Chris Pryor Explained

Position:Defense
Played For:Minnesota North Stars
New York Islanders
Shoots:Right
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lb:210
Birth Date:January 23, 1961
Birth Place:Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:1983
Career End:1993

Christopher Michael Pryor (born January 23, 1961) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders. He served as the Assistant General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2021 to 2023.

At the conclusion of his playing career in 1993, Pryor was an assistant coach for one season with the minor league Salt Lake Golden Eagles, before he transitioned into a front office career as a scout. He was an amateur scout and player development director for the New York Islanders from 1994 to 1998. [1]

From 1998 until his termination in 2019, he was a part of the Philadelphia Flyers organization, filling the roles of scout, scouting director, director of player personnel and eventually Assistant General Manager.[2] [3]

After two years with the Nashville Predators scouting department, he was hired by incoming Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ron Hextall in February, 2021 to join the Penguins as director of player personnel. His role involved overseeing the organization's scouting operations in North America and Europe as well as assisting in team personnel decisions.[4] His hiring was regarded as a "No.1 Priority" for Hextall, as the pair had previously worked together extensively in Philadelphia.[5] Pryor was promoted on June 14, 2022 to Assistant General Manager, aiding Hextall in managing all aspects of the team. [6] He and Hextall were both fired on April 14, 2023 after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1979–80University of New HampshireECAC27 9 13 22 27
1980–81University of New HampshireECAC33 10 27 37 36
1981–82University of New HampshireECAC35 3 16 19 36
1982–83University of New HampshireECAC34 4 9 13 23
1983–84Salt Lake Golden EaglesCHL72 7 21 28 2155 1 2 3 11
1984–85Springfield IndiansAHL77 3 21 24 1584 0 2 2 0
1984–85Minnesota North StarsNHL4 0 0 0 16
1985–86Springfield IndiansAHL55 4 16 20 104
1985–86Minnesota North StarsNHL7 0 1 1 0
1986–87Springfield IndiansAHL5 0 2 2 17
1986–87Minnesota North StarsNHL50 1 3 4 49
1987–88Kalamazoo WingsIHL56 4 16 20 171
1987–88Minnesota North StarsNHL3 0 0 0 6
1987–88New York IslandersNHL1 0 0 0 2
1988–89Springfield IndiansAHL54 3 6 9 205
1988–89New York IslandersNHL7 0 0 0 25
1989–90Springfield IndiansAHL60 3 7 10 10518 1 3 4 12
1989–90New York IslandersNHL10 0 0 0 24
1990–91Capital District IslandersAHL41 1 8 9 94
1991–92Capital District IslandersAHL22 0 3 3 127 2 2 4 18
1992–93Capital District IslandersAHL3 0 0 0 6
NHL totals82 1 4 5 122

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chris Pryor at eliteprospects.com . 2022-07-04 . www.eliteprospects.com . en.
  2. Web site: August 10, 2016 . Flyers Promote Chris Pryor to Assistant GM, Director of Player Personnel . Philadelphia Flyers . August 20, 2016.
  3. Web site: November 28, 2018 . Flyers fire AGM Pryor, assistant coach Murphy . . November 28, 2018.
  4. Web site: Penguins Name Chris Pryor Director of Player Personnel . The Official Site of the Pittsburgh Penguins . 28 February 2021.
  5. Web site: Bringing Pryor on Board Was a "No. 1 Priority" for Hextall . 2022-07-04 . NHL.com . en-US.
  6. Web site: Rorabaugh . Seth . 2022-06-14 . Penguins promote Chris Pryor to assistant general manager . 2022-07-04 . TribLIVE.com . en-US.