James Dean Waite (born April 15, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender.

[2] Waite was one of the highest-rated goalies in the late 1980s and many scouts believed he had the potential to become a star.

He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft; the Blackhawks were already deep in goal with both Ed Belfour and Dominik Hašek (although Hasek could not come to North America without defecting at the time).

[3] While Waite received the bulk of the starts in the backup role to Belfour for Chicago, with Hasek playing just 25 games in 2 seasons, Waite did not exhibit strong skills and was later sent to the San Jose Sharks, and eventually the Phoenix Coyotes.

[7] Waite's brother, Stéphane, was the goaltending coach for the Montreal Canadiens.