Junior As a youth, Holden played
bantam and midget-A ice hockey without trying out for a team. He began playing peewee hockey with his sister Tiffany and only took the game seriously when he reached Midget. During the 2005 AJHL Championship, Holden and the Kodiaks lost 3–2 against the
Weyburn Red Wings of the
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). Holden eventually played Junior A-level hockey for the Kodiaks and
Sherwood Park Crusaders in the AJHL, but disliked the attention he received. By the age of 18, Holden secured an apprenticeship in plumbing which he planned on continuing if his hockey career did not pan out. As a result, Holden flew under the radar of most scouts until
Chilliwack Bruins General manager Darrell May saw him play for the Kodiaks the night before the 2006
Western Hockey League (WHL) Entry Draft. After his rookie season, Holden earned a scholarship to the
University of the Fraser Valley and was invited to the
Edmonton Oilers 2007 NHL training camp on an Amateur Tryout. Upon returning for his second season with the Bruins, Holden was named captain of the team while recording 22 goals and 38 assists for a total of 60 points. On March 28, 2008, Holden signed a three-year entry-level contract with the
Columbus Blue Jackets, thus concluding his major junior career.
Professional Columbus Blue Jackets Upon signing his contract, Holden joined the Columbus Blue Jackets then-
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Syracuse Crunch, for the remainder of the
2007–08 season. Holden attended the Blue Jackets training camp prior to the 2009–10 season, but was reassigned to the AHL on September 28, 2009. He spent the entirety of the season with the Crunch and recorded a then-career high 23 points in 68 games. He made his NHL debut on October 20, 2010, in a 3–1 victory over the
Anaheim Ducks and played in five games before being reassigned to the AHL on November 5, 2010. Holden concluded the season with the Falcons and recorded a then-career high 25 points in 67 games. With a new contract signed, Holden attended the Blue Jackets training camp prior to the
2011–12 season. On October 1, 2011, Holden was placed on waivers by the Blue Jackets for the purpose of assigning him to the AHL and he thus started the 2011–12 season with the Springfield Falcons. Early in the season, Holden suffered an ankle and shoulder injury which cut his campaign to only 25 games. He returned to the Falcons during the
lock-out-shortened
2012–13 season, after attending the Jackets training camp. He was named an alternate captain of the Falcons and appeared in a brief, two-game return to the NHL with the Blue Jackets. After recording 4 goals and 18 assists, Holden was called up to the NHL level on February 4, 2013. He finished the season with nine goals and 39 points in 73 games, and was named the Falcons IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year.
Colorado Avalanche On July 5, 2013, Holden left the Blue Jackets organization and signed a two-year contract as a free agent with the
Colorado Avalanche. After partaking and impressing in his first Avalanche training camp, Holden was unexpectedly successful in making the team's opening night roster for the
2013–14 season. Holden sat as a healthy scratch in the first 11 games of the season before making his Avalanche debut as a forward in a 3–2 overtime victory over the
Dallas Stars on November 1, 2013. At the time of his debut, he was the only player on the roster to not play in a regular-season game during the 2013–14 season. In returning to his natural position of defence, Holden scored his first career NHL goal, a game-winner, against
Braden Holtby in a 4–1 victory over the
Washington Capitals on November 10, 2013. As the season progressed, Holden solidified his position within the Avalanche blueline, and on January 18, in a game against the
Nashville Predators, he set a career high in scoring two goals and three points whilst also recording an all-time team record of nine hits for a defenceman. His three points and nine hits were last matched by
Jiří Šlégr of the
Atlanta Thrashers in 2001. Holden finished the season second amongst Avalanche defencemen with ten goals in only 54 games. He also led all Avalanche defenceman with three goals and four points in their Western Conference Quarter-final series defeat in the
2014 Stanley Cup playoffs against the
Minnesota Wild. Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations
Joe Sakic spoke highly of Holden's play, saying "He provided offense from our blue line and played with a lot of confidence as the season moved on. We are pleased that he will continue to be a part of our team." Holden was rewarded from his break-out season in signing a three-year contract extension on July 1, 2014. Holden began the
2014–15 season with the Avalanche and played in his 100th career NHL game. Numerously throughout the season, Holden was called upon to serve at the Avalanche's fourth line forward with teammates
Marc-André Cliche and winger
Cody McLeod. He also sat as a healthy scratch during the 2014–15 campaign, including four consecutive games in December. In spite of this, Holden remained a mainstay in the Avalanche's lineup and once again made their opening night roster.
New York Rangers and Boston Bruins On June 25, 2016, with two years remaining on his contract, Holden was traded by the Avalanche at the
2016 NHL Entry Draft to the
New York Rangers in exchange for a 4th-round pick in
2017. In the
2016–17 season, Holden enjoyed a successful year with the Rangers in establishing new career highs with 11 goals and 34 points in 80 games. He often played on the right side for the Rangers due to their depleted defense, and spent time on both the second and first top pairings with
Marc Staal and
Ryan McDonagh. He played in nearly all games for the Rangers in the postseason, only sitting as a healthy scratch during Game 3 against Montreal. In spite of this, his future with the Rangers was tenuous and coach
Alain Vigneault acknowledged Holden was not guaranteed a spot on the roster in the
2017–18 season. Accurately so, Holden played only 55 games for the Rangers while in the final year of his contract before being traded to the
Boston Bruins in exchange for
Rob O'Gara and a 2018 third-round draft pick. Holden, who was familiar with Massachusetts having played for the Springfield Falcons, left his wife and children in New York as he joined the team in Toronto. He appeared in 18 games with the Bruins to close out the season with one goal and five points. In the post-season, Holden was relegated to a healthy scratch throughout the run, appearing in just two games.
Vegas Golden Knights of the
Washington Capitals in 2018. With the Bruins unwilling to extend his contract, Holden left to sign with his fifth NHL club, the
Vegas Golden Knights, on a two-year, $4.4 million contract on July 1, 2018. In his first season with the Golden Knights, Holden was often paired with
Shea Theodore or
Zach Whitecloud on the blueline. On February 28, 2020, Holden assisted on a goal with
Nicolas Roy and
Nick Cousins, making them the first trio of "Nicks" to combine on a goal. At the
2020 NHL Trade Deadline, Vegas rewarded Holden's play with a two-year, $3.4 million contract extension; preventing him from becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the
2019–20 season.
Ottawa Senators On July 28, 2021, Holden was traded to the
Ottawa Senators alongside a
2022 3rd-round pick in exchange for
Evgenii Dadonov. He played in 30 games with the Senators, registering one goal and four points. On January 27, 2022, the Senators signed Holden to a one-year, $1.3 million contract extension. In his
second season with the club, he played in 65 games, scoring two goals and sixteen points. At the end of the season he was informed that he would not be re-signed by the Senators.
Retirement On September 12, 2023, the Vegas Golden Knights announced that Holden had joined their player development staff, retiring from play in the process. ==Personal life==