Hanley's perseverance has earned the 5-foot-11 defenseman an opportunity to play in the NHL. The native of Keswick, Ontario, played two full seasons in Junior A hockey with Newmarket before playing four seasons with the University of Massachusetts. He signed a contract with Portland of the American Hockey League after his college eligibility ended.

The Montreal Canadiens signed Hanley to a one-year, two-way contract in the summer of 2015, and after injuries decimated the Canadiens' defense he was called up from St. John's of the AHL. Hanley made his NHL debut on March 20, 2016. He was scoreless in that game but had two assists in each of his next two games and finished with six assists in 10 games.

Hanley played most of the 2016-17 season with St. John's, going scoreless in a seven-game pre-Christmas callup with the Canadiens. He signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2017, and earned a four-game callup in late November.

The Dallas Stars signed Hanley on July 1, 2018, and he bounced between Dallas and Texas of the AHL for the next two seasons. However, he made the Stars' postseason roster in 2020 and scored his first NHL goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay -- becoming the first player since Jim Paek of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 to score his first NHL goal in the Cup Final.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Signed as a free agent by Montreal, July 1, 2015.
• Signed as a free agent by Arizona, July 1, 2017.
• Signed as a free agent by Dallas, July 1, 2018.