Family first for Anderson-Dolan Jets forward hopes his story inspires youngsters from non-traditional backgrounds By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 6:12 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 10, 2025

DALLAS — Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s road to the NHL started like so many other Canadian kids. A stick in his hand and skates on his feet at a tender young age with devoted, loving parents cheering him on at every step along the way.

However, unlike the majority of his teammates, it wasn’t a case of mom and dad in the stands. Rather, it was mom and mom.

“I am so proud of my parents,” the Winnipeg Jets forward told the Free Press on Thursday. “I don’t want to hide anything. I’m very open to talk about it.”

Anderson-Dolan, 25, hopes his “unique” story can resonate with others, especially young kids who might be growing up in non-traditional family environments. He is believed to be the first NHL player who is the product of a same-sex marriage.

“If they can see me in the same situation, they can look up to me and know that I had the same upbringing,” he said. “All their other friends might have a mom and a dad and so they feel like a bit of an outlier.”

Anderson-Dolan’s biological mother is Fran, a former semi-pro player who met her future wife, Nancy, at a hockey tournament in Coleman, Alta., while they were teenagers. The two Calgarians were playing on opposite teams at the time but began dating in high school.

They eventually married and brought two boys into the world. First came Dorian, whose biological mother is Nancy, followed a short time later by Jaret, who is a proud advocate for LGBTTQ+ community and is encouraged by progress he believes is being made regarding inclusion in all aspects of life, including sport at the highest levels.

“People nowadays are a lot more comfortable talking about it, a lot more open. You’re seeing a lot of teams doing Pride Nights and that sort of thing, which is great,” he said.

“I am so proud of my parents. I don’t want to hide anything. I’m very open to talk about it.”–Jaret Anderson-Dolan

“It makes it feel a lot more inclusive for everyone, no matter your sexual orientation or upbringing. I feel like even in the last five, six years it’s gone a long way. That’s definitely cool to see.”

Hockey has always been a prominent part of their lives.

“Definitely a lot of roots in the family,” said Anderson-Dolan, who laughed as he recalled finding an old photo the other day showing him, around the age of one, wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey.

“That was Fran’s choice. She was a Canadiens fan,” he said.

Both boys began skating around the age of two, eventually playing minor hockey in the Calgary area and spending hours on the backyard rink their mothers made sure was in peak condition. Fran was his first coach while Nancy, a nutrionist, has always ensured he has the ingredients he needs to succeed.

“They’ve done so much for myself and my brother,” said Anderson-Dolan, noting that included enrolling him at a prominent prep school for athletes in Calgary. “It’s opportunities like this (being in the NHL), where you realize just how lucky you are. The support they have shown me throughout my career has been great.”

Although Dorian hung up his skates at about the age of 12, Jaret’s passion, natural ability, and willingness to put in the work began turning plenty of heads. At the age of 14, while playing Bantam AAA, he racked up 103 points in 50 games. That led to him being selected 14th-overall in the 2014 Western Hockey League draft by the Spokane Chiefs.

Anderson-Dolan played parts of five years in the WHL, with 76 points (39G, 37A) in 72 games during the 2016-17 season. That summer, the Los Angeles Kings selected him in the second round, 41st-overall.

“It’s opportunities like this (being in the NHL), where you realize just how lucky you are. The support they have shown me throughout my career has been great.”–Jaret Anderson-Dolan

His two mothers would regularly make the nearly 1,400-km round-trip drive from Calgary to Spokane to watch him play and put up 236 points (113G, 123A) in 244 games. His junior career was capped off by being named an alternate captain to the 2019 Canadian World Junior team.

Those long car trips by his biggest fans became long plane trips once Anderson-Dolan made his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season, appearing in four games with the Kings and 53 with their American Hockey League affiliate in nearby Ontario, Calif.

He scored his first big-league goal the next season against Robin Lehner of the Vegas Golden Knights and began settling in for what has become an up-and-down ride between the NHL and AHL. To date, he has 28 points (15G, 13A) in 130 NHL games and 98 points (41G, 57A) points in 166 AHL games.

Anderson-Dolan signed a two-year free agent contract with the Jets last summer, knowing he might have to be patient in order to get some more big-league action under his belt.

“Everyone comes into training camp wanting to make the team. At the same time, you realized how good of a team they were last year and that they had a lot of guys back. You just kind of wait your turn and control what you can,” he said.

Unfortunately, he suffered a broken foot during a pre-season game, which led to him being sidelined for multiple weeks and, admittedly, feeling like he was “behind the 8-ball” as he tried to adjust to his new hockey home.

Anderson-Dolan was sent to the Manitoba Moose once healthy but got off to a slow start, then gradually began heating up prior to being called up by the Jets a couple weeks ago once the injury bug began to bite.

“Every game you get here is a great opportunity. You never know when it could be your last one.”–Jaret Anderson-Dolan

“It took a little bit to find my game coming out of that,” he said.

“Every game you get here is a great opportunity. You never know when it could be your last one. You want to make the most of it. I’ve kind of been taking that approach, playing every game like it could be my last. I feel like the game’s been pretty solid for the whole line.”

Indeed, his trio along with centre Morgan Barron and fellow winger Brandon Tanev has made a big impact in their first three games together, which has included big wins over Vegas and St. Louis.

“It’s obviously very exciting. I’ve been here for a short time, but you see why we’re at the top of the standings. Just the type of people, how close everyone is,” said Anderson-Dolan.

“It’s just such a relaxed environment in between games, and then when it’s time for game time everyone dials in. It’s definitely one of the best groups I’ve been a part of.”

Although some injured skaters are starting to return to the lineup, coach Scott Arniel wants to see more of Anderson-Dolan as they head down the final stretch towards the playoffs.

“I’ve liked a lot of what I see. He’s got energy, he’s detailed. He knows how to play without the puck, which is important,” Arniel said prior to Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars.

Anderson-Dolan’s mothers have made the trip to Winnipeg a couple of times this year to see him play with the Moose, and the next step might be seeing him in action with the Jets.

“It’s nice now being in Winnipeg, that’s a little bit closer to Calgary (than Los Angeles was) for them to visit,” he said. “At the end of the day, you’re not in this position without your parents.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg