Carter Verhaeghe (/vərˈheɪɡiː/ vər-HAY-ghee;[1] born August 14, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the third round, 82nd overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played for the minor league affiliates of the Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, but did not play in the NHL until being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Verhaeghe won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning in 2020, after which he signed as a free agent with the Panthers. Verhaeghe won a second Stanley Cup with Florida in 2024, becoming the first player to win a Stanley Cup with both teams from the state of Florida.
| Carter Verhaeghe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Verhaeghe with the Florida Panthers in September 2023 | |||
| Born |
August 14, 1995 Waterdown, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning | ||
| NHL draft |
82nd overall, 2013 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
Early life
editVerhaeghe was born on August 14, 1995, in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada,[2] to parents Thomas and Karen. His father introduced him to the sport of ice hockey and he credits both sets of parents for being an influence on his career.[3] Once he began skating, Verhaeghe started playing organized hockey through the Flamborough Hockey Association before joining the Hamilton Junior Bulldogs and Halton Hurricanes.[4] After his family briefly lived in Toronto, Verhaeghe became a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mats Sundin.[5] Growing up, Verhaeghe and his sister Victoria played hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.[6]
Playing career
editJunior
editIn his high school years, Verhaeghe competed with the St. Mary Catholic Secondary School Crusaders in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic league alongside future NHLer Mark Jankowski. Together, they helped the Crusaders clinch the 2010 Hamilton Junior Cup and Verhaeghe played with the senior team in grade 10.[7] Verhaeghe also spent the 2010–11 minor midget season with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs of the South Central Triple-A Hockey League. Following that season, where he tallied 34 goals and 64 points through 45 games, Verhaeghe was drafted 38th overall in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection by the Niagara IceDogs.[8]
Verhaeghe joined the IceDogs immediately following the draft and accumulated 16 points throughout the 2011–12 season. As he was playing on a strong team that finished first in the Eastern Conference, Verhaeghe saw limited playing time.[8] He began the season with a scoring drought and he tallied his first career OHL goal in his 18th game of the season.[9]
Following his second season with the IceDogs in 2012–13, posting 44 points in 67 games, Verhaeghe was selected in the third round, 82nd overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season with the Ice Dogs, Verhaeghe was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on April 2, 2014.[10] He immediately joined AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, signing an amateur tryout contract to play out the remainder of their campaign.
Matching his scoring totals from his previous season with the IceDogs, Verhaeghe scored 82 points as captain in his final season of junior in the 2014–15 season.
Professional
editToronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders organizations
editPrior to his first professional season, Verhaeghe was included in a multi-player trade prior to training camp by the Maple Leafs to the New York Islanders in exchange for Michael Grabner on September 18, 2015.[11] He split the following two seasons between the Islanders affiliates' the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL and Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL.
Tampa Bay Lightning
editWith one year remaining on his entry-level contract, Verhaeghe was traded by the Islanders to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Kristers Gudļevskis on July 1, 2017.[12] In the 2017–18 season with the Syracuse Crunch, Verhaeghe in his first full year in the AHL, secured a top six scoring role scoring a breakout 48 points in 58 games.
In the following 2018–19 season, Verhaeghe captured the first AHL scoring title ever by a Crunch skater, claiming the John B. Sollenberger Trophy with 82 points in 76 games. His 34 goals tied Crunch teammate Alex Barré-Boulet in league scoring to share the Willie Marshall Award.[13] Verhaeghe holds the Crunch's single-season total point record with 82 points.[14]
On July 5, 2019, Verhaeghe was signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Lightning.[15] On September 30, the Lightning announced that Verhaeghe had made the team's opening night roster.[16] On October 3, Verhaeghe appeared in his first career NHL game, which came in a 5–2 Lightning win over the visiting Florida Panthers at Amalie Arena.[17][18] October 5, Verhaeghe recorded his first career NHL assist and point in a 4–3 loss to the Panthers at BB&T Center.[19][20] On December 7, Verhaeghe recorded his first career NHL goal and first career multi-point game in a 7–1 Lightning win over the visiting San Jose Sharks at Amalie Arena.[21][22] He scored his first NHL hat trick on January 7, 2020, in a 9–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.[23]
On August 15, 2020, Verhaeghe skated in his first career NHL playoff game. In that game Verhaeghe recorded his first career playoff assist and point.[24] Tampa would go on to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games, and Verhaeghe would become the second Sound Tigers player to win the Stanley Cup.[25]
Florida Panthers
editShortly after claiming the Stanley Cup, as an impending restricted free agent with arbitration rights and due to salary cap constraints, Verhaeghe was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Lightning and was released to explore free agency.[26] On October 9, 2020, Verhaeghe remained in Florida, agreeing to a two-year contract with the Florida Panthers.[27]
In the shortened 2020–21 season, Verhaeghe had a breakout year, scoring 36 points in 43 games with a plus-24 rating. He signed a three-year contract extension with the Panthers on July 31, 2021.[28]
During the 2022 playoffs, Verhaeghe scored a team-leading 12 points, including an overtime goal in game 6 of the first round series against the Washington Capitals to give the Panthers their first playoff series win since 1996 playoffs.[29] The following year, Verhaeghe scored the series-winning goal in overtime of game 7 in their first round series against the Presidents' Trophy–winning Boston Bruins.[30]
Verhaeghe won his second Stanley Cup when the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.[31]
On October 8, 2024, Verhaeghe signed an eight-year contract extension with the Panthers.[32]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 62 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 67 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 65 | 28 | 54 | 82 | 60 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 68 | 33 | 49 | 82 | 38 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Missouri Mavericks | ECHL | 20 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 45 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Missouri Mavericks | ECHL | 16 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 58 | 17 | 31 | 48 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 76 | 34 | 48 | 82 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 52 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 43 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 78 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 48 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 81 | 42 | 31 | 73 | 46 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | ||
| 2023–24 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 76 | 34 | 38 | 72 | 36 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 20 | ||
| NHL totals | 330 | 127 | 122 | 249 | 169 | 69 | 26 | 29 | 55 | 36 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Canada | U18 | 
|
7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| AHL | ||
| First All-Star Team | 2019 | [33] |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy | 2019 | [13] |
| Willie Marshall Award | 2019 | [13] |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2020, 2024 | [34] |
References
edit- ^ 2020–21 National Hockey League Pronunciations. Retrieved October 16, 2021
- ^ "Carter Verhaeghe". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Verhaeghe, Carter (September 27, 2020). "Stanley Cup Final blog: Carter Verhaeghe". National Hockey League. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Cornish, Dianne (July 10, 2013). "Verhaeghe drafted". Flamborough Review. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Wheeler, Scott (August 26, 2020). "Inside the new normal for the NHL's Toronto-born players and their families". The Athletic. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Joe (October 10, 2019). "'There's no quit in Carter': Behind Carter Verhaeghe's 'long, hard road' to the Lightning roster". The Athletic. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Moko, Larry (2019). "St. Mary boys' hockey spawns future NHLers". Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ a b "Decade of 'Dogs – Carter Verhaeghe". Niagara Ice Dogs. August 11, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ "Ice Dog rookie steps into a new world". The Hamilton Spectator. March 21, 2012. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ "Leafs sign Verhaeghe to entry-level contract". Toronto Maple Leafs. April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
- ^ "Islanders acquire five players for Grabner". New York Islanders. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ "Lightning acquire forward Carter Verhaeghe from Islanders". Tampa Bay Lightning. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Crunch teammates claim AHL top scoring awards". American Hockey League. April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ^ "Quick Strikes: Carter Verhaeghe wins AHL scoring title for Syracuse Crunch". rawcharge.com. April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Lightning re-sign forward Carter Verhaeghe to a one-year contract". Tampa Bay Lightning. July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ @JoeSmithTB (September 30, 2019). "Carter Verhaeghe said Jon Cooper told him yesterday he made team and will make #NHL debut Thursday" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Lightning open season with victory over Panthers". Yahoo Sports. October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ @TBLightning (October 3, 2019). "Congrats, Carter! Welcome to the show" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @TBLightning (October 5, 2019). "first point of his NHL career for Carter Verhaeghe" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Lightning just a bit out of sorts in 4-3 loss to Panthers". Tampa Bay Times. October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ @BBurnsNHL (December 8, 2019). "Carter Verhaeghe scores his first career NHL goal with 24.6 seconds to go. What a night for the rookie, who has 3 points, his first career goal and first career multi-point game" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Lightning pour it on, hammer Sharks". Reuters. December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Verhaeghe's hat trick helps Lightning rout Canucks 9-2". ESPN. January 7, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "Lightning's Carter Verhaeghe notches first postseason assist". Tampa Bay Times. August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ @thesoundtigers (September 29, 2020). "Carter Verhaeghe became the second former #SoundTigers player to hoist the Stanley Cup last night. Eric Godard was the first 2009" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Carter Verhaeghe: Not qualified by Lightning". CBS Sports. October 7, 2020.
- ^ "Panthers agree to terms with Carter Verhaeghe". Florida Panthers. October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Verhaeghe signs three-year contract extension with Panthers". NHL.com. July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Carter Verhaeghe, new generation of Panthers end team's NHL playoff series win drought". Sporting News. May 13, 2022.
- ^ "Panthers stun Bruins in Game 7 in OT, win Eastern 1st-Round series". NHL.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "NHL star Carter Verhaeghe brings the Stanley Cup home to Waterdown on Monday". The Hamilton Spectator. August 16, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Carter Verhaeghe on Eight-Year Contract Extension". NHL.com. October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "2018-19 American Hockey League First and Second All-Star Teams Named". OurSports Central. April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Lightning win Stanley Cup in Pandemic Bubble". New York Times. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database