Connor Jones (ice hockey)

Connor Jones
Born	(1990-08-16) August 16, 1990 (age 33) Montrose, British Columbia, Canada
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position	Forward
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Islanders HC Thurgau Västerviks IK
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2014–2022

Connor Jones (born August 16, 1990) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward appeared in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Islanders.

Career

Undrafted, Jones played collegiate hockey with Quinnipiac University of the ECAC from 2010 to 2014. Jones played a majority of his Quinnipiac career on a line with his identical twin brother Kellen, who was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Bobcats lost to Yale in the 2013 NCAA National Championship game. At the completion of his senior year as an alternate captain with the Bobcats, Jones embarked on his professional career in signing a one-year AHL contract for the 2014–15 season, with the Oklahoma City Barons, the primary affiliate of the Oilers, on April 3, 2014. He immediately joined the Barons on an amateur try-out basis to complete the 2013–14 season. ^[1]

In the midst of his second season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2016–17, Jones was signed his first NHL contract on a one-year entry-level contract with parent affiliate, the New York Islanders on February 22, 2017. ^[2] In the final stages of the Islanders season, Jones received his first NHL recall on April 2, 2017. ^[3] Added to inject energy to the fourth-line, Jones made his debut that night in a 4–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. ^[4]

Jones started the 2017–18 season with the Sound Tigers after he was cut from Islanders camp. ^[5] He earned a three-game suspension for slew-footing Utica Comets defenceman Jordan Subban during a game on December 1, 2017. ^{[6] [7]}

At the completion of his contract with the Islanders, Jones became a free agent however opted to continue within the Islanders organization in signing a one-year AHL contract with the Sound Tigers on July 9, 2018. ^[8] In his final season with the Sound Tigers in 2018–19, Jones contributed with 6 goals and 13 points in 67 games.

As an impending free agent, Jones reunited with his brother Kellen, signing a one-year contract as a duo with Swiss second-tier club, HC Thurgau of the Swiss League, on May 16, 2019. ^[9]

Following a second season abroad with Västerviks IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Jones returned to North America as a free agentin signing alongside brother Kellen to a contract for the 2021–22 season with defending Kelly Cup champions, the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, on August 31, 2021. ^[10] Jones contributed with 39 points in 52 games with the Komets, before opting to end his eight year professional career at the conclusion of the season. ^[11]

Personal life

Connor and his twin brother Kellen, who was often a teammate through his professional career, grew up in Montrose, British Columbia, and both played hockey for Quinnipiac University and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. ^{[12] [13]}

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005–06	Beaver Valley Nitehawks	KIJHL		5	2	1	3	4		10	1	2	3	6
2006–07	Beaver Valley Nitehawks	KIJHL		52	26	46	72	156		13	3	4	7	47
2006–07	Vernon Vipers	BCHL		2	1	2	3	2		16	3	6	9	6
2007–08	Vernon Vipers	BCHL		50	24	30	54	50		10	3	9	12	2
2008–09	Vernon Vipers	BCHL		60	19	41	60	49		17	9	9	18	18
2009–10	Vernon Vipers	BCHL		51	36	45	81	40		19	9	11	20	22
2010–11	Quinnipiac University	ECAC		39	9	15	24	38		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Quinnipiac University	ECAC		37	13	28	41	30		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Quinnipiac University	ECAC		37	12	14	26	41		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Quinnipiac University	ECAC		40	15	23	38	42		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Oklahoma City Barons	AHL		5	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Bakersfield Condors	ECHL		27	10	16	26	29		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Oklahoma City Barons	AHL		41	4	6	10	31		10	3	0	3	2
2015–16	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		51	6	7	13	21		3	0	0	0	0
2016–17	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		58	5	14	19	89		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	New York Islanders	NHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		68	8	9	17	70		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		67	6	7	13	55		5	0	0	0	4
2019–20	HC Thurgau	SL		44	8	19	27	50		5	1	0	1	4
2020–21	Västerviks IK	Allsv		29	3	10	13	18		10	0	3	3	31
2021–22	Fort Wayne Komets	ECHL		52	10	29	39	22		7	0	4	4	6
NHL totals				4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honours

Award	Year
College
ECAC Third All-Star Team	2012

References

1. "Barons agree to terms with Connor Jones". Oklahoma City Barons. April 3, 2014. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
2. New York Islanders (February 22, 2017). "Connor Jones agrees to one-year entry-level deal". Twitter . Retrieved February 22, 2017.
3. "Islanders recall Jones". New York Islanders. April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
4. "Islanders' Connor Jones solid in debut". Newsday.com. April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
5. Staple, Arthur (September 23, 2017). "Islanders pare the roster well before the deadline". Newsday. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
6. Fornabaio, Michael (December 14, 2017). "Jones returns from suspension for Sound Tigers in Springfield". Connecticut Post. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
7. Birnell, Ben (December 3, 2017). "Bridgeport's Jones suspended for incident vs. Utica". Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
8. "Sound Tigers sign Jones, Bourque and Smith". Bridgeport Sound Tigers. July 9, 2018. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
9. "Connor and Kellen Jones are the new foreign duo joining Thurgau!" (in German). HC Thurgau. May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
10. "Komets sign Jones brothers and Owings". ECHL. August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
11. "Connor Jones announces retirement". Instagram. May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
12. "Connor Jones' NHL Debut". NHL.com. New York Islanders. April 3, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
13. "Connor Jones Agrees to One-Year, Two-Way Deal". NHL.com. New York Islanders. February 22, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.

External links

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