Where was Anthony Duclair born? Exploring the origins of Florida Panthers star

Florida Panthers winger Anthony Duclair was born to Haitian parents Wendell Duclair and Dominique Raphael in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada.

Duclair comes from an athletic family. Both his father and uncle, Farell Duclair, played Canadian football. Farell helped the Calgary Stampeders win the 86th Grey Cup in 1998. However, Anthony developed a passion for hockey instead of following in their footsteps.

He was an avid supporter of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens as a child, with Saku Koivu being his favorite hockey player.

The Panthers star started his NHL career with the New York Rangers after being selected in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft with the 80th overall pick. Duclair has played for a number of other NHL teams over his professional career, including the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Arizona Coyotes.

Two years after Duclair first learned to skate, he attended schools where he could finish classes early in the afternoon, which gave him more time to devote to honing his hockey skills. At the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 2008, he and Frederik Gauthier represented a minor hockey affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.

Duclair assisted the Lac St. Louis Lions in winning the Jimmy Ferrari Cup while playing for the Lions in the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League as a teenager in 2011. He won the Mario Lemieux Trophy as the top 15-year-old prospect.

Anthony Duclair’s hockey career

Anthony Duclair and the New York Rangers agreed to an entry-level contract in 2014. He was exempt from a usual provision in the NHL CBA that permitted rookie players to return to their junior teams during the first 10 games of an NHL season without starting the first year of their contract due to the time of his signing.

Even though Duclair made an impression on Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault at the team's 2014 training camp, he was unable to earn a berth on the opening night roster.

To acquire Joey Crabb and make a position for Duclair on the roster, general manager Glen Sather exchanged defenseman Steven Kampfer and forward Andrew Yogan with the Florida Panthers.

Duclair was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Keith Yandle and Chris Summers in 2015. He spent three years with the team before joining the Chicago Blackhawks.

Duclair was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Blackhawks and was released in free agency, where he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After a brief stint with the Ottawa Senators, he signed with the Panthers in 2020.