Kyle Criscuolo

Kyle Criscuolo
Criscuolo with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2020
Born	(1992-05-05) May 5, 1992 (age 31) Southampton, New Jersey, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	New Jersey Devils Utica Comets  (AHL) Buffalo Sabres Detroit Red Wings San Jose Sharks
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2016–present

Kyle Criscuolo (born May 5, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

As a youth, Criscuolo played in the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Philadelphia Flyers minor ice hockey team. ^[1]

Raised in Southampton Township, New Jersey, Criscuolo played high school hockey for two seasons at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut and at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia for three seasons. ^[2]

Criscuolo played in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux City Musketeers before committing and playing collegiate hockey with Harvard University in the ECAC. Criscuolo despite his frame, continued to develop his offensive talent, playing the final two years of his tenure with the Crimson on the top scoring line alongside, Jimmy Vesey and Alexander Kerfoot.^{[ citation needed ]}

Undrafted, Criscuolo began his professional career at the conclusion of his senior year in the 2015–16 season. He signed a one-year American Hockey League deal for the following 2016–17 season, with the Grand Rapids Griffins on March 29, 2016, and joined the club on an amateur try-out in the closing stretches of the regular season. ^[3]

In his first full professional season, Criscuolo played in all 76 regular season games with the Griffins and contributed 17 goals and 41 points. He posted 9 points in 19 post-season contests to help the Griffins claim their second Calder Cup in franchise history.^{[ citation needed ]}

On July 1, 2017, Criscuolo as a free agent agreed to his first NHL deal, signing a two-year entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres. ^[4] He was reassigned by the Sabres at the completion of training camp to the Rochester Americans of the AHL to begin the 2017–18 season. He added 11 points in 14 games before he was recalled from the Americans to the Sabres on November 16, 2017. ^[5] He made his debut with the Sabres against the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL affiliate of the Grand Rapids Griffins, in a 3–1 defeat on November 17, 2017. ^{[6] [7]}

On July 1, 2019, Criscuolo left the Sabres as a free agent to sign a one-year, two-way contract with hometown team, the Philadelphia Flyers. ^[8] In the following 2019–20 season, Criscuolo was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He collected 8 goals and 24 points in 40 games before he was dealt at the NHL trade deadline by the Flyers along with a 2020 fourth-round draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Derek Grant on February 24, 2020. ^[9]

As a free agent from the Ducks in the off-season, Criscuolo returned for a second stint with the Detroit Red Wings' organization, agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract with the team on October 9, 2020. ^[10] On January 12, 2021, the Red Wings assigned Criscuolo to the Grand Rapids Griffins. ^[11] On July 28, 2021, Criscuolo agreed to a two-year, two-way contract extension to remain with the Red Wings. ^[12]

During his final season under contract with the Red Wings in 2022–23, Criscuolo registered 5 goals and 10 points through 28 regular season games with the Griffins. On January 18, 2023, he was traded by the Red Wings to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jasper Weatherby. He was immediately reassigned to continue in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. ^[13] Recalled to the Sharks, on April 1, 2023, Criscuolo scored his first career NHL goal in a 7–2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. ^[14]

Leaving the Sharks as a free agent, Criscuolo was signed by the New Jersey Devils to a one-year, two-way contract on July 1, 2023, for the 2023–24 season. ^[15]

Career statistics

Criscuolo celebrating with the Calder Cup in 2017.

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008–09	Saint Joseph Prep	USHS		21	25	32	57	18		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Choate Rosemary Hall	USHS		28	19	22	41	12		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	New York Bobcats	AtJHL		9	4	3	7	4		2	0	1	1	0
2010–11	Choate Rosemary Hall	USHS		24	15	27	42	22		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Sioux City Musketeers	USHL		59	21	23	44	24		1	0	1	1	0
2012–13	Harvard University	ECAC		22	6	7	13	4		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Harvard University	ECAC		31	11	9	20	22		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Harvard University	ECAC		37	17	31	48	12		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Harvard University	ECAC		34	19	13	32	8		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		76	17	24	41	14		19	5	4	9	14
2017–18	Rochester Americans	AHL		51	15	19	34	34		3	1	0	1	2
2017–18	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		9	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Rochester Americans	AHL		43	6	14	20	14		3	0	0	0	0
2019–20	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	AHL		40	8	16	24	14		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	San Diego Gulls	AHL		7	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		29	11	8	19	16		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		57	15	24	39	18		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		6	0	2	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		28	5	5	10	17		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		32	12	7	19	16		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	San Jose Sharks	NHL		1	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Utica Comets	AHL		63	16	26	42	23		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				16	1	2	3	6		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-ECAC Hockey Second Team	2015, 2016	[16]
ECAC Student-Athlete of the Year	2015, 2016
All-Ivy League Second Team	2015, 2016
AHL
Calder Cup champion	2017	[17]

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
2. Callahan, Kevin. "Criscuolo coming up big at Harvard", Courier-Post , February 15, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2018. "Kyle Criscuolo grew up in Southampton and is just 5-foot-8, which isn’t the tangible recipe for success in college ice hockey.... Criscuolo, who attended St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia, was named last week by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston as one of 20 NCAA Division I players for the 63rd Walter Brown Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.... He played two years of hockey at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school in Wallingford, Connecticut and three at St. Joseph’s Prep."
3. "Harvard influence". Grand Rapids Griffins. March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
4. "Porter, Criscuolo sign two-year deals with the Sabres". Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
5. "Sabres recall Criscuolo, Nelson from Americans". Buffalo Sabres. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
6. "Criscuolo to make NHL debut in Buffalo's first game at Little Caesars Arena". Buffalo Sabres. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
7. "Red Wings respond for win against Sabres". National Hockey League. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
8. "Flyers free agency tracker". Philadelphia Flyers. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
9. "Flyers acquire forward Derek Grant from Anaheim Ducks". Philadelphia Flyers. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
10. Kujawa, Kyle (October 9, 2020). "Red Wings add Riley Barber, Kyle Criscuolo and Kevin Boyle". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
11. "Detroit Assigns 11 to Grand Rapids". griffinshockey.com. January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
12. "Red Wings agree to two-year contract extension with Kyle Criscuolo". Detroit Red Wings. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
13. "Sharks acquire Criscuolo in exchange for Weatherby". San Jose Sharks. January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
14. "Gregor gets 1st NHL hat trick, Sharks top Coyotes". National Hockey League. April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
15. "Criscuolo, Dowling join Devils on two-way contracts". NHL.com. New Jersey Devils. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
16. "Awards – NCAA (ECAC) Second All-Stat Team". Eliteprospects.com.
17. Wakiji, Dana (June 13, 2017). "Grand Rapids Griffins win Calder Cup at home". Detroit Red Wings . Retrieved June 13, 2017.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database