Eric Boguniecki (born May 6, 1975) is an American former

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

player.

Playing career

As a youth, Boguniecki played in the 1989

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with the New York Islanders

minor ice hockey 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 contact, vary from c ...

team. Drafted 193rd overall in the

1993 NHL Entry Draft The 1993 NHL Entry Draft was the 31st NHL Entry Draft. It took place on June 26, 1993, at the Colisée de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec. First overall pick Alexandre Daigle is widely regarded today as one of the all-time greatest draft bu ...

by the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

, Boguniecki's scoring ability in the minor leagues led to him being signed as a free agent by the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home game ...

in 1999. He played just 4 games for the Panthers before returning to St. Louis in a trade also involving

Andrej Podkonický Andrej Podkonický (born 9 May 1978) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Florida Panthers and the Washington Capitals. He is currently the senior coach of Avangard Omsk of the ...

. A tough grinding forward, Boguniecki stands out on the ice due to his height; Boguniecki stands 5 feet 8 inches. He established himself in the NHL in the 2002–03 season, accumulating 49 points in 80 games. During the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

, Boguniecki played for the AHL's

Worcester IceCats The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois. History The IceCat ...

. A winner of the Les Cunningham award as the AHL's most valuable player in 2001–02, Eric Boguniecki is currently the only other American born player to win this award since Eddie Olson (1952–53). In December 2005, Boguniecki was traded to

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

scoring 6 goals and 10 assists before being signed by the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

. He played for their AHL affiliate, the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tam ...

, before being traded to the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

on October 25, 2006. He played 11 games in the 06–07 season and had no points and his plus/minus was even. He had 8 PIM. He played for the Islanders affiliate AHL team the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and had 23 goals and 32 assists in 48 games. For the 2007–08 season, Boguniecki played for the German DEL Team

ERC Ingolstadt ERC Ingolstadt (''Eishockey-und-Rollschuh club'', ) is a German professional ice hockey club that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Commonly known as the Panthers, the team plays its home games at the Saturn Arena in Ingolstadt. History ...

. On July 22, 2008, Boguniecki signed a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. In the 2008-09 season, Eric was assigned to Ducks affiliate, the Iowa Chops, where he scored 34 points in 69 games. On October 29, 2009, he signed with the ECHL's Alaska Aces.

Coaching career

On July 12, 2011, Boguniecki was named the assistant coach of the

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boguniecki, Eric 1975 births Alaska Aces (ECHL) players American men's ice hockey centers Bridgeport Sound Tigers players ERC Ingolstadt players Florida Panthers players Fort Wayne Komets players Ice hockey coaches from Connecticut Iowa Stars players Living people Louisville Panthers players New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey players New York Islanders players Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players Pittsburgh Penguins players St. Louis Blues draft picks St. Louis Blues players Syracuse Crunch players Westminster School (Connecticut) alumni Worcester IceCats players Ice hockey people from New Haven, Connecticut