Nicholas Paul (born March 20, 1995) is a Canadian professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
left winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). A
left winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, he was selected by the
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...
in the fourth round, 101st overall, of the
2013 NHL Entry Draft
The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Al ...
.
Early life
Paul was born on March 20, 1995, in
Mississauga,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
,
to parents Ellwood and Melinda. He holds dual citizenship between Canada and the United States due to his mother being an American citizen. Growing up, his father and half brother Christopher built a backyard rink for Paul and his older brother Jesse to use for practice. As a youth, Paul was friends with
Max Domi
Maxwell Johannes Domi (born March 2, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2013 NHL En ...
and attended
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
games with him.
Playing career
Junior
While growing up in Mississauga, Paul played minor midget hockey for the
Mississauga Chargers
The Mississauga Chargers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They are the product of a 1990 merger of two former Metro Junior B franchises, the Thornhill Th ...
of the
Greater Toronto Hockey League
The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), formerly known as the Metro Toronto Hockey League, is a minor level ice hockey organization based in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario. The league was founded in 1911 as the Beaches Hockey League by ...
(GTHL). During his 2011–12 season with the Chargers, Paul scored three goals and two assists for five points.
While standing at only 5-foot-6 during his
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...
(OHL) draft eligibility year, Paul tallied four goals and 25 points in 37 games.
Despite failing to be drafted into the OHL in his first year of eligibility, Paul was later selected by the
Brampton Battalion
The Brampton Battalion were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team was based in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and started playing in 1998. As a result of consistently having among the lowest attendance in the OHL (last plac ...
, (later the North Bay Battalion) as an overaged player.
After his first season with the Battalion, where he scored 12 goals and 28 points, Paul was selected 101st overall by the
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...
in the
2013 NHL Entry Draft
The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Al ...
.
Following the draft, Paul returned to the Battalion and continued his scoring prowess. By October 14, Paul led the team with five goals in eleven games. This continued throughout the season as he accumulated 37 goals and 29 assists through 58 regular-season games under coach Stan Butler.
As such, he helped lead the team to the OHL's Eastern Conference Finals against the
Oshawa Generals. Throughout the post-season, Paul maintained a four-game goal scoring streak and was tied for second in goal scoring with nine through 15 games. Following the playoffs, Paul's NHL rights were traded by the Stars on July 1, 2014, along with
Alex Chiasson, Alex Guptill, and a
2015 second-round pick, to the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
in exchange for
Jason Spezza
Jason Rocco Anthony Spezza (born June 13, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Spezza played 19 career seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2002 to 2022, and is currently a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs' fr ...
and
Ludwig Karlsson.
Paul re-joined the Battalion for his final season in the OHL during the
2014–15 season. By December, he had accumulated 19 goals and 34 points through 27 regular-season games and subsequently signed a three-year
entry-level contract
A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...
with the Senators on December 20, 2014. Upon joining the Senators for their 2015 development camp, he measured at 6-4 and 225 pounds.
Professional
Ottawa Senators
Paul signed with Ottawa and made his professional debut with their
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Binghamton Senators in the
2014–15 season. He finished with six goals and 11 assists in 45 games with Binghamton. Paul was assigned to Binghamton by Ottawa for the
2015–16 season also. Paul was called up in February 2016 and made his NHL debut on February 16, 2016, against the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
. He recorded his first career NHL goal on February 24, 2016, in a 4–1 win over the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
.
On July 16, 2018, Paul signed a one-year contract with the Senators. On July 2, 2019, Paul re-signed with the Senators for another season.
Tampa Bay Lightning
On March 20, 2022, just a day before the trade deadline, Paul was traded by Ottawa to the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
in exchange for
Mathieu Joseph and a 2024 fourth-round draft pick.
In the seventh game of the Lightning's first-round playoff series against the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
, Paul scored his first two playoff goals, including the series-winner. Paul helped the Lightning advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for their third successive season and contributed with 5 goals and 9 points through 23 games before falling to the Colorado Avalanche.
On July 1, 2022, Paul opted to forgo free-agency in agreeing to a seven-year, $22.05 million contract extension to remain with the Lightning.
International play
As a Canadian citizen, Paul has represented his home country at the junior and senior levels on two occasions. His first tournament with the
Canadian men's national junior ice hockey team was during the
2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 39th edition of Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, played from December 26, 2014 to January 5, 2015. It was co-hosted by Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and organized by ...
. He finished the tournament with three goals in seven games to help Canada win a gold medal.
Paul was chosen to represent Canada again at the senior level for the
2021 IIHF World Championship
The 2021 IIHF World Championship () took place from 21 May to 6 June 2021. It was originally to be co-hosted by Minsk, Belarus and Riga, Latvia, as the IIHF announced on 19 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany. Their joint bid won by a very tight margi ...
. Paul scored at 6:26 of the first overtime in the gold medal game against Finland to give Canada its 21st all-time gold medal.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Nick
1995 births
Belleville Senators players
Binghamton Senators players
Brampton Battalion players
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Dallas Stars draft picks
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Living people
North Bay Battalion players
Ottawa Senators players
Sportspeople from Mississauga
Tampa Bay Lightning players