Troy Nathan Terry (born September 10, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Terry was drafted by the Ducks at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, in the fifth round, 148th overall.
A native of Denver, Terry played with the Colorado Thunderbirds under-16 team at the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League from 2008 until 2014. He eventually left the Thunderbirds to play in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP).
Early life
Terry was born on September 10, 1997, in Denver, to parents Susan and Chuck Terry. As his father was a high school quarterback who walked on at Arizona State University, Troy was named after quarterback Troy Aikman. Terry grew up in the Highlands Ranch suburb of Denver with his younger brother Trent.
Terry started playing hockey at four years old and was skating with an older age group by the age of six. He earned various nicknames throughout his mini mite career including "Coach Troy" and "Two and a Half Men", due to his size. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Colorado Avalanche Center and team captain Joe Sakic coached Terry's hockey team. As his coach, Sakic was impressed by Terry's puckhandling skills saying he could "stick-handle in a phone booth". Terry was originally inspired to play goaltender by Patrick Roy but, as he started shooting pucks while waiting for his turn in net, eventually turned to center.
Playing career
Amateur
A native of Denver, Colorado, Terry played with the Littleton Hawks as a Mite and eventually played at the major junior level with the Colorado Thunderbirds AAA organization at the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League from 2008 until 2014. During this time, he was named to Team USA Under-17 Select Tournament Team for the 2013 U17 Five Nations Tournament in Trnava, Slovakia. He eventually left the Thunderbirds to play in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP). Although he was offered a position in 2013, Terry chose to wait another year to gain weight and height.
Terry transferred from Rock Canyon High School to Pioneer High School during his one season with the U.S. under-18 team and graduated high school within three years. He was recruited to play for the Denver Pioneers by coach George Gwozdecky and retained his recruitment in spite of Gwozdecky's firing. Due to his accelerated high school career, Terry became one of college hockey’s youngest players as a freshman.
Collegiate
During his freshman and sophomore season at Denver, Terry worked with the Pioneer's head strength and conditioning coach to be more of an impactful player on the ice. He changed his diet and increased his weight training to become "a dominant player every shift" as a junior. In spite of his size, Terry was drafted in the fifth round, 148th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. During his freshman season, the Pioneers made it to the Frozen Four of the NCAA Tournament but fell to the eventual champions, North Dakota. The following year, he helped lead the Denver Pioneers to the 2017 NCAA Championship.
Upon the completion of his junior season with the Pioneers in the 2017–18 season, having continued to increase his offensive output for the third successive season with 48 points in 39 games, Terry concluded his collegiate career in agreeing to a three-year, entry level contract with the Anaheim Ducks on March 27, 2018. He was later named the NCHC player of the month, as well as a First-Team West All-American.
Professional
Terry was immediately added to the Ducks' roster for their postseason push, and made his NHL debut the same day in a 4–1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. In his debut, Terry skated on the Ducks' third line with Adam Henrique and Ondrej Kase and registered two shots on goal in 12:30 minutes of ice time. He played one more game with the Ducks before they were eliminated from playoff contention. He returned to the team for their 2018 Training Camp and was named to their opening night roster for the 2018–19 season.
