Christopher C. Summers (born February 5, 1988) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

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

who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) with the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

and

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

. He played out his career with the

Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

of the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

(DEL).

Playing career

As a youth, Summers played in the 2002

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with the Detroit Honeybaked

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team. A native of

Milan, Michigan Milan ( or ) is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,079 at the 2020 census. The community was settled as early as 1831. Milan incorporated as a village in 1885 and much later as a city ...

, graduating Milan High School in 2006, Summers was drafted by the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

in the first round, 29th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Drafted from the

USA Hockey National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) represents the United States in the IIHF World U18 Championship. Additionally the team plays domestically against opponents in the United States Hockey League (under-17 and under-18 t ...

in Ann Arbor, Summers was recruited to play collegiate hockey with the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. During the 2008–09 season, Summers was named an Alternate Captain for the Wolverines, but was promoted to co-captain after Mark Mitera was injured. The following season, his last season with the Wolverines, Summers was named team captain. After his senior year in 2009–10, Summers signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Coyotes on March 31, 2010. He was then assigned to AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage on an amateur try out contract for the remainder of the season. During the 2013–14 season, Summers scored his first NHL goal on March 15, 2014, against

Joni Ortio Joni Ortio (born April 16, 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who plays for HC Ässät Pori of the Liiga, Finnish Elite League. He has previously played for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a sixt ...

of 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. The ...

. On March 1, 2015, Summers was included in a trade by the Coyotes to the

along with defenseman

Keith Yandle Keith Michael Yandle (born September 9, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He also is co-host of the hit podcast, Spittin Chiclets. Yandle was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the fourth round, 105th overall, at the ...

and a 2015 fourth round pick in exchange for defenseman John Moore,

Anthony Duclair Anthony Duclair (born August 26, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Duclair was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round, 80th overall, of the 2013 NHL ...

, and two draft picks (2016 first round and 2015 second round). On April 20, 2016, Summers was recalled by the New York Rangers from the team's AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. On July 1, 2017, Summers left the Rangers as a free agent and signed a two-year, two-way $650,000 contract with the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

. Summers played the duration of his contract exclusively with AHL affiliate, the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...

. As a free agent from the Penguins, Summers signed his first contract abroad, agreeing to a two-year deal with German club, Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the DEL, on July 24, 2019.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Chris 1988 births American men's ice hockey defensemen Arizona Coyotes draft picks Arizona Coyotes players Hartford Wolf Pack players Ice hockey people from Ann Arbor, Michigan Living people Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players People from Milan, Michigan Sportspeople from Washtenaw County, Michigan NHL first-round draft picks New York Rangers players Phoenix Coyotes players Portland Pirates players San Antonio Rampage players Nürnberg Ice Tigers players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players