Kyle Criscuolo Explained

Kyle Criscuolo
Birth Date:5 May 1992
Birth Place:Southampton, New Jersey, U.S.
Height Ft:5
Height In:9
Weight Lbs:174
Position:Center
Shoots:Right
League:AHL
Team:Charlotte Checkers
Former Teams:Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
San Jose Sharks
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:2016

Kyle Criscuolo (born May 5, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).

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.

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.

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]

After a lone season within the Devils organization, Criscuolo left as a free agent and was signed to a one-year AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers, who serve as the primary affiliate to the Florida Panthers, on July 9, 2024.[16]

Career statistics

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
2008–09Saint Joseph PrepUSHS2125325718
2009–10Choate Rosemary HallUSHS2819224112
2009–10New York BobcatsAtJHL9437420110
2010–11Choate Rosemary HallUSHS2415274222
2011–12Sioux City MusketeersUSHL592123442410110
2012–13Harvard UniversityECAC2267134
2013–14Harvard UniversityECAC311192022
2014–15Harvard UniversityECAC3717314812
2015–16Harvard UniversityECAC341913328
2015–16Grand Rapids GriffinsAHL40000
2016–17Grand Rapids GriffinsAHL76172441141954914
2017–18Rochester AmericansAHL511519343431012
2017–18Buffalo SabresNHL90004
2018–19Rochester AmericansAHL43614201430000
2019–20Lehigh Valley PhantomsAHL408162414
2019–20San Diego GullsAHL70000
2020–21Grand Rapids GriffinsAHL291181916
2021–22Grand Rapids GriffinsAHL5715243918
2021–22Detroit Red WingsNHL60222
2022–23Grand Rapids GriffinsAHL28551017
2022–23San Jose BarracudaAHL321271916
2022–23San Jose SharksNHL11010
2023–24Utica CometsAHL63 16 26 42 23
NHL totals161236

Awards and honors

AwardYear
College
All-ECAC Hockey Second Team2015, 2016[17]
ECAC Student-Athlete of the Year2015, 2016
All-Ivy League Second Team2015, 2016
AHL
Calder Cup champion2017[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA. 2018. Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. February 16, 2019. March 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf. dead.
  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. Web site: Harvard influence . . March 29, 2016 . March 29, 2016.
  4. Web site: Porter, Criscuolo sign two-year deals with the Sabres . . July 1, 2017 . July 1, 2017.
  5. Web site: Sabres recall Criscuolo, Nelson from Americans . . November 16, 2017 . November 16, 2017.
  6. Web site: Criscuolo to make NHL debut in Buffalo's first game at Little Caesars Arena . . November 17, 2017 . November 17, 2017.
  7. Web site: Red Wings respond for win against Sabres . . November 17, 2017 . November 18, 2017.
  8. Web site: Flyers free agency tracker . . July 1, 2019 . July 1, 2019.
  9. Web site: Flyers acquire forward Derek Grant from Anaheim Ducks . . February 24, 2020 . February 24, 2020.
  10. Web site: Red Wings add Riley Barber, Kyle Criscuolo and Kevin Boyle . Kujawa . Kyle . Detroit Red Wings . October 9, 2020 . October 9, 2020.
  11. Web site: Detroit Assigns 11 to Grand Rapids . griffinshockey.com . January 12, 2021 . January 12, 2021.
  12. Web site: Red Wings agree to two-year contract extension with Kyle Criscuolo . . July 28, 2021 . July 28, 2021.
  13. Web site: Sharks acquire Criscuolo in exchange for Weatherby . . January 18, 2023 . January 18, 2023.
  14. Web site: Gregor gets 1st NHL hat trick, Sharks top Coyotes. National Hockey League. April 1, 2023. April 1, 2023.
  15. Web site: Criscuolo, Dowling join Devils on two-way contracts . NHL.com. . July 1, 2023. July 1, 2023.
  16. Web site: Checkers sign Kyle Criscuolo to AHL deal . . July 9, 2024 . July 9, 2024.
  17. Web site: Awards – NCAA (ECAC) Second All-Stat Team. Eliteprospects.com.
  18. Web site: Grand Rapids Griffins win Calder Cup at home . . Dana . Wakiji . June 13, 2017 . June 13, 2017.