Strong and steady describes how Hamonic carries himself on the ice. Selected by the New York Islanders in the second round (No. 53) in the 2008 NHL Draft, he has been a solid top-four presence since his rookie season in 2010-11.

Hamonic was a standout defenseman in junior hockey, starting with Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League in 2006-07, when he played 22 games.

In 2007-08, his first full season with Moose Jaw, Hamonic was named the team's Scholastic Player of the Year as well as the Humanitarian of the Year for his work off the ice. On the ice, he began to show his two-way, physical style of play. In 61 games he scored five goals and finished with 22 points and 101 penalty minutes. That caught the attention of scouts, and the Islanders selected him with the last of their three second-round picks.

Hamonic returned to Moose Jaw for the 2008-09 season and took a step forward offensively, finishing with 13 goals and 40 points in 57 games to go along with 126 penalty minutes. In 2009-10, Hamonic played for Canada and won a silver medal at the 2010 World Junior Championship.

Following a trade to Brandon, he helped his new team reach the Memorial Cup Final. Hamonic was named one of two defensemen on the Memorial Cup All-Tournament Team after scoring four goals and 11 points in 15 playoff games.

Hamonic joined the Islanders in 2010-11 after starting the season with Bridgeport in the American Hockey League. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 24, 2010, against the Columbus Blue Jackets and stayed with New York for the rest of the season. Hamonic scored his first career NHL goal on Feb. 1, 2011, against Ondrej Pavelec of the Atlanta Thrashers, and finished his rookie season with five goals and 26 points while averaging 21:34 of ice time per game.

Hamonic has been one of the Islanders' most consistent defensemen since then. He's a strong, physical, two-way performer who can be used in a shutdown role but also contributes offensively. In addition, he a minute-muncher, averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game through his first six NHL seasons.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• WHL East Second All-Star Team (2010)
• Traded to Calgary by NY Islanders with NY Islanders' 4th round pick in 2019 or 2020 NHL Draft for Calgary's 1st and 2nd round picks in 2018 NHL Draft and Calgary's 2nd round pick in 2019 or 2020 NHL Draft, June 24, 2017.
• Signed as a free agent by Vancouver, January 12, 2021.
• Traded to Ottawa by Vancouver for a 3rd-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, March 20, 2022.