Bryan Helmer

Bryan Berry Helmer (born July 15, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is currently the VP of Hockey Operations with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). He previously served as an assistant coach with the Bears and the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). A veteran of over 1,000 AHL and IHL games, Helmer previously served as captain for the Bears and played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and the Washington Capitals.

Bryan Helmer
Helmer in 2011
Born	(1972-07-15) July 15, 1972 (age 53) Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	Phoenix Coyotes St. Louis Blues Vancouver Canucks Washington Capitals
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1993–2013

Early life

Helmer was born on July 15, 1972, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada^[1] to Bryan and Jo Ann Helmer.^[2]

Playing career

Helmer went undrafted but was signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils in 1994. He never played a game with the Devils, instead playing with their minor league affiliate Albany River Rats for 5 years. His most successful season with the River Rats was during the 1997–98 season when he scored 63 points in 80 games along with 101 PIM and an appearance in the AHL All-Star Game.

Following the 1997–98 season Helmer signed with the Phoenix Coyotes. He made his NHL debut with the Coyotes, appearing in 11 games. He was then released and later claimed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues. He appeared in another 29 games with the Blues, notching four assists. The 1999–2000 season saw Helmer play the majority of the year with the Worcester IceCats while also appearing in 15 games with the St. Louis Blues. On February 12, 2000, Helmer scored his first career NHL goal against Guy Hebert and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a 6-3 Blues victory^[3]

After the 1999–00 season, Helmer signed with the Vancouver Canucks. He spent the next three years bouncing between the Canucks and the minors. The 2001–02 season saw Helmer achieve NHL career highs with ten points and 53 PIM. In addition, Helmer played six games in the playoffs that year, the only time he played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

On July 25, 2003, Helmer was traded by the Canucks back to the Phoenix Coyotes for Martin Grenier. He missed the majority of the 2003–04 season due to a shoulder injury but managed to appear in 17 games with the Coyotes. Prior to the 2008–09 season, this had been the last time Helmer played in the NHL. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2004 but played two years in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He was re-signed by the Coyotes in 2006 and had been playing with the San Antonio Rampage.

Helmer signed with the Hershey Bears on July 24, 2008, and served as captain of the team. On November 28, 2008, the Washington Capitals signed and recalled Helmer from Hershey due to several key injuries among the Capitals' defensemen.^[4] Helmer led the Bears to Calder Cups in 2009 and 2010.

While with the Oklahoma City Barons, Helmer became the AHL all-time leading scorer among defencemen in 2011, passing John Slaney. Helmer has 564 points in 1116 AHL games.

After captaining the Barons in his second season with the club, Helmer was left unsigned through the beginning of the 2012–13 season, due to the NHL lockout. After an agreement was reached, Helmer was signed by the Springfield Falcons on January 9, 2013.^[5]

Retirement and legacy

Helmer officially announced his retirement from professional hockey on July 22, 2013, and became an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes.^[6] In 2014, the Wellington Dukes retired Helmer's jersey number, making him the first player in franchise history to have his jersey number honoured by the team.^[7] In 2017, Helmer was inducted into the Prince Edward County Sports Hall of Fame^[8] and AHL Hall of Fame.^[2]

Post-playing career

Helmer served as assistant coach for the Hershey Bears during the 2015-2016 season and was promoted to VP of Hockey Operations in July 2016.^[9] While serving in this role, the Bears claimed their 12th and 13th Calder Cup titles in 2023 and 2024. Helmer became the first executive in AHL history to win back-to-back James C. Hendy Memorial Awards.^[10]

Personal life

Helmer and his wife Pam have two children together.^[2] Through his marriage to Pam, Helmer is the brother-in-law of former professional defenseman Matt Carkner.^[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1989–90	Wellington Dukes	OJHL		51	6	22	28	204		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Belleville Bulls	OHL		6	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Wellington Dukes	OJHL		50	11	14	25	109		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Wellington Dukes	OJHL		45	19	32	51	66		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Wellington Dukes	OJHL		57	25	62	87	62		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Albany River Rats	AHL		65	4	19	23	79		5	0	0	0	9
1994–95	Albany River Rats	AHL		77	7	36	43	101		7	1	0	1	0
1995–96	Albany River Rats	AHL		80	14	30	44	107		4	2	0	2	6
1996–97	Albany River Rats	AHL		77	12	27	39	113		16	1	7	8	10
1997–98	Albany River Rats	AHL		80	14	49	63	101		13	4	9	13	18
1998–99	Las Vegas Thunder	IHL		8	1	3	4	28		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		11	0	0	0	23		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	St. Louis Blues	NHL		29	0	4	4	19		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Worcester IceCats	AHL		16	7	8	15	18		4	0	0	0	12
1999–00	Worcester IceCats	AHL		54	10	25	35	124		9	1	4	5	10
1999–00	St. Louis Blues	NHL		15	1	1	2	10		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Kansas City Blades	IHL		42	4	15	19	76		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		20	2	4	6	18		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Manitoba Moose	AHL		34	6	18	24	69		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		40	5	5	10	53		6	0	0	0	0
2002–03	Manitoba Moose	AHL		60	7	24	31	82		14	0	4	4	20
2002–03	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Springfield Falcons	AHL		9	1	6	7	6		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		17	0	1	1	10		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		80	7	18	25	64		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		80	12	44	56	138		16	1	8	9	24
2006–07	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		70	6	23	29	81		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		66	5	15	20	53		7	0	0	0	6
2008–09	Hershey Bears	AHL		62	2	25	27	59		22	3	5	8	24
2008–09	Washington Capitals	NHL		12	0	3	3	2		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Hershey Bears	AHL		71	6	26	32	95		21	0	5	5	33
2010–11	Oklahoma City Barons	AHL		42	6	19	25	25		6	1	1	2	8
2011–12	Oklahoma City Barons	AHL		69	3	21	24	45		14	0	3	3	6
2012–13	Springfield Falcons	AHL		24	0	2	2	19		1	0	0	0	0
AHL totals				1116	129	435	564	1379		159	14	46	60	186
NHL totals				146	8	18	26	135		6	0	0	0	0

Awards

• 1997–98: AHL First All-Star Team
• 2005–06: AHL Second All-Star Team
• 2017 AHL Hall of Fame inductee