New Brunswicker Lukas Cormier makes NHL debut, fulfilling lifelong dream

It’s every little minor-hockey kid’s dream — and 21-year-old Lukas Cormier is living it.

On the weekend, the Sainte-Marie-de-Kent player made his NHL debut, which resulted in a 5-2 win with an assist by Cormier.

“I’ve been kind of dreaming of that day to play my first NHL game … since I first put on skates, probably like two or three years old,” said Cormier, who debuted with the Vegas Golden Knights, the 2023 Stanley Cup winners, on Saturday.

Cormier plays professionally with the American Hockey League’s Henderson Silver Knights, the Vegas affiliate team.

That made the transition easier, said Cormier, because he already knew some of the Golden Knights through training camps and pre-season games.

Cormier said after a Silver Knights game in San Diego on Wednesday night, he was doing his post-game routine in the gym when his coach came to find him.

“He said he wants to talk to me and then he just told me, ‘Congrats, you’ve just been called up,’ so then I was with Vegas the next day.”

Cormier’s parents even made it to the game.

“It’s a special moment that we didn’t want to miss. We were really excited, especially, to see Lukas having fun,” said his father, Mario Cormier, in French.

Cormier said it was great having his family there, as they have supported his hockey goals since he was young. 

His dad and his sister also are involved in the hockey world. His dad has played and coached, and his sister, Dominique Cormier, currently plays for the Tigers at Princeton University. 

Previously, Cormier played four seasons with the Charlottetown Islanders in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and he also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the world junior hockey championships in 2022. 

Taking it day by day

Not only was Saturday his first NHL game, but Cormier also recorded an assist on a power play goal from Jack Eichel. 

Cormier said, in his mind, it was just another goal but one of the Golden Knights immediately congratulated him on his first point. 

His moment came after a Golden Knights defenceman couldn’t play on Saturday because of an injury, but Cormier said he doesn’t know what the future will bring in terms of more ice time in the NHL.

“After you play your first game, now you want to push yourself to play more and have a good long career in the NHL,” he said.

“We’re taking it day by day and enjoying every moment and taking advantage of my opportunities.”