Anthony "Tony" Bitetto (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

currently playing for the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) while under contract to the Florida Panthers of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL).

Early life

Bitetto grew up on Long Island, New York and was a

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

fan throughout childhood.

Playing career

He was selected 168th overall in the

2010 NHL Entry Draft The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the 48th NHL Entry Draft, held on June 25–26, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time Los Angeles hosted the NHL Entry Draft. An unofficial re ...

by the Predators before committing to a collegiate career with Northeastern University in the

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

conference. On March 29, 2012, Bitetto was signed to a two-year entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators. He then began his professional career in the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

playoffs with the Predators

affiliate, the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

. In the 2014–15 season, his third full professional season and leading the Admirals in scoring by a defenseman, Bitetto was recalled by the Predators and made his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings in a 5–2 defeat on January 17, 2015. Bitetto signed a two year contract to stay with the Predators on February 26, 2016, and he scored his first career NHL goal on March 9, 2016, in a game against the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. On January 9, 2018, Bitetto re-signed with the Predators. During the 2018–19 season, Bitetto appeared in 18 games before he was placed on waivers by the Predators and claimed by division rival

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

the following day, on January 25, 2019. As a free agent from the Wild, Bitetto agreed to a one-year, two-way contract in joining his third central division club, the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

, on July 2, 2019. Through 51 games with the Jets in the 2019–20 season, Bitetto registered career highs with 8 assists for 8 points, plus/minus rating, and average ice time (15:10). Bitetto led the Jets in hits per game (2.84) and ranked 23rd in the NHL, as well as fifth among NHL defensemen. On October 9, 2020, Bitetto left the Jets as a free agent, and signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the

. Growing up a Rangers fan, he said he was "speechless" playing in his first game as a Ranger at Madison Square Garden. During a game against the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

on February 4, 2021, Bitetto scored his first goal as a Ranger in a 4–2 win. He had gone 112 games without a goal; his last goal was on November 18, 2017. During the 2021–22 season, the Rangers traded Bitetto to the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

in exchange for

Nick Merkley Nicholas Merkley (born May 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing under contract with HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Merkley was formerly rated as a top prospect who was widely p ...

at the NHL trade deadline on March 21, 2022. As a free agent in the off-season, Bitetto was signed to a one-year, two-way contract, with the Florida Panthers on July 13, 2022. His signing marked a reunion with former coach

Paul Maurice Paul Maurice (born January 30, 1967) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He is the head coach of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 g ...

during his tenure with the Winnipeg Jets.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bitetto, Anthony 1990 births Living people American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada American men's ice hockey defensemen Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Hartford Wolf Pack players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Indiana Ice players Milwaukee Admirals players Minnesota Wild players Nashville Predators draft picks Nashville Predators players New York Rangers players Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey players People from Island Park, New York San Jose Barracuda players Winnipeg Jets players