that year leading all rookies on the Kalamazoo team in points.
Moving Up to the NHL
In his second professional season (2012-13), many younger Canucks players were in the AHL because of a lockout in the NHL. Darren started with the Kalamazoo Wings again, scoring 6 goals and 14 points in 18 games. Because of injuries on the Chicago Wolves, he was called up again and played well.
When the NHL lockout ended, Archibald was one of the players called up to the Vancouver Canucks for a short training camp. He later returned to the Chicago Wolves. After the season, he signed a new contract with the Canucks.
Darren attended the Canucks' training camp for the 2013-14 season. He was sent to the Utica Comets, the Canucks' new AHL team. He played four games there, getting a goal and an assist. However, the Canucks had several injuries, so Archibald was called up to the NHL. He made his NHL debut on October 25, 2013, in a game against the St. Louis Blues. A few days later, he got his first NHL point, an assist, in a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He was sent back to the Comets but was called up again in January and March 2014. During his third call-up, Darren scored his first ever NHL goal on March 8, 2014, against the Calgary Flames.
Continued Career and Moving Abroad
Even though he had limited time in the NHL, Archibald stayed in the Canucks' minor league system for several years. In the 2016-17 season, he had a great year with the Utica Comets, scoring 47 points in 76 games. He even won the Comets' Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
After a strong training camp, he was one of the last players cut from the Canucks' roster for the 2017-18 season. But on February 7, 2018, the Canucks signed him to an NHL contract, and he returned to play in the NHL.
In October 2018, Archibald was sent to the Utica Comets again. He was later called back up to the Canucks, playing in nine games. On January 2, 2019, Darren was traded to the Ottawa Senators. He was immediately sent to their AHL team, the Belleville Senators.
After leaving the Senators, Archibald signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. He played 34 games with them before being traded back to the Belleville Senators in February 2020.
After playing in North America for many years, Darren Archibald decided to play hockey overseas. He joined the Vienna Capitals in Austria for the 2020-21 season. Then, on June 2, 2021, he moved to Germany to play for the Grizzlys Wolfsburg in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), where he plays today.
