Kyle Connor makes leap to the NHL, signs with Winnipeg Jets
Darren Bernhardt | CBC News | Posted: April 11, 2016 5:23 PM | Last Updated: April 11, 2016
Connor was one of 3 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top NCAA men's hockey player
Kyle Connor, a 19-year-old hockey phenom who has starred in every level he's played, has decided to make the leap to the NHL and sign with the Winnipeg Jets.
Connor announced the signing via Twitter on Monday morning and an hour later the Jets confirmed it, saying they have agreed to a three-year contract worth an average annual value of $1.775 million.
The Michigan native is coming off a stellar freshman season in the NCAA with his hometown Wolverines, where he scored 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists) in 38 games, wrapping up the season on a 27-game point streak.
He led the entire league in scoring — and did it as a freshman. That matched Jack Eichel's 71 points as a first-year player but Connor did it in two fewer games.
"Only Paul Kariya totaled more points as a freshman, scoring 100 points for Maine in 1992-93," stated a news release from the Jets.
Connor was one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top NCAA men's hockey player, but lost out to Harvard's Jim Vesey.
He was drafted 17th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2015 NHL entry draft before he ever tore up the NCAA.
The Jets saw his potential while he was playing for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. During the 2013–14 season, he scored 74 points (31 goals and 43 assists) in 56 games.
That set a Phantoms' franchise record for most points in a season and earned him a place on the USHL All-Star Team.
He followed that up in the 2014–15 season with 80 points (34 goals and 46 assists) in 56 games, setting a new team record and leading the entire league in scoring.
In addition to be named to the All-Star Team, Connor was named USHL Forward of the Year and Player of the Year.