Brian Dumoulin Bio
Brian Joseph Dumoulin is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born on September 6, 1991, in Biddeford, Maine, he was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (51st overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Known for his defensive skills, he represented the United States in international play and remains a steady presence on the blue line.
Across his career, Dumoulin has played for several teams, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won two Stanley Cups. He later suited up for the Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, and New Jersey Devils before joining the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent in July 2025. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing around 207 pounds, he shoots left and continues to be valued for his size, positioning, and reliability in his own zone.
Early Life and Background
Brian Joseph Dumoulin was born on September 6, 1991, in Biddeford, Maine, to parents Deb and Pete Dumoulin. He grew up in a close household with his brother John and a younger sister, and the family encouraged outdoor activity from an early age. After his mother roller skated while attending a nursing conference in California, she taught her two sons the sport upon returning to Maine.
The brothers soon began playing hockey in the driveway before being enrolled into the learn-to-skate program at the Biddeford Ice Arena. Dumoulin played Atoms hockey before taking a year off due to the birth of his little sister, then returned to Atoms at age seven and later joined the select travel team Maine Renegades. After a few years with the Renegades, he returned to Biddeford hoping to play with his friends, but when he could not qualify for the top local youth team, he played peewee and bantam in New Hampshire with the Seacoast Spartans. While there, he skated alongside future NHL players Casey DeSmith and Garnet Hathaway. While growing up, his first job was washing dishes at a local restaurant called Huot’s Seafood.
Path to Professional Hockey
Upon entering high school age, Dumoulin played for the Biddeford High School Tigers, where he helped the team win back-to-back state championships and accumulated 107 points through 48 games. As a result of his play, he left BHS after his junior year to play for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs, a Tier III Junior A team, believing that junior hockey offered a stronger path to Division I college hockey.
During the 2008–09 season with the Monarchs, Dumoulin helped the team capture the regular-season championship and was named the EJHL’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was courted by the University of Maine, Providence College, Northeastern University, Harvard University, the University of New Hampshire, and Boston College, ultimately choosing Boston College for the school itself, the players in its program, and its proximity to his hometown.
Brian Dumoulin Career
Early Career (2009–2012)
Prior to his freshman season at Boston College, Dumoulin was drafted 51st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft after earning a final ranking of 61st among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He enrolled at BC’s Carroll School of Management while playing for the Boston College Eagles men’s ice hockey team in Hockey East. In his freshman year he recorded 12 points and led the team with a plus-40 rating, was named to the Hockey East Rookie Team, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team after the Eagles won the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four.
Dumoulin returned to the Eagles for his sophomore year, recording 10 points in 16 games before being selected for Team USA at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he returned with a bronze medal. In his final college season he tallied seven goals and 28 points through 44 games as the Eagles qualified for the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four and won the title, with Dumoulin scoring a goal in the championship game against Ferris State. He was also named a finalist for the 2012 Hobey Baker Award.
Pittsburgh Penguins Era (2012–2023)
After his junior year, Dumoulin signed an entry-level contract with Carolina, only to be traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 22, 2012, along with Brandon Sutter and the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft for Jordan Staal. He spent most of 2012–13 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL before making his NHL debut on December 14, 2013, against the Detroit Red Wings and recording his first NHL point, an assist, two days later against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored his first NHL goal on December 15, 2014, against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the same game Bryan Rust tallied his first, becoming the first Penguins pair to reach the milestone together since 2006.
Dumoulin became a fixture on the Pittsburgh blue line, often paired with Trevor Daley and Kris Letang, and developed into the team’s most consistent defenseman. During the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, he scored in Game 6 against the San Jose Sharks to help the Penguins win the championship, becoming the first Maine-born NHL player to lift the Stanley Cup. He was part of the Penguins’ second consecutive Stanley Cup win in 2017 and later signed a six-year, $24.6 million contract extension that ran through the 2022–23 season, while also completing his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Boston College.
Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, and New Jersey Devils (2023–2025)
On July 1, 2023, Dumoulin left the Penguins as a free agent after ten seasons and signed a two-year, $6.3 million contract with the Seattle Kraken. In 2023–24 he set a single-season career high with 6 goals and added 10 assists for 16 points in 80 appearances, ranking third among Kraken defensemen in goals. With one year left on his deal, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on July 2, 2024, in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick.
In the final year of his Anaheim contract, Dumoulin was traded to the New Jersey Devils on March 6, 2025, for prospect Herman Träff and a 2025 second-round pick. He registered 1 goal and 6 points through 19 regular-season appearances in a second-pairing role before going scoreless in five postseason games during New Jersey’s first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Los Angeles Kings Era (2025–Present)
Following the expiration of his Devils contract, Dumoulin signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2025. The deal runs through the 2027–28 season and reflects his continued value as a steady, veteran two-way defenseman. He joined a Kings organization looking to bolster its blue line with experienced, playoff-tested players.
Dumoulin slotted into a defensive role with Los Angeles and was expected to log important minutes on the penalty kill and in shutdown matchups. His prior playoff experience with Pittsburgh, including two Stanley Cups, gave him a profile that fit the Kings’ championship aspirations. His early contributions with the team focused on the same traits that defined his earlier stops: positioning, stick work, and composure in his own zone.
Driving Style and Strengths
As a youth, Monarchs head coach Sean Tremblay compared Dumoulin to Ryan Whitney, praising his size and stick use. Upon signing his entry-level contract, Hurricanes executive Ron Francis described him as a “big, puck-moving defenseman,” while Dumoulin has described himself as “solid in my defensive zone.” He credited much of his improvement to former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach John Hynes and assistant Alain Nasreddine, and he has long been praised by head coach Mike Sullivan for his defensive-zone reliability rather than just clearing the puck off the glass.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature moments, Dumoulin scored in Game 6 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks to help Pittsburgh win the championship, becoming the first Maine-born NHL player to lift the Cup. He later won a second Cup with the Penguins in 2017, scored the tying goal in a record-tying playoff sequence with Evgeni Malkin against Philadelphia, and represented the United States at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, earning a bronze medal.
Brian Dumoulin Career Wins
Brian Dumoulin’s trophy case is anchored by two Stanley Cup championships won with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He added a World Junior bronze medal in 2011, an NCAA national championship with Boston College in 2012, and a pair of high school state titles with Biddeford High School. At the junior level, he also helped the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs win an EJHL regular-season title in 2008–09 and was named the EJHL Defensive Player of the Year.
Professional Highlights
Across his NHL career, Dumoulin has reached two Stanley Cup championships (2016 and 2017) as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He set a single-season career high with 6 goals during the 2023–24 season with the Seattle Kraken, while his 16 points that year ranked among the team leaders on the blue line. Earlier in his Penguins tenure, he set career highs with 5 goals and 18 points in 2017–18 before establishing a new career-best 23 points in 2018–19.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond the NHL, Dumoulin helped Boston College win the 2012 NCAA national championship and was named to the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team as a freshman. In international play, he earned a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships after competing earlier at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. He also collected a series of college honors, including Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman and All-Hockey East First Team recognition.
Brian Dumoulin Family
Family Background and Hockey Lineage
Dumoulin was raised in Biddeford, Maine, by his parents Deb and Pete Dumoulin, alongside his brother John and a younger sister. Both parents supported their sons’ athletic interests, with his mother introducing roller skating to the family before the boys moved on to hockey at the Biddeford Ice Arena. His brother John continued playing at Biddeford High School before retiring upon graduation, while Brian pursued the junior and collegiate pathway that ultimately led to the NHL.
Personal Life
Dumoulin is married to his wife, Kayla, and the couple welcomed their first child together in November 2019. Off the ice, he developed a serious interest in cooking, an enthusiasm inspired by the late chef Anthony Bourdain; Dumoulin has said he watched every episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover. He has also completed his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management while continuing his professional hockey career.
2025 Season Performance
Brian Dumoulin split the 2024–25 campaign between the Anaheim Ducks and the New Jersey Devils after being traded on March 6, 2025. With Anaheim he served as a steady veteran presence on the blue line before being dealt to New Jersey, where he settled into a second-pairing role for a playoff-bound squad. In 19 regular-season games with the Devils, he posted 1 goal and 6 points while bringing shutdown defensive value to a roster chasing a postseason spot.
His first-round playoff experience with New Jersey ended in a defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes, with Dumoulin going scoreless through five postseason games. Following the conclusion of his contract, he signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2025, joining a team looking to deepen its defensive core. His championship pedigree from Pittsburgh and his recent work as a top-four defenseman gave Los Angeles a reliable, experienced option heading into the new campaign.
Heading into the rest of the 2025–26 season, Dumoulin is expected to play a meaningful role on the Kings’ blue line, especially on the penalty kill and in tough matchups against opposing top lines. His familiarity with high-pressure playoff hockey, developed over ten seasons in Pittsburgh, made him a logical fit for a Los Angeles team with championship ambitions. As he continues his career in a new uniform, Dumoulin’s focus remains the same as it has been throughout his career: sound defensive play, smart puck management, and steady contributions in his own zone.
