Plymouth native James achieves lifetime goal of reaching NHL
Plymouth native Dominic James made his NHL debut Oct. 15, 2025. Less than three weeks later he scored his first goal and added to assists against Vegas. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
From the first moment he pulled on a pair of hockey skates as a 3-year-old inside the Plymouth Cultural Center, Plymouth native Dominic James knew precisely what he wanted to do with his life.
“After he watched his first hockey game on TV when he was a little kid, he was hooked on hockey,” recounted his dad, Darrell James of Plymouth. “On Saturdays, he had no interest in watching cartoons. He wanted to watch hockey.”
Dominic’s passion for the sport never wavered, his dad added.
“Growing up, we’d go from practice to power skating lessons and then to Sticks & Pucks,” Darrell James said. “Some nights we wouldn’t get home until 11 p.m. In the summer, he played in a roller hockey league. His goal from the age of 4 or 5 was to play in the NHL.
“Dominic’s hockey journey took us to Chicago, Quebec, Boston — all over. I still cherish our four-hour drives to Toronto.”
Against the odds
According to the NHL, fewer than 1 in 4,000 youth players (0.02%) will make it to the league.
On Oct. 15, 2025, Dominic James made his NHL debut for the Tampa Lightning — the end of a journey that included stops in Lincoln, Nebraska, Duluth, Minnesota and Syracuse, New York.
Only 23, James scored his first NHL goal and tacked on two assists Nov. 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights with his dad and other family members in attendance.
As of January 4, James has accumulated three goals and five assists in 26 games for the Lightning.
‘Surreal” moment
“The first time I saw him play in person, it was surreal; it was like an out-of-body experience,” Darrell James said. “The other night, I had the NHL Network on and they were doing a rundown of that night’s games and I hear, ‘Dominic James scores for Tampa Bay’ and, again, it was just surreal.
“It feels so great because Dominic has worked so hard to get to where he’s at today. Growing up, all’s he did for the most part was skate, workout, eat and sleep.”
James attended Plymouth’s Bird Elementary School and West Middle School. We was a student at Detroit Catholic Central High School for two years before moving to Lincoln, Nebraska to play junior hockey for the Lincoln Stars.
“I still remember the day he left home for Lincoln,” Darrell James recalled. “He was only 17 and I realized he’d probably never live at home year-round again. I was incredibly happy for him, but at the same time I thought, ‘Is this worth it, not getting to see him much after that.
“But he’s doing what he wanted to do since he was little, so everything we’ve gone through has been worth it.”
Incredible journey to NHL
Following a stellar career with the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he majored in Communications, James was signed as a free agent by Tampa Bay on Sept. 20, 2025. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, but decided to forego the professional ranks at that point to sharpen his skills at UMD.
“He got to training camp late because of when he was signed, so Tampa Bay sent him to the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch,” Darrell James said. “He had five points in his first four games at Syracuse, so they called him up. They saw what they wanted to see.”
Despite his rookie status, James is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, being timed at 24.5 miles per hour.
James is good friends with Canton native Paul Cotter, a four-year NHL veteran who plays for the New Jersey Devils after helping Vegas win a Stanley Cup his rookie season.
Tampa Bay currently sits atop the NHL’s Eastern Conference with 53 points — due in part to the efforts of the back-in-the-day Plymouth 3-year-old whose goals have been reached despite astronomical odds.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
