Ray Kaunisto

Last updated

Ray Kaunisto
Ray Kaunisto (cropped).jpg
Kaunisto with the Utica Comets in 2014
Born (1987-02-07) February 7, 1987 (age 34)
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Left
Played for Manchester Monarchs
St. John's IceCaps
Syracuse Crunch
Lake Erie Monsters
Utica Comets
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 20102016

Ray Kaunisto (born February 7, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He last played with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL.

Contents

Playing career

He played hockey at Northern Michigan University from 2006 to 2010, along with his younger brother Kory Kaunisto. On March 31, 2010, he was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Kings to a two-year entry-level contract. [1] After two seasons with Kings affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, Kaunisto became an unrestricted free agent on June 20, 2012, when the Kings did not tender him a qualifying offer. [2]

On August 21, 2013, Kaunisto signed with the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, an affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Kaunisto however spent the majority of the 2012–13 season, in the ECHL with lower tier affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

On August 28, 2013, he signed as a free agent to a one-year ECHL contract with the Kalamazoo Wings. [3]

During his second season with the Wings in 2014–15, and after appearing in 43 games, Kaunisto was traded to the Evansville IceMen on March 11, 2015. [4] The following day he was moved onto the Florida Everblades to finish out the season.

In the 2015–16 season, Kaunisto was without a club. On February 6, 2016, he signed with the Brampton Beast to play a final professional game in the ECHL before announcing his retirement from professional hockey on February 8, 2016. [5]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2004–05 Soo Indians NAHL 55202040721446108
2005–06 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 535141978811212
2006–07 Northern Michigan University CCHA 4130330
2007–08 Northern Michigan UniversityCCHA40851344
2008–09 Northern Michigan UniversityCCHA40771456
2009–10 Northern Michigan UniversityCCHA4018143278
2010–11 Manchester Monarchs AHL 5786145072134
2011–12 Manchester MonarchsAHL74715226540110
2012–13 St. John's IceCaps AHL10000
2012–13 Colorado Eagles ECHL 537162311310002
2013–14 Kalamazoo Wings ECHL34210124660002
2013–14 Syracuse Crunch AHL61014
2013–14 Lake Erie Monsters AHL30112
2013–14 Utica Comets AHL191124
2014–15 Kalamazoo WingsECHL43591476
2014–15 Florida Everblades ECHL14571212101018
2015–16 Brampton Beast ECHL10000
AHL totals160172340125112244

Awards and honours

AwardYear
College
CCHA All-Tournament Team 2010 [1]

Related Research Articles

Central Hockey League

The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Darryl Bootland

Darryl Bootland is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right wing who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders.

Kris Newbury Canadian ice hockey player

Kris Newbury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with the Hamilton Steelhawks in the Allan Cup Hockey (ACH).

Phil Oreskovic

Phil Oreskovic is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.

Jordan Henry Canadian ice hockey player

Jordan Henry is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.

Blake Kessel American ice hockey player

Blake Kessel is an American retired professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently coaching the Newark Ironbound 16U Premier in the USA Hockey Women's 16U AAA. He most recently played for the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL. He was selected by the New York Islanders in the 6th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Tyler Shattock Canadian ice hockey player

Tyler Shattock is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. He last played for the Braehead Clan of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom. He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 4th round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Allen York Canadian ice hockey player

Allen York is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 11 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League. York was selected by the Blue Jackets in the 6th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Luke Pither Canadian ice hockey player

Luke Pither is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He is currently an unrestricted free agent.

Brampton Beast Defunct Canadian minor-league professional ice hockey team

The Brampton Beast were a professional ice hockey team based in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The team originally played in the Central Hockey League for one year during the 2013–14 season prior to the league's folding before joining the ECHL from 2014 to 2020. The Beast played their home games at the CAA Centre. The team was one of only two ECHL members located in Canada, along with the Newfoundland Growlers, from 2018 to 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beast voluntarily suspended operations through at least the 2020–21 ECHL season, but ceased operations entirely.

Edward Pasquale Canadian ice hockey goaltender

Edward Robert Nito "Eddie" Pasquale is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has formerly played with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pasquale was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Cal Heeter American ice hockey player

Calvin Heeter is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He most recently played with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL while under contract with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). He played in one game for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2013–14 season.

David Broll Canadian ice hockey player

David Broll is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He last played with the Coventry Blaze in the EIHL. Broll was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Garret Ross American professional ice hockey player (born 1992)

Garret Ross is an American professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL. Ross was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 5th round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Yannick Veilleux Canadian ice hockey player

Yannick Veilleux is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Veilleux was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 4th round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Benjamin Dieudé-Fauvel is a French retired professional ice hockey defenceman.

The 2015–16 ECHL season was the 28th season of the ECHL. The regular season schedule ran from October 16, 2015 to April 9, 2016 with the Kelly Cup playoffs to follow. Twenty-eight teams in 21 states and one Canadian province each played a 72-game schedule. The league alignment was significantly altered before the season when the American Hockey League announced the formation of a Pacific Division on January 30, 2015 displacing the ECHL teams that had been in California markets.

Jake Hildebrand is an American ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for the Löwen Frankfurt of the DEL2.

Alexandre Mallet Canadian ice hockey player

Alexandre Mallet is a Canadian professional ice hockey centreman. He is currently playing for HC Vítkovice Ridera of the Czech Extraliga (ELH).

The 2016–17 ECHL season was the 29th season of the ECHL. The regular season schedule ran from October 14, 2016 to April 9, 2017, with the Kelly Cup playoffs following. Twenty-seven teams in 21 states and one Canadian province each played a 72-game schedule.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ray Kaunisto player profile". The Hockey News . March 31, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  2. "Kings announce Qualifying offers". Los Angeles Kings. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  3. "K-Wings add four to roster". Kalamazoo Wings. August 28, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  4. "Ray Kaunisto comes to Evansville in trade with Kalamazoo". Evansville IceMen. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  5. "Retirement from pro hockey". Twitter. February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.