Patrice Victor Cormier (born June 14, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He is currently under contract with the Bouctouche JC’s of the Ligue de Hockey Senior Beausejour. Cormier was drafted in the second round, 54th overall, by the New Jersey Devils at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
| Patrice Cormier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cormier with the St. John's IceCaps in 2015 | |||
| Born |
June 14, 1990 Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| DEL team Former teams |
Eisbären Berlin Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets Barys Astana Ak Bars Kazan Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | ||
| NHL draft |
54th overall, 2008 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
He first gained recognition as a talented player in the peewee AAA circuit, where his scoring ability and potential led many in his community to believe he was destined to become the next Wayne Gretzky. Unfortunately, that initial promise was not fully realized as his career progressed.
During his time with the Moncton Gagnon Beavers, just before transitioning to the QMJHL, Cormier found himself in a challenging situation. In a game that would become memorable for all the wrong reasons, he got into a fight and was decisively beaten, leaving his mother in the stands visibly upset. That night, in an effort to comfort him, she taught him how to make her famous tomato soup, which would later become a symbol of warmth and resilience in his life.
Cormier later served as the captain of Team Canada at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. However, his career took a hit on January 25, 2010, when he was suspended for the remainder of the 2009–10 QMJHL regular season and playoffs due to an elbow delivered to Mikael Tam of the Quebec Remparts. Shortly after this incident, his NHL rights were traded to the Atlanta Thrashers.
Despite being drafted into the NHL, Cormier struggled to secure a consistent spot on the Winnipeg Jets roster. His time in the NHL and AHL was marked by limited success, prompting him to seek opportunities in other leagues. In an effort to revitalize his career, he moved to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), where he managed to regain some of his scoring touch reminiscent of his peewee AAA days. However, his overall experience in the KHL was less than impactful.
Following his stint in Russia, Cormier transitioned to the German league, where his performance continued to decline. His career faced significant challenges across multiple leagues, including a lifetime ban from the QMJHL due to. Eventually, Cormier signed a $50-a-week contract with the Bouctouche JC’s, a team that allowed him to return to hockey in a more familiar environment. This move marked a return home for Cormier, as he sought to rebuild his career and reconnect with his passion for the sport.
Despite the challenges he faced, Patrice Cormier's journey serves as a poignant reminder of the unpredictable nature of professional sports. While he may not have attained the level of success that many had anticipated, his story reflects resilience and a commitment to the game. Now back with the Bouctouche JC’s, Cormier plans to open his own hockey school in Cap-Pele, aiming to run it during the summer as a sports week for children. He hopes to incorporate his famous tomato soup into the program, believing that this unique offering will help him stand out among other hockey schools, while also sharing his love for the game with the next generation.
Playing career
editJunior
editRimouski Océanic
editCormier started his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) career with the Rimouski Océanic. During his rookie season he scored 11 goals and added 10 assists 53 games. He also represented New Brunswick in the ice hockey tournament at the 2007 Canada Games, where Cormier scored seven goals and thirteen assists in six games played as his team finished in seventh place.[1] Cormier followed that up in the 2007–08 season, in which he posted 18 goals and 23 assists with 84 PIMs in 51 games. However, during the 2007–08 season, Cormier was riddled with injuries, including a burst appendix, concussion, and a pair of shoulder problems, all of which hampered his play and his draft position.[2] The New Jersey Devils drafted him with the 54th overall pick.
Cormier experienced a breakout performance during the 2008–09 QMJHL season, in which he posted career highs of 23 goals, 28 assists, 51 points, and 118 PIMs. His great performance continued with the QMJHL playoffs in which he led Rimouski to the playoff semifinals with four goals and six assists in 13 games, along with 30 PIMs, and the squad qualified for the 2009 Memorial Cup. While competing with the Océanic, Patrice followed the QMJHL playoffs with strong Memorial Cup play and was named to the tournament All-Star team.[3]
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
editCormier was traded from Rimouski to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.[4] Shortly after he was traded, Cormier was involved in an incident where he severely injured an opponent, Mikael Tam of the Quebec Remparts, with an elbow that sent the latter player to hospital. The Remparts filed a police complaint over the hit.[5] Cormier faced criminal charges over the hit against Tam.[6]
On January 18, 2010, Cormier was suspended indefinitely by the QMJHL pending a full review of the incident.[7] On January 25, 2010, Cormier was suspended by the QMJHL for the rest of the 2010 season.[8] He finished his Rouyn-Noranda Huskies career with five assists in three games, before the season-ending (and QMJHL career-ending) suspension.
Professional
editOn February 4, 2010, Cormier was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers along with Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors and a first round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft for Ilya Kovalchuk.[9] After Rouyn-Noranda was eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs, Cormier was named to the playoff roster for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL).[10] His first NHL goal was scored on January 7, 2011 against James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Once the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Cormier was assigned to the St. John's Ice Caps of the AHL. The Winnipeg Jets recalled Cormier several times from the Ice Caps, the last time being on November 4, 2015.[11]
Cormier began the 2015–16 season with the Manitoba Moose and was named an alternate captain.[12]
Out of contract with the Winnipeg Jets in the off-season, Cormier opted to remain with their affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, signing a one-year AHL deal on August 30, 2016,[13] and was later named team captain on October 14, 2016, shortly before the 2016–17 season began.[14] On July 5, 2017, he continued his tenure with the Moose and agreed to a one-year extension on July 5, 2017.[15]
After three seasons with the Moose, Cormier opted to leave North America and agreed to a one-year contract with Kazakhstani club, Barys Astana of the KHL on July 2, 2018.[16] Cormier was instantly a success with Barys, scoring 18 goals and 40 points in 56 games in the 2018–19 season. He registered a further 4 points in 11 post-season games, helping Barys advance to the second round.
As a free agent from Barys, Cormier continued in the KHL, securing a lucrative one-year contract with Russian club, Ak Bars Kazan, on May 4, 2019.[17]
Following two seasons with Ak Bars, Cormier left the club as a free agent and continued his tenure in the KHL by agreeing to a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on May 3, 2021.[18]
After five seasons in the KHL, Cormier left Russia as a free agent and was signed to a one-year contract with German club, Eisbären Berlin of the DEL, on May 15, 2023.[19]
International play
edit Cormier in 2009. | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
Representing  Canada
| ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2010 Saskatoon | |
 |
2009 Ottawa | |
Cormier represented Canada in the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship in 2009 on their way to a gold medal and scored a goal and had two assists in six games.[20] At the 2010 event, he served as the captain of Canada, and added two goals and three assists in six games as Canada took home silver.[21]
Family
editCormier married Tanya in 2016 and had his first child in August 2018. His older brother Kevin was selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the sixth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.[22]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | Moncton Gagnon Beavers | MJAHL | 31 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Moncton Gagnon Beavers | MJAHL | 43 | 21 | 27 | 48 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 53 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 51 | 18 | 23 | 41 | 84 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 2008–09 | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 54 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 118 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 30 | ||
| 2009–10 | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 28 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 21 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 56 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 75 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2011–12 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 35 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 61 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 98 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 22 | ||
| 2013–14 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 47 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 65 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 69 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 69 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 126 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 38 | ||
| 2018–19 | Barys Astana | KHL | 56 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 101 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 35 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 56 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 46 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 109 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 2021–22 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | KHL | 42 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | KHL | 55 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 54 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 2023–24 | Eisbären Berlin | DEL | 37 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 72 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| NHL totals | 52 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| KHL totals | 255 | 50 | 67 | 117 | 371 | 37 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 57 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Canada | WJC | 
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Canada | WJC | 
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2007–08 | [23] |
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2009 | [24] |
| DEL | ||
| Champions (Eisbären Berlin) | 2024 | [25] |
References
edit- ^ "Canada Winter Games 2007 – Hockey Male". 2007 Canada Games. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
- ^ "Prospect Patrice Cormier Profile". hockeysfuture.com. October 31, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ "Individual Awards Presented at MasterCard Memorial Cup". mastercardmemorialcup.com. May 24, 2009. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ "Huskies de Rouyn-Noranda Joueurs: Patrice Cormier". January 18, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ "Cormier ejected from QMJHL game after head shot on opponent". The Sports Network. January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Patrice Cormier accusé de voies de fait | Grands Titres | Radio-Canada.ca
- ^ "QMJHL suspends Cormier indefinitely for elbow to the head". TSN. January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ "Cormier suspended for balance of QMJHL season and playoffs". TSN. January 25, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "Thrashers ship Kovalchuk to Devils for players, 1st rounder". The Sports Network. February 4, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ "Wolves Bolster Roster With Five Additions Heading into Playoffs". Chicago Wolves. April 12, 2010. Archived from the original on April 16, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ "Cormier called up by Jets".
- ^ "Moose name Albert captain, give Cormier and MacWilliam an 'A'". Winnipeg Free Press. October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Moose sign Cormier, Czuczman". Manitoba Moose. August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ "Patrice Cormier named Moose captain". Manitoba Moose. October 14, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ "Moose announce seven signings". Manitoba Moose. July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "Patrice Cormier joins Barys Astana" (in Russian). Barys Astana. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Patrice Cormier transfers to Ak Bars". Ak Bars Kazan. May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ "Patrice Cormier is a newcommer to HC Avtomobilist" (in Russian). Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Patrice Cormier joins the Polar Bears" (in German). Eisbären Berlin. May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ "WJC Championship Canada PLAYER STATISTICS BY TEAM 2008–2009" (PDF). IIHF. January 18, 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2021.
- ^ "WJC Championship Canada PLAYER STATISTICS BY TEAM 2009–2010" (PDF). IIHF. January 18, 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Kevin Cormier". EliteProspects.com. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "NHL 2008 Entry Draft Featured Player: Patrice Cromier". 2008nhlentrydraft.com. January 18, 2010. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Memorial Cup All-Star Teams Archived January 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Eisbären Berlin are German champions 2024!" (in German). Deutsche Eishockey Liga. April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database