Jason Bonsignore

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Jason Bonsignore
Born (1976-04-15) April 15, 1976 (age 49)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for Edmonton Oilers
Tampa Bay Lightning
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL draft 4th overall, 1994
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 19942008

Jason M. Bonsignore (born April 15, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey forward and speedway promoter and racer.

Contents

Early life

Bonsignore was born in Rochester, New York. As a youth, Bonsignore played in the 1990 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Rochester. [1]

Career

Bonsignore was a First Round draft choice in the OHL by the Newmarket Royals and went on to star in the league with the Royals, then Niagara Falls Thunder, where he was an asst Captain and finally with Sudbury Wolves where he was OHL player of the week in January of 95 and set a Wolves record for most game winning goals in the playoffs. He was drafted in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, fourth overall, by the Edmonton Oilers, from the Niagara Falls in the Ontario Hockey League. [2] While playing for the Oilers' American Hockey League farm team in the 1997–98 season, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. [3] He was Tampa Bay's leading rookie scorer his first year while also earning International Hockey League player of the week recognition during a short stay with Tampa's farm team in Cleveland. In his 1998–99 season with Tampa, he finished the year as a regular with the Lightning.[ citation needed ]

Not given a qualifying offer by the Lightning, Bonsignore became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for the 1999–2000 season. He was a late cut at training camp and was assigned to their AHL farm team in St John's. Bonsignore suffered a season-ending ankle injury mid season, and asked for a release.[ citation needed ]

He chose to sit out the next two years due to the ankle injury and personal reasons, then returned in the 2002–03 season to play with the AHL franchises in Springfield and Lowell, where he was runner up for the Brian Pad Comeback Player of the year award given out by the Professional Hockey Players Association. He tried out with the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers in 2003 but was released towards the end of training camp. [4]

From the 2003–04 through the 2007–08 seasons, Bonsignore played hockey in the ECHL, Switzerland, Finland and Norway. While in Switzerland he won the Player of the month award for February.[ citation needed ]

In 2007–08, Bonsignore returned to North America, where he tried to rehabilitate from a groin injury suffered in Norway while playing a few games with the Fresno Falcons. At the time the New Jersey Devils signed him for their farm team, the Trenton Devils, where he finished the year and ended his career as a professional player.[ citation needed ]

Internationally, Bonsignore was the leading scorer on the USA Select 16 and 17 National teams and also spent time with the US Olympic team. He twice represented the USA in the World Junior Championships.

Bonsignore later coached Rochester Red Wings minor ice hockey team,[ citation needed ] and signed to play with the Hamilton Steelhawks in January 2016.[ citation needed ]

Transactions

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1990–91 Greece Athena High School HS-NY 18241842
1991–92Greece Athena High SchoolHS-NY18333366
1991–92Rochester Jr. Americans EmJHL 1831296042
1992–93 Newmarket Royals OHL 66222042670330
1993–94 Newmarket RoyalsOHL177172422
1993–94 Niagara Falls Thunder OHL4115476241
1993–94 United States National Team Intl50220
1994–95 Niagara Falls ThunderOHL2612213351
1994–95 Sudbury Wolves OHL23151429451713102312
1994–95 Edmonton Oilers NHL 11010
1995–96 Sudbury WolvesOHL1810162637
1995–96 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 1214512
1995–96 Edmonton OilersNHL200224
1996–97 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL782133547870002
1997–98 Hamilton BulldogsAHL802214
1997–98 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL35281022
1997–98 San Antonio Dragons IHL 22381134
1997–98 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL640432811220
1998–99 Tampa Bay LightningNHL230338
1998–99 Cleveland LumberjacksIHL4814193368
1999–00 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL296131930
2002–03 Springfield Falcons AHL379122139
2002–03 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL121458
2003–04 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 52572
2003–04 EHC Biel SWI-2 993126422451
2004–05 South Carolina StingraysECHL10000
2004–05 Las Vegas Wranglers ECHL18481251
2005–06 Pelicans SM-l 741518
2005–06 Ilves SM-l40114
2005–06 Trondheim Black Panthers NOR 17661253
2007–08 Fresno Falcons ECHL702210
2007–08 Trenton Devils ECHL211101124
2015–16 Hamilton Steelhawks ACH 402216
AHL totals176386810618170004
NHL totals793131634

International

YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1994 United States WJC 700026
1995 United StatesWJC72246
Junior totals1422432

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 January 30, 2019.
  2. MacGregor, Roy (September 8, 2015). The Home Team: Fathers, Sons & Hockey. Penguin. ISBN   978-0-14-319779-9.
  3. Nicholson, Lorna Schultz (October 30, 2018). Grit and Glory: Celebrating 40 Years of the Edmonton Oilers. Penguin. ISBN   978-0-7352-3347-8.
  4. "Atlanta Thrashers". March 25, 2006. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
Preceded by Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick
1994
Succeeded by