photo: Andre Ringuette/IIHF
Phillip Danault was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Blackhawks, selected 26th overall in 2011. He was playing for Victoriaville in the QMJHL, the league he continued to play in for another two years, and during which time he played for Canada at the 2013 World Junior Championship.
He moved on to the AHL and landed in Chicago, but midway through the 2015-16 season he was traded to Montreal, not far from his birthplace of Victoriaville. After five and a half years with the Canadiens, he signed as a free agent with Los Angeles in the summer of 2021, and he has been with the Kings ever since.
Yet despite being an NHLer all these years, he never played for Canada after 2013—until now.
“That's the way it goes,” the 32-year-old forward explained. “I had a couple of other chances to go, but there are injuries and sometimes after the season you can't go. I had a newborn, and now 12 years later I've been in the NHL 10 years It's amazing. But it's a great honour to be here.”
Danault has been in the NHL playoffs each of the last six years, but this year the Kings were eliminated in the first round by Edmonton, freeing up Danault, who accepted the invitation to play for Canada right away.
Looking back 12 years, he played on a World Junior team that finished fourth despite a plethora of talent, including Nathan MacKinnon, a teammate here now in Stockholm.
“For sure, I remember playing with him,” Dault recalled, “but we also play each other four times a year in the NHL. But it's great see the progression, the maturity, and of course I think about my experience back then and I'm happy to see him again here.”
Other players on that team included Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Binnington, Morgan Rielly, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mark Scheifele. The Canadians lost the bronze-medal game to Russia that year, 6-5 in overtime.
Danault couldn’t have imagined he’d have to wait 12 years before representing his country again, but he has had a fine NHL career that is now past 700 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he was on the Habs team that went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2021, losing to Tampa Bay. And now, in the latter part of his career, he is back representing Canada.
“I'm 32 years old now. I'm proud about my game and what I've done so far. I think I have a lot of years left still. I feel my game is getting stronger, and I'm more of a 200-foot player. I'm proud of myself, but obviously there's a lot of work I can do still.”
For now, that work is all about getting to know his teammates in Stockholm, adjusting to the time change, and figuring out how he fits into the team. From there, he sees only the podium, as do his teammates who are all pointed in the same direction.
He moved on to the AHL and landed in Chicago, but midway through the 2015-16 season he was traded to Montreal, not far from his birthplace of Victoriaville. After five and a half years with the Canadiens, he signed as a free agent with Los Angeles in the summer of 2021, and he has been with the Kings ever since.
Yet despite being an NHLer all these years, he never played for Canada after 2013—until now.
“That's the way it goes,” the 32-year-old forward explained. “I had a couple of other chances to go, but there are injuries and sometimes after the season you can't go. I had a newborn, and now 12 years later I've been in the NHL 10 years It's amazing. But it's a great honour to be here.”
Danault has been in the NHL playoffs each of the last six years, but this year the Kings were eliminated in the first round by Edmonton, freeing up Danault, who accepted the invitation to play for Canada right away.
Looking back 12 years, he played on a World Junior team that finished fourth despite a plethora of talent, including Nathan MacKinnon, a teammate here now in Stockholm.
“For sure, I remember playing with him,” Dault recalled, “but we also play each other four times a year in the NHL. But it's great see the progression, the maturity, and of course I think about my experience back then and I'm happy to see him again here.”
Other players on that team included Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Binnington, Morgan Rielly, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mark Scheifele. The Canadians lost the bronze-medal game to Russia that year, 6-5 in overtime.
Danault couldn’t have imagined he’d have to wait 12 years before representing his country again, but he has had a fine NHL career that is now past 700 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he was on the Habs team that went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2021, losing to Tampa Bay. And now, in the latter part of his career, he is back representing Canada.
“I'm 32 years old now. I'm proud about my game and what I've done so far. I think I have a lot of years left still. I feel my game is getting stronger, and I'm more of a 200-foot player. I'm proud of myself, but obviously there's a lot of work I can do still.”
For now, that work is all about getting to know his teammates in Stockholm, adjusting to the time change, and figuring out how he fits into the team. From there, he sees only the podium, as do his teammates who are all pointed in the same direction.