Kyle David Connor (born December 9, 1996) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) 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. In ice hockey, two o ...

player for 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 ...

of the

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 ...

(NHL). Connor was drafted 17th overall by the Jets in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Connor played

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 ...

for Detroit Belle Tire and participated in the 2009

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 them.

Junior

Connor joined the

Youngstown Phantoms The Youngstown Phantoms are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the 5,200-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The team was co-owned by ...

of the

USHL The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

during the 2012–13 season. During the 2013–14 season, Connor recorded 31 goals and 43 assists, in 56 games, setting a Phantoms franchise record for most points in a season with 74 points. His outstanding play was recognized when he was named to the 2013–14 USHL First All-Star Team. During the 2014–15 season, Connor led the league in scoring, recording 34 goals and 46 assists, in 56 regular season games. He broke the Phantoms' franchise record for points in a season, with 80 points. He led the USHL with nine game-winning goals. Following an outstanding season, he was named to the 2014–15 USHL First All-Star Team, and was also named the USHL Forward of the Year and Player of the Year.

College

He committed to play for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

for the 2015–16 season. Connor was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for the week ending October 20, 2015. In the season opener on October 16, Connor recorded two goals and an assist in his debut, the most points by a Michigan freshman in his debut since Jason Ryznar had three points (one goal and two assists) in his debut in the Cold War at Spartan Stadium on October 6, 2001. On October 18, he scored the game-winning goal against

Mercyhurst Mercyhurst University, formerly Mercyhurst College, is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania. History On September 20, 1926, Mercyhurst College opened its doors just a few blocks away fro ...

. Connor was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for the week ending December 15, 2015. He recorded five goals and one assist in a split weekend series against

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

. On December 11, Connor recorded his first career

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wi ...

, becoming the first Michigan freshman to record a hat-trick in a game since Michael Woodford in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

. Connor was named to the GLI-all-tournament team, and was named MVP at the 2015 Great Lakes Invitational. Connor was named the Hockey Commissioners' Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month for December 2015. Connor led the nation with seven goals and 13 points in six games during the month of December, averaging 2.17 points per game in that span. He registered at least one point in all six games, including four multi-point efforts. His overall average of 1.47 points per game this season is the most by a Michigan freshman since the 1979–80 season. Connor was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week for the week ending January 12, 2016. During that time he recorded three goals and three assists, including a career-best five-points on January 8, against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...

. Connor was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week for the week ending February 2, 2016. During that time he recorded two goals and four assists in two games against

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

. On January 28, Connor matched a career-high with five points, including the game-winning goal. By reaching 20 goals in 22 games, he and teammate Tyler Motte were the fastest Michigan players to reach 20 goals since Kevin Porter had 20 goals in 21 games during the 2007–08 season. Connor became the first Michigan freshman to score 20 goals since Jeff Tambellini scored 26 goals during the 2002–03 season. Connor was named the HCA National Rookie of the Month for the month of January, 2016. He ranked second nationally with 1.33 goals, 1.50 assists and 2.83 points per game last month, trailing only linemates Motte in goals and points and

J. T. Compher Joseph Taylor Compher (born April 8, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 35th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 NHL Ent ...

in assists. Connor was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for the week ending February 23, 2016. He joined Tyler Motte as the only players in the Big Ten to earn First Star of the Week honors three times this season. Connor is the fifth Michigan freshman ever to reach the 50-point mark, and the first since current assistant coach Brian Wiseman reached the mark in 1990–91. Connor was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week for the week ending March 1, 2016. Connor is in the midst of a 23-game point streak, the longest by a Michigan player since Mike Knuble had points in 21 straight games during the 1994–95 season. He is the first Michigan player to reach 60 points since Kevin Porter recorded 63 points in 2007–08, and the first Michigan freshman to reach the 30-goal mark since Danny Felsner had 30 goals in 1988–89. Connor is also the first freshman in college hockey to record 30 goals since Thomas Vanek in 2002–03. Connor was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for the week ending March 15. Connor extended his Red Berenson-era (since 1984) Michigan record point streak to 23 games with four goals in two wins against Penn State. Following an outstanding freshman season with the Wolverines, Connor was named the Big Ten Conference ice hockey Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. He was also named to both the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and the All-Big Ten First Team. He was also

Big Ten Scoring Champion The Big Ten Scoring Champion is an annual award given out at the conclusion of the Big Ten Conference regular season to the player who scored the most points in conference games during the season. The Scoring Champion was first awarded in 2015 a ...

, recording 30 goals, and 31 assists in 34 games. He was also named the NCAA Ice Hockey National Rookie of the Year and an

AHCA The American Health Care Act of 2017 (often shortened to the AHCA or nicknamed Trumpcare) was a bill in the 115th United States Congress. The bill, which was passed by the United States House of Representatives but not by the United States ...

First Team All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

. Connor was runner-up for the

Hobey Baker Award The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 41 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton University ...

, losing to

Jimmy Vesey James Michael Vesey (born May 26, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks an ...

. During the quarterfinals of the 2016 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Connor scored four goals, breaking the record for most goals in a single Big Ten Tournament game. Connor became the first Michigan player to score four goals in a game since Kevin Porter on March 28, 2008. During the championship game, Connor and teammate Zach Werenski tied the record for most assists in the Big Ten tournament championship game with three assists. Connor and Werenski also tied the record for most points in a championship game with four points. Connor holds the record for most goals in a single Big Ten tournament with five goals, while Connor and teammate

are tied for the most points in a single Big Ten tournament with eight points. He was named the

Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...

and named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Professional

On April 11, 2016, Connor signed a three-year, two-way contract with the

. Connor recorded his first NHL goal in a 4–1 win over the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

on October 27, 2016. Before the Winnipeg Jets finalized their 2017–18 roster, Connor was assigned to the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets o ...

. However, he was recalled to the NHL on October 16, and scored his first goal of the season the following day against 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 ...

. At season's end, he finished fourth in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy. On March 23, 2019, Connor scored his first career NHL

in a 5–0 win over the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

. On September 28, 2019, Connor signed a seven-year, $50 million contract with the Jets. Later, on December 31, 2019, Connor would go on to score his second career NHL hat trick in a 7–4 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

International play

Connor represented the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, where he recorded two goals and three assists in four games and won a gold medal. Connor scored the game-winning goal in the championship game against Russia. Connor again represented the United States at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge where he recorded one goal and one assist in four games, and won a gold medal. Connor represented the United States at the

2014 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2014 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 16th IIHF World U18 Championship, and was hosted by Lappeenranta and Imatra, Finland. The tournament began on 17 April 2014, with the gold medal game played on 27 April 2014. Top Division Officials ...

, where he recorded four goals and three assists in seven games, and won a gold medal. Connor represented the

at the 2016 IIHF World Championship alongside line-mates

and Tyler Motte. He recorded two assists in five games.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Connor, Kyle 1996 births Living people American men's ice hockey left wingers Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners Manitoba Moose players Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from Clinton, Macomb County, Michigan People from Oceana County, Michigan Sportspeople from Metro Detroit Winnipeg Jets draft picks Winnipeg Jets players Youngstown Phantoms players Ice hockey players from Michigan AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans