Devon Toews, who played for the Surrey Eagles during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, appeared in his first NHL game for the New York Islanders on Sunday night. His first NHL game comes in his third professional season after also spending three seasons with Quinnipiac University.
The 24-year-old defenceman logged 18:05 in ice time, including some powerplay time, and attempted seven shots – three of which reached the goal. Although he didn’t record any points, the broadcasters for MSG Network noted post-game that it was a very positive first impression at the game’s highest level.
Toews played 102 BCHL games, all with the Surrey Eagles. He recorded 17 goals and 59 assists during that time, and added 21 more points in 29 playoff games. He also had a goal and six assists in five games during the team’s run to the RBC Cup in 2013, and six assists in five games at the Western Canada Cup.
Toews becomes the 18th former Surrey Eagles player to appear in an NHL game. The full list includes:
| 1. Robb Tallas 2. John Craighead 3. Mike Bishai 4. John Grahame 5. Scott Gomez 6. Colin Hemingway 7. Shaone Morrisonn 8. Nathan Oystrick 9. Greg Zanon |
10. Tyler Eckford 11. Mike Moore 12. Ben Maxwell 13. Andrew Hammond 14. Colton Gillies 15. John Negrin 16. Brandon Tanev 17. Danton Heinen 18. Devon Toews |
Check out his post-game comments with the media after the game, courtesy MSG Network:
