When True North Sports & Entertainment held a press conference in June to announce how proceeds from the Whiteout street parties would be distributed to grassroots groups addressing homelessness in Winnipeg, a surprising face stood out in the crowd of Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatwina on Main Street: Jets cornerback Dylan DeMelo.
Considering the hockey season ended in heartbreaking fashion more than a month earlier, one might have expected the veteran blue liner to be long gone, joining his teammates as they scattered to different homes during the offseason, not to be seen again until training camp in September.
The point is, DeMelo was house. The Ontario native has put down deep roots in Winnipeg, living here almost year-round with his wife Jessica and two sons, four-year-old Caleb and 15-month-old Eddie John.
That's a rarity among NHL players, and it truly makes him one of us: He coaches his son's Timbits team, interacts with neighbors, follows local events and develops a deeper appreciation for the connection between a city and its sports heroes, whether at the local park or the grocery store.
Ruth Bonneville/Free Press Files
Dylan DeMelo (right) and True North Sports and Entertainment executive chairman Mark Chipman present a check for money raised at the Winnipeg Whiteout Street Party events during the Jets' playoff run last spring.
“This community is amazing. I'll have friends here for life. I'm just really lucky,” DeMelo, 32, said Free press earlier this week in a one-on-one conversation that went well beyond typical topics like defensive structure and penalties.
“It was a dream.”
After spending his sixth full season in Winnipeg, DeMelo realized one very important thing about this place:
“The Jets? It's Winnipeg,” he said.
“It's funny, I go to my kid's school and say, 'Hey, nice to meet you.' And they were like, “We know who you are.” People will say, “You guys are so down to earth.” Well, yes, we are just very lucky that we make a living from sports.”
“It was a dream.”
His respect for the city also means he occasionally defends it when Winnipeg falls short of some of its peers in player polls, free agent decisions or no-trade clauses.
“It's an unfair representation. And sometimes it's disappointing because I know how much Winnipeg has to offer and how dedicated the organization is to being the best they can be,” DeMelo said.
“Once you get here, you won’t want to go.”
DeMelo has seen the profanities hurled first-hand. He was part of the 2017-18 San Jose Sharks team that made headlines when a video surfaced of players calling Winnipeg one of their least favorite cities to visit. Tomas Hertl described it as “cold and dark” and Justin Brown jokingly wondered if there was even Wi-Fi in the city.
DeMelo acknowledged that traveling for one game in the winter is a lot different than living here year-round.
Nick Wass/Associated Press Files
Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo says of life in Winnipeg: “Once you're here, you don't want to leave.”
“It's so nice to have that kind of community outside of the arena, people you can rely on if you're in a pinch. I think that's definitely what makes Winnipeg unique. There really is such a sense of community here,” he said.
“When I'm on the road, my wife can sometimes be overwhelmed with both boys. And our neighbors say, “Hey, we'll take them here to give you a little break.” And the kids want to play with each other, so that's great.”
DeMelo said the decision to stay put was based on several factors, including what they felt was best for their growing children. They did go home this summer to visit extended family in London, but it was essentially a “holiday”.
“If it was just me or me and my wife, maybe (shuffling around) would be fine. But when you have kids and you have to get them from school and from friends and from all the activities that they're doing, it's so difficult,” he said.
“It's so nice to have that community outside of the arena, people you can rely on when you're in a pinch. I think that's what makes Winnipeg unique.”
“It was nice that after last season ended I was able to hang out with my neighbors a little more because obviously I wasn't playing. I had that time.”
Living in the Winnipeg area helped them seal the deal.
“We've been living in the same place for five years. It was a new event, so a lot of people came together at the same time. It reminds me a lot of where I grew up,” DeMelo said.
“All my friends were on the street. We'd come home from school and your parents would say, “Hey, whose house are you going to? Okay, come home before the street lights come on.” I really like that in Winnipeg people get outside, even when it's cold. They hang out, go to the outdoor skating rink.”
So how did we get here? It's been a long journey for DeMelo, which began 14 years ago when he was drafted in the sixth round by the Sharks while playing for the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League.
He began his professional career a year later in Worcester in the AHL affiliate, and three years later he made his NHL debut. Now in his 11th NHL season, DeMelo was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2018 in the Erik Karlsson blockbuster deal and then to Winnipeg in February 2020 – a third-round pick that went the other way.
“I knew he would be a good fit on the ice because there was a lot of turnover in D-core players at the time. I knew I had the space and the opportunity to go play with Josh (Morrissey), play with the great players we have here. But sometimes you never know, off the ice,” DeMelo said.
“We were so pleasantly surprised that the success off the ice was equal, if not greater, than the success on the ice.”
That's high praise considering DeMelo has now signed a pair of contract extensions with the Jets – three years worth $12 million in the summer of 2020 ($3 million AAV) and four years worth $19.6 million in the summer of 2024 ($4.9 million AAV).
Fred Greenslade/Canadian Press Files
DeMelo and defensive partner Josh Morrissey (right) watch as Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck makes a save.
He set a new career high in points in the 2022-23 season and then re-tied his personal best in the 2023-24 season. He was a key member of the NHL's stingiest defensive team for two straight years and watched Morrissey develop into one of the league's best players.
“We've given ourselves so much to have that security. And it certainly gives us that peace of mind,” said DeMelo, who is signed through 2027-28.
“We've been very fortunate to make so many friends here. In the community. On a team with a group of guys and their kids, their wives. This is probably where, when it's all said and done, I'll spend the majority of my career. So it's very special to me.”
X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from Red River College's creative communications program in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience in Winnipeg Sun before joining Free press in 1997, where he served in the Crime and Justice Division until 2016. More about Mike.
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