7 fun facts about new Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk
Just like everyone predicted, the Vancouver Canucks signed a guy named Jake in free agency.
While pundits continuously tied Jake Guentzel to the Canucks, it was winger Jake DeBrusk who signed a whopping seven-year, $38.5 million contract with Vancouver on the opening day of free agency.
From the relationship with his NHL-playing father to nearly losing his testicle, here are seven facts about the newest Canucks winger.
1. He made his dad cry during his first NHL game
This might have been one of the most memorable first goals in NHL history.
During DeBrusk’s first NHL game on October 5, 2017, he managed to score his first NHL goal with his father, Louie DeBrusk, in attendance.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him cry,” DeBrusk said in a Spittin’ Chiclets interview from 2019.
DeBrusk has scored 138 goals in 465 career NHL games, good for a pace of 24 goals per season.
2. He was challenged by his father on live TV
DeBrusk’s dad Louie used to play in the NHL, however he was a far different player.
Louie DeBrusk was a pure enforcer, posting 24 goals and 41 points in 407 career games. For reference, Jake DeBrusk had 19 goals and 40 points last season alone.
Louie has the big edge in penalty minutes, with 1,161 to Jake’s 101 PIMs.
Jake’s dad has since become a colour commentator for Sportsnet, often covering the Edmonton Oilers and the late games on Hockey Night in Canada.
Louie interviewed Jake during a pre-game interview in February, where he cashed in a “Golden Ticket” that Jake gifted him as a kid.
“A goal, an assist, or 30 push-ups,” Louie told his son.
Jake ended up with both a goal and an assist in a 6-5 Bruins victory over Edmonton.
3. He was hospitalized after taking a slap shot to the groin
This is every guy’s worst nightmare.
Back when DeBrusk played for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, he took a slap shot from defenceman Joe Hicketts right in the groin.
Even though DeBrusk was wearing a jock, the shot ended up hitting him right in the testicle. He said the injury required surgery to drain the swelling and that one of his testicles swelled up to the size of a tennis ball.
“The only thing I’ll remember about it is just the pain,” DeBrusk said in an interview. “That’s the worst part about the injury, is how much it hurt, because I tried to get up. I went down and I didn’t know what happened, because you don’t feel it in that area. It goes up to your mid-section, so I thought my appendix burst or something, because I couldn’t move.”
He did end up making a full recovery.
4. Trade request after being benched vs Canucks
Despite scoring at a top-six rate on average throughout his NHL career, DeBrusk has been known to be a bit of a streaky player.
Perhaps that’s part of the reason why he butted heads with former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.
The two apparently had their differences. It culminated in DeBrusk requesting a trade from Boston. Ironically, the trade request became public after another benching following a loss to the Canucks in December of 2021.
Of course, DeBrusk ended up sticking around in Boston on a couple of short-term deals, and had his best season statistically in 2022-23 after Jim Montgomery replaced Cassidy as Bruins head coach.
5. He was part of an infamous Bruins draft in 2015
The 2015 draft is one Bruins fans would like to forget, even if it involved them landing DeBrusk.
That draft was one of the most loaded in recent NHL history, and the Bruins had picks number No. 13, 14, and 15 overall.
With picks 13 and 15, the Bruins drafted defencemen Jakub Zboril and Zach Senyshyn, who both ended up being busts. DeBrusk was selected 14th overall.
Some of the players drafted after those three include Kyle Connor, Mathew Barzal, Sebastian Aho, Thomas Chabot, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Brock Boeser.
6. He’s a proven playoff performer
Despite DeBrusk’s regular season inconsistencies, he typically shows up in the playoffs.
Since entering the league back in 2017-18, DeBrusk is 16th overall in the NHL with 27 goals in 86 postseason games. He also just led the Bruins with 11 points in the 2024 playoffs.
One of his biggest moments came back in 2018 when DeBrusk scored five goals in a first-round series win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. That included a multi-goal effort and a game-winning tally in Game 7.
7. He likes to cook
Rick Tocchet, who had his own cooking video go viral recently, can probably relate to this.
In fairness though, DeBrusk looked like he was having more fun in the video below, compared to Tocchet’s viral clip.
It’s clear that DeBrusk is a bit of a fun-loving personality. He had a pretty epic lineup reading for the Bruins while injured in 2023.
@br_openice Jake DeBrusk came through with an all-time lineup read 🤣 #nhl #nhltiktoks #bostonbruins #funny #funnyvideos #hockeytiktoks #hockeytok
DeBrusk was also caught singing AC/DC and Migos songs during game action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018.
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