Parker Wotherspoon (born August 24, 1997) 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 hock ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

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). He was selected by the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

in the fourth round, 112th overall, at the

2015 NHL Entry Draft The 2015 NHL Entry Draft was the 53rd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 26–27, 2015, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The first three selections were Connor McDavid going to the Edmonton Oilers, Jack Eichel going to the Buffa ...

. Wotherspoon played four seasons of junior hockey for the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL)'s

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at Toyota Center (Kennewick), Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City A ...

Playing career

New York Islanders

Wotherspoon was drafted by the

in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the

. On May 2, 2016, the Islanders signed Wotherspoon to a three-year, entry-level contract. On October 27, 2020, he signed a two-year contract extension with the team. Wotherspoon made his NHL debut on December 23, 2022, playing for 14:47 minutes while recording two shots on goal and one hit in the Islanders' 5–1 win against the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

Boston Bruins

Following six full seasons within the Islanders organization, Wotherspoon left as a free agent to sign a one-year, two-way contract with the

on July 1, 2023. Although Wotherspoon initially started the 2023–24 season with the Bruins'

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 Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the primary development team for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rh ...

, injuries to Boston's defense corps caused him to bounce between Providence and Boston for much of the first half of the season. However, his consistent stability on Boston's blue line earned him a permanent spot on the NHL squad as the team's seventh defenceman, as well as a one-year, $800,000 contract extension on March 8, 2024. In his first full season staying at the NHL level, Wotherspoon scored eight assists in 41 games. Wotherspoon made his NHL playoff debut in Game 3 of the first round 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 ...

. Similarly as he had done in the regular season, once Wotherspoon was slotted into the playoff lineup, he found a consistent and stable role in the lineup. Wotherspoon would help the Bruins beat the Leafs in seven games, and would record his first NHL playoff point, an assist, in Game 1 of the second round against the

. However, the Panthers would eliminate the Bruins in six games, ending Wotherspoon's and the Bruins' season.

Personal life

Wotherspoon is the younger brother of Tyler Wotherspoon, who was selected 57th overall by the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

at the

2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wotherspoon, Parker 1997 births Living people Boston Bruins players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Bridgeport Islanders players Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Ice hockey people from Surrey, British Columbia New York Islanders draft picks New York Islanders players Providence Bruins players Tri-City Americans players