Justin DiBenedetto (born August 25, 1988) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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 ...

player. DiBenedetto was drafted 175th overall by 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 (N ...

during the

2008 NHL Entry Draft The 2008 NHL entry draft was the 46th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL entry draft ...

. DiBenedetto was born in

Maple, Ontario Maple is a large neighbourhood in Vaughan, York Region, Ontario, Canada, north of Toronto. It was founded as a small village, located at the intersection of Major Mackenzie Drive and Keele Street. Geography Maple is located across Highway 40 ...

Playing career

Junior

DiBenedetto began his junior hockey career with the Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

in the 2004–05 season, recording nine points in 64 games as a rookie, followed by no points in nine playoff games. In the 2005–06 season, DiBenedetto saw his production increase, as he earned 30 points in 61 games, followed by a goal in four playoff contests. During the off-season, the Majors traded DiBenedetto to the

Sarnia Sting The Sarnia Sting are a junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. They are one of the 20 teams that make up the Ontario Hockey League. They play out of the Progressive Auto Sales Arena (formerly the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment ...

. DiBenedetto joined the Sting for the 2006–07 season, where he once again saw an increase in his production, as he finished with 63 points in 58 games, as well as a team high +21 rating. In the playoffs, DiBenedetto had three points in four games. In 2007–08, DiBenedetto saw another big increase in his point production, as he finished second on the Sting with 93 points in 58 games. DiBenedetto then had ten points in nine playoff games for Sarnia. During the

, the

drafted DiBenedetto in the sixth round. DiBenedetto returned to Sarnia for his overage season in 2008–09, where in 62 games, he scored 45 goals and 93 points to lead the Sting, and finish third in the OHL scoring race, in five playoff games Justin had three assists. Following his successful campaign he was named to the OHL's Second All-Star team and was awarded the

Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the best overage player in the Ontario Hockey League, as selected by the teams' general managers. The trophy was donated by the trainers of the league in memory of Leo Lalonde, former chief s ...

as the top overage player of the year.

Professional

When the Sting were eliminated from the playoffs, Justin signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Islanders on April 9, 2009. He was then assigned to the Islanders affiliate, the

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...

of the AHL for the playoffs. In three post-season games with Bridgeport, DiBenedetto scored a goal. He returned to the Sound Tigers for the 2009–10 season. DiBenedetto appeared to make his NHL debut in 8 games for the Islanders in the 2010-11 season, recording 1 assist. He then spent a final season in the Islanders organization as an alternate captain with the Sound Tigers. In his third season abroad, DiBenedetto joined his fourth European club in returning to the Austrian Hockey League with Dornbirner EC on July 14, 2014. On February 2, 2015, DiBenedetto left Dornbirner and transferred for the remainder of the season with Italian club, Ritten/Renon of the Serie A.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dibenedetto, Justin 1988 births Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent Dornbirn Bulldogs players EC Red Bull Salzburg players Espoo Blues players Living people New York Islanders draft picks New York Islanders players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Örebro HK players Ice hockey people from Vaughan Ritten Sport players Sarnia Sting players Toronto St. Michael's Majors players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland