Carter Verhaeghe was originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pictured: Carter Verhaeghe. Photo Credit: NHL.
If you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan he’s certainly one that got away.
But the Maple Leafs aren’t the only National Hockey League (NHL) team to give up on Carter Verhaeghe.
The former Niagara IceDogs captain, and Waterdown, Ontario native, has now played for four different organizations, but only two NHL clubs where he has now won a pair of Stanley Cups.
After being drafted by the Leafs in the third round, 82nd overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and playing in just two games with the American Hockey League (AHL) Toronto Marlies, Verhaeghe was dealt to the New York Islanders in the Michael Grabner deal.
The 6-foot-2, 185 pound forward, would play over 120 professional games for the Islanders organization between the AHL and ECHL, but never got the chance to don an Islanders NHL jersey.
The Isles then dealt Verhaeghe to the Tampa Bay Lightning for goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis.
A year later he would lead the Syracuse Crunch and AHL in scoring with 82 points in 76 points.
The next season Verhaeghe would play 52 NHL games with the Lightning, and the rest is history.
In 2020 he would win his first Stanley Cup with the Lightning in the Covid bubble in Edmonton, but then became a salary cap casualty in Tampa Bay.
Enter the Lightning’s NHL state cousins, the Florida Panthers.
Not only has Verhaeghe flourished but he’s now among the NHL elite with Stanley Cup playoff overtime goals.
His five playoff OT goals are third only to Joe Sakic and Maurice “The Rocket” Richard.
Verhaeghe recently joined the Niagara Sports Report on Newstalk 610 CKTB. He says becoming the first ever player to win a Stanley Cup with both Florida based teams is “still kind of surreal,” but admits he’s changed a lot since his day playing with the Niagara IceDogs when he started his professional hockey career.
“I used to be a pass-first centreman, and now I’m a speedy winger,” Verhaeghe said with a chuckle. “Skating used to be my biggest issue that everyone used to talk about, now it’s one of my strengths – kind of funny how that works.”
“Everyone always told me if I improved my skating I could play in the NHL,” Verhaeghe continued. “A couple of summers go by, and I really focused on working on my edges, and my balance. It wasn’t overnight, it was a lot of hard work, but I just kept on developing.”
“You just have to keep on getting better, and working on your game.”
Prompted by this reporter to bring the Stanley Cup to Niagara this time summer, Verhaeghe offered this: “I should actually, that’s a good idea.”
“I kind of grew up in St. Catharines, and that area, it’s always kind of been home for me,” Verhaeghe continued. “I made some lifelong friends there, and I still chat with my billet family.”
With only one year left on his current contract, and what he’s accomplished, you would think the Florida Panthers won’t become the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning.
A franchise that gave up on someone that is now a two-time Stanley Cup Champion.
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
