Cole McWard

Cole McWard (born June 9, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). McWard played collegiate hockey at The Ohio State University. Personal life McWard was born on June 9, 2001, in Fenton, Missouri, to parents Tina and Patrick. He began skating at the age of three after watching his older brother Gannon started playing ice hockey. He first played organized ice hockey with the Meramec Sharks before playing on multiple single-A and double-AA hockey teams growing up. Playing career Amateur While playing with the St. Louis AAA Blues during the 2016–17 season, McWard was drafted 80th overall by the Tri-City Storm in the 2017 United States Hockey League Phase I draft. Although he remained with the Blues through 2018, he also played with the Westminster Wildcats at the Westminster Christian Academy and helped them to back-to-back state championships. As a result of his outstanding play, McWard was a member of Team USA that won the 2017 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic.