Jason Demers Autographed Card

Jason Demers is set to return tonight for the Arizona Coyotes after missing six games out on injured reserve.

So far this year, he only has 5 assists in 30 games, but the team is still atop the Pacific Division and he averages over 21 minutes per night; he also has 42 hits and 41 blocked shots, making him an important cog in the defensive zone.

A seventh-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks (186th in total, 2008), he ranks 14th in his draft class in terms of games played, ahead of established players like Colin Wilson (7th), Adam Henrique (82nd), Jared Spurgeon (156th), Travis Hamonic (53rd), T.J. Brodie (114th), Roman Josi (38th), Jake Gardiner (17th), Cam Atkinson (157th), and Gustav Nyquist (121st). He's already on his fourth team, having also suited up with the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers.

He had 64 points in 67 games for the LHJMQ's Victoriaville Tigres, so there were some scouts who thought he had an upside similar to that of Kris Letang, but his most productive season was worth 34 points in 2013-14 with the Sharks.

He is an analytics darling, however, with a PDO that's usually above 100% despite own-zone starts over 50% (51.9% this season).

Here he is wearing San Jose's best-looking white (then-away) uniform from the 2007-13 era (if only they'd removed those front numbers sooner) on card #284 from Upper Deck's 2009-10 Collector's Choice set and Choice Rookie sub-set:

He signed it in blue sharpie while with the Stars (2014-16).

Internationally, he has suited up for Team Canada (lost in semi-finals) at the 2013 Spengler Cup and 2017 World Championships (silver medal).

Jason Demers Autograph Card

When the Dallas Stars sent 6'4'' hard negotiator Brenden Dillon to the San Jose Sharks for Jason Demers last November, they were letting go of some size and youth for a proven right-hander who can contribute to the tune of roughly 30 points per season on a second pair, a regular-season-winner who could help instill a culture of winning to his new organization.

The Dorval, Qc native went undrafted in his first two tries but was chosen by the Sharks in the 7th round in 2008, though they could have used that pick on an 18-year-old and invited him to their rookie camp as a free agent anyway.

And yet by the 2009-10 season, he was playing in 51 games for San Jose, registering 21 points and earning the nickname ''Daddy''...

He isn't shy about body-to-body contact and prefers having the puck in the other team's zone, which he can help happen with nice passes and decent skating skills. He's so well-rounded that he often goes unnoticed, but he usually makes his defensive partner better - which in the case of Jordie Benn last season, was noticeable.

The only thing he seems to do half-assed is sign cards, apparently, though it's unclear if this one is at the tail end of a run of 1000 in the same day:

It's card #A-JD from Upper Deck's 2012-13 Artifacts set and Autofacts sub-set, and has a blue-sharpied sticker autograph that is basically a ''J'' and a line. I found this card along with another one from the same sub-set in a box a couple of months ago; I guess I'd stashed them because to me, they don't have the visual quality I usually expect from the Artifacts sets, as the head shots are a bit bland and show very little of the jerseys (my pet peeve), with a busy-and/yet-slightly-tacky overall design.

But I was glad to pull a Demers, who I really like as a defenseman.