Troy Stecher

Troy Stecher (born April 7, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Undrafted into the NHL, Stecher played for the University of North Dakota for three seasons. In his last season, he was honoured as a Second-Team All-American West, All-NCHC Second Team, and NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year.

Playing career
Stecher began playing hockey at the age of six with the Richmond Minor Hockey Association. After graduating from Alfred B Dixon Elementary, Stecher attended South Delta Secondary School due to their hockey academy while still playing in bantam hockey. Despite being selected in the 2009 WHL Draft by the Portland Winterhawks, Stecher chose instead to play with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL to better develop as a player.

In his second year with the Vees, Stecher was named an Assistant Captain as he helped guide the Vees to the national junior ‘A’ Championship. Although Stecher was loaned to Team Canada West for the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, he still registered a career high 42 points in 53 games during the regular season. While playing in the RBC Cup, Stecher recorded 10 points in 15 games and was named the Royal Bank Cup’s top defenseman.

On June 28, 2012, Stecher was named team captain for the 2012–13 season. It was during this season, his final year with the Penticton Vees, that Stecher committed to playing NCAA hockey for the University of North Dakota. At the conclusion of the 2012–13 season, Stecher was named to the BCHL First-Team All-Star and awarded the Top Defenceman Trophy for the Interior.

Collegiate
Stecher played three seasons of college hockey with the University of North Dakota.

In his freshman year at North Dakota, Stecher played in all 42 games, the only freshman to do so. He ended the season with 11 points in 42 games.

In his last year of draft eligibility, Stecher was passed over in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the third straight draft he was not selected in. As such, Stecher returned to North Dakota for his sophomore season. During a December game against the Lake Superior State Lakers, Stecher was injured and was expected to miss 6–8 weeks to recover. After missing eight games, Stecher returned for a 3–2 loss against Nebraska Omaha on January 30. He ended the season with 13 points in 34 games.

In his last year at North Dakota, Stecher set a career high with 29 points in 43 games. He was named a Second-Team All-American West at the conclusion of the 2015–16 season and selected for the All-NCHC Second Team. He was also named a finalist for NCHC Defenseman of the Year and NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year. Following his outstanding third season, the Vancouver Canucks signed him to a two-year entry-level contract on April 13, 2016.

Vancouver Canucks
Stecher was a late cut from the Canucks' 2016 training camp and was sent to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets to start the season. After playing in the Comets' first four games and tallying an assist, he was recalled to the Canucks on October 24, 2016. He made his NHL debut the next day, logging 22:35 minutes of ice time in a 3–0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. As a result, Stecher became the first player born and raised in Richmond, British Columbia to play for the Canucks. His first career assist and point came on a Daniel Sedin goal on November 5 in a 6–3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the same game, he was hit by Leafs enforcer Matt Martin in the 3rd period and a line brawl proceeded.

He scored his first NHL goal against Kari Lehtonen on November 13 in a 5–4 overtime victory against the Dallas Stars. On March 26, 2017 he left a game against the Winnipeg Jets with an upper-body injury due to a fall into the boards after a collision with a Jets player. Stecher healed well enough to play on the Friday game.

During the Canucks 2017–18 season opener, Stecher recorded his first NHL fight against Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Strome. On October 24, 2017 the Canucks announced via Twitter that Stecher would be out 4-to-6 weeks with a knee injury that was caused in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. He returned to the Canucks lineup on November 24, 2017, after missing 14 games. Stecher concluded the regular season with 11 points in 68 games. On July 20, 2018, Stecher signed a two year, $2.325 million deal with the Canucks.

International play
On April 29, 2019, Stecher was selected to make his international debut after he was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2019 IIHF World Championship, held in Slovakia. He helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the Silver Medal on May 26, 2019. Stecher finished the tournament posting 1 goal and 3 points in 10 games from the blueline.

Personal life
Stecher was born to parents Tracey and Peter Stecher alongside his two older siblings.