Will Cuylle Explained

Will Cuylle
Birth Date:5 February 2002
Birth Place:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height Ft:6
Height In:4
Weight Lb:209
Position:Left wing
Shoots:Left
League:NHL
Team:New York Rangers
Prospect League:AHL
Draft:60th overall
Draft Year:2020
Draft Team:New York Rangers
Career Start:2021

William Cuylle (born February 5, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 60th overall by the New York Rangers in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Early OHL career

Cuylle played junior hockey for the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was the third overall pick in the 2018 OHL draft by the Peterborough Petes, selected behind only Quinton Byfield, who ended being the second overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, and Evan Vierling, and just ahead of Jamie Drysdale, the sixth overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[1] [2] [3] Cuylle did not think Peterborough was a good fit for him and he committed to play college hockey for Penn State University.[1] [4] When Peterborough traded his rights to Windsor in exchange for seven OHL draft picks, Cuylle decided to play for Windsor.[2] [5]

In his first season with Windsor, Cuylle scored 26 goals, fourth in the OHL among 16-year-old players, and 15 assists for 41 points.[2] [6] After the season, Cuylle was projected by many analysts to be a likely first round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[2] [7] [8] He started slowly in the 2019–20 season and had several eight game goal-scoring droughts.[2] [7] He finished the season with 22 goals and 20 assists, for 42 points, one more than the prior year.[2] [7] [9] He ended up being ranked as the no. 34 draft-eligible North American skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau after being ranked no. 22 in mid-season.[9] He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 60th overall pick in the draft.[2] [6]

2020–21

With the OHL shut down for the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuylle played in 18 games with the Rangers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring two goals and three assists for a total of five points.[6] [10] On April 19, 2021, Cuylle signed an entry-level contract with the New York Rangers.[11]

2021–22

On October 14, 2021, the Windsor Spitfires announced that Cuylle would be the team captain for the 2021–22 OHL season, his third with the team.[12] [13] Cuylle had a much more productive season with Windsor in 2021–22 than his prior seasons, finishing the regular season with 43 goals and 37 assists in 59 games.[6] [14] As a result he was named the OHL's Second Team All-Star left wing.[15] [16]

2022–23

Cuylle began the 2022–23 season with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was named to the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic during the 2022–23 season.[17] He was called up to the Rangers on January 24 after scoring 13 goals and 7 assists in his first 39 games with Hartford.[18] [19] He made his NHL debut on January 25 in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his hometown of Toronto.[20] He returned to Hartford after a January 27 game against the Vegas Golden Knights.[21] The Rangers recalled him after the NHL All-Star Game hiatus, but returned him to Hartford after he played 2 more games when the Rangers acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko.[22]

2023–24

Cuylle made the Rangers 2023–24 roster out of training camp.[23] He scored his first NHL goal on October 14, 2023, during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.[24]

International play

Cuylle was selected to Canada's team in the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[6] [25] [26] He recorded two assists in two games before the tournament was shut down due to COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Playing style

Cuylle is a power forward who models his game after Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, and other power forwards such as Matthew Tkachuk and Jamie Benn.[2] [8] [27] [10] His style has also been compared to former Rangers' forward Brendan Lemieux and to Milan Lucic.[28] According to former Windsor coach Trevor Letowski. Cuylle is "a high-energy, physical guy that can get up and down the ice really well for a big guy — and he can score."[2] He also has a hard shot. According to Letowski, "He can find pockets in the offensive zone — those little, quiet areas — and if he gets it on a stick, especially in juniors, then he can just shoot it past goalies. It doesn't even have to be a perfect shot. It's just heavy, and it's quick."[2]

NHL director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said of Cuylle ahead of the 2020 draft "He brings more of that power-forward type of game and I thought he got away from that last year...He can own the corner, battle for position at the net and play to the strengths of his size and [use] it in a smart way. He's got all the tools."[9]

Before the 2023–24 season, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette compared Cuylle to Wilson, who Laviolette had coached in Washington, saying "I don't know if you want to exactly make that comparison because he's a young kid that’s trying to make it to the NHL, but I do think that those are his traits. He can skate, he can hit, last year he proved that he can fight once in a while, and he has good hockey sense and good hands to be able to score goals, as well."[29] Hockey writer Larry Brooks said of Cuylle that "He plays in straight lines. He arrives at the puck in ill humor."[30]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2018–19Windsor SpitfiresOHL63 26 15 41 504 2 1 3 6
2019–20Windsor SpitfiresOHL62 22 20 42 37
2020–21Hartford Wolf PackAHL18 2 3 5 35
2021–22Windsor SpitfiresOHL59 43 37 80 4825 15 16 31 30
2022–23Hartford Wolf PackAHL69 25 20 45 599 1 2 3 2
2022–23New York RangersNHL4 0 0 0 10
2023–24New York RangersNHL81 13 8 21 5616 1 1 2 8
NHL totals85 13 8 21 6616 1 1 2 8

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2019CanadaHG185 2 1 3 0
2022CanadaWJC7 2 2 4 25
Junior totals12 4 3 7 25

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Peterborough Petes deal Will Cuylle to Windsor Spitfires. Davies, Mike. The Peterborough Examiner. May 25, 2022. September 1, 2018.
  2. Web site: An inside look at why the NY Rangers traded to draft edgy forward Will Cuylle . Mercogliano, Vincent . October 30, 2020. May 25, 2022 . lohud.com.
  3. Web site: Will Cuylle should have to sit out Ontario Hockey League season if he doesn't report to Peterborough Petes. Barrie, Don. The Peterborough Examiner. May 25, 2022. April 28, 2018.
  4. Web site: Forward Will Cuylle Commits To Penn State Hockey. May 25, 2022. June 6, 2018. Onward State. Mandarino, Mikey.
  5. News: newspapers.com. May 25, 2022. The Windsor Star. Parker, Jim. Spits pay heavy price for Cuylle. September 1, 2018. C1.
  6. Web site: Will Cuylle. May 25, 2022. Elite Prospects.
  7. Web site: Will Cuylle – 2020 NHL Draft Prospect Profile. Jewell, Dave. March 24, 2020. May 25, 2022. The Hockey Writers.
  8. Web site: Sportsnet's 2020 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: October. Sportsnet. May 25, 2022. October 2, 2019. Cosentino, Sam.
  9. News: newspapers.com. May 25, 2022. The Windsor Star. Parker, Jim. September 30, 2020. NP8. Cuylle 'Has All the Tools'.
  10. Web site: Rangers prospect Will Cuylle is focused on making team out of development camp. September 13, 2021. Stephenson, Colin. Newsday. May 25, 2022.
  11. Web site: Rangers Agree to Terms with Forward Will Cuylle . NHL.com . January 26, 2022 . April 19, 2021.
  12. Web site: Windsor Spitfires announce 2021-2022 leadership group . windsorspitfires.com . January 26, 2023 . October 14, 2021.
  13. Web site: New Spitfires captain Cuylle 'demands respect'. newspapers.com. May 25, 2022. Parker, Jim. October 15, 2021. The Windsor Star. NP9.
  14. Web site: Rangers development camp notes: Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle renew a juniors rivalry. The Athletic. July 19, 2022. July 15, 2022. Staple, Arthur.
  15. Web site: OHL Announces 2021-22 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams. June 21, 2022. June 24, 2022. OHL.
  16. Web site: NY Rangers prospect report: Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle knocking on the door. Mercogliano, Vincent Z.. June 23, 2022. Lohud.
  17. Web site: Wolf Pack F Will Cuylle Named to 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. January 11, 2023. Hartford Wolf Pack.
  18. Web site: Rangers recall prospect Will Cuylle for potential NHL debut. Abriano, Danny. Yahoo!. January 24, 2023. January 24, 2023.
  19. Web site: Will Cuylle up, Sammy Blais down for Rangers. Gorman, Denis P.. January 24, 2023. January 25, 2023. Newsday.
  20. Web site: Rangers' Will Cuylle 'really excited' to make NHL debut in hometown of Toronto. Smith, Alex. Yahoo!. January 25, 2023. January 25, 2023.
  21. Web site: Rangers' Will Cuylle: Returned to AHL Hartford . CBSSports.com . January 30, 2023 . January 28, 2023.
  22. Web site: Rangers Assign F Will Cuylle to Wolf Pack. February 9, 2023. 2023-02-09. Hartford Wolf Pack.
  23. Web site: Mercogliano . Vincent Z. . Will Cuylle set to make NY Rangers' opening-night roster: What it means for the lineup . The Journal News . December 24, 2023 . October 6, 2023.
  24. Web site: Jenner scores 3 goals as Blue Jackets beat Rangers 5-3 for 1st win . ESPN . December 24, 2023 . October 14, 2023.
  25. News: newspapers.com. May 25, 2022. The Windsor Star. December 18, 2021. Battagello, Dave. C6. Spitfires captain suiting up for Canada at world juniors.
  26. News: Spitfires Leader Cuylle Gets the Call for Canada. newspapers.com. May 25, 2022. The Windsor Star. Parker, Jim. December 2, 2021. N13.
  27. Web site: 2020 Draft: Cuylle using size, skill, intelligence to boost profile. nhl.com. May 25, 2022. March 16, 2020. Kimelman, Adam.
  28. Web site: Rangers prospect pipeline check-in: Skilled, physical Will Cuylle has the makings of 'Milan Lucic in his prime'. The Athletic. May 25, 2022. February 9, 2022. Staple, Arthur.
  29. Web site: Will Cuylle positioning himself as NY Rangers next man up. Mercogliano, Vincent Z.. 27 September 2023. 2023-09-27. Yahoo! Sports.
  30. Web site: Will Cuylle represents what these Rangers need more of. Brooks, Larry. New York Post. 22 January 2024. 2024-01-24.