Vince Dunn

BIOGRAPHY

Vince Dunn was born October 29, 1996, in Mississauga, Ontario. He is a defenseman in the NHL.

At the conclusion of his major junior career, Dunn opted to begin his professional career and was assigned by the Blues to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, for the 2016–17 season. He recorded his first career professional goal in a 4–2 loss against the Grand Rapids Griffins on October 15, 2016. At the age of 20, Dunn was the youngest player on the roster and he compiled 45 points in 72 games to lead the Wolves defence in scoring.

Approaching his second season as a professional, Dunn made the St. Louis Blues' opening night roster for the 2017–18 season. He made his NHL debut with the Blues against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, while playing a third pairing role in a 5–4 overtime win on October 4, 2017. Eight days later, Dunn registered his first career NHL goal at 18:51 in the third period during a 5–2 loss to the Florida Panthers. He consistently played on the team's third pairing with Robert Bortuzzo while averaging 16:14 of ice time and playing on the second power play unit. On March 18, 2018, Dunn became the first Blues rookie to record four points in one game since Rik Wilson during a 5–4 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks. At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Dunn was named to Canada's senior team to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship, but was replaced by Josh Bailey due to an injury.

Dunn continued his success in the National Hockey League by once again making the Blues lineup to begin the 2018–19 season. During a game against the Edmonton Oilers on December 18, Dunn cross-checked Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira, earning him a minor penalty and $1,942.20 fine. In March 2019, Dunn recorded a new career-high in points with 27 and joined Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko as the first three Blues defensemen to reach 10 goals in the same season. He stayed with the team the entire season and helped them qualify for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. During Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, Dunn took a puck to the face which he broke his jaw and required multiple surgeries to fix. He returned to the Blues' lineup for Game 4 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals and recorded a point in the 4–2 win over the Boston Bruins. On June 12, 2019, Dunn won the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with the Blues, St. Louis' first Stanley Cup in their 52-year franchise history. Upon winning the Cup, Dunn said "For me at such a young age, it's very special ... You kind of take things for granted when you're younger, but now you really take it in." During his Day with the Cup, Dunn returned to his hometown of Lindsay, Ontario and Kawartha Lakes.

Although he returned to the lineup, Dunn required surgeries during the offseason and replaced five teeth. He was cleared to play during the Blues' preseason games and chose to forgo a full face shield. When asked about his decision, Dunn said "I tried that (full shield) ... I didn’t like it. It’s a distraction more than anything. I’d rather just take another puck to the face." Upon returning to the Blues for the 2019–20 NHL regular season, Dunn was reunited with his former defensive partner Robert Bortuzzo. During the NHL's pause in play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dunn competed in a league-wide Fortnite tournament for charity with teammates Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. Together, they finished in first place and donated $50,000 to the St. Louis Children's Hospital, $25,000 to the St. Louis Area Foodbank, and $25,000 to muscular dystrophy research. Once the NHL returned to play, Dunn and the Blues loss to the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference First Round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Following their playoff loss, Dunn signed a one-year, $1.875 million contract to remain with the Blues on December 31, 2020.

After five seasons within the Blues organization, Dunn's tenure ended on July 21, 2021, after he was the team's selection at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft by the Seattle Kraken