Kyle Connor
| Birthday: 1996-12-09 | Position: C |
| Eligible for draft: 2015 | Shoots: Left |
| Drafted: 2015 | Height: 6-1 |
| Acquired: 1st Round (17th Overall), 2015 | Weight: 175 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- C
History
2011-12: Kyle Connor skated for the Belle Tire U16 team in Michigan. He scored 14 goals with 39 assists and 14 penalty minutes in 40 regular season games and had 1 goal with 5 assists and 2 penalty minutes in seven playoff games. Connor committed to playing college hockey at the University of Michigan in 2015-16 in April 2012. He was selected by Saginaw in the 14th round (274th overall) in the 2012 OHL Priority Draft.
2012-13: Connor made his USHL debut as a 15-year-old and was the fourth-leading scorer for the Youngstown Phantoms. He scored 17 goals with 24 assists in 62 regular season games and was -17 with 16 penalty minutes. Youngstown finished third in the Eastern Conference, defeating Green Bay in a first-round playoff series before falling to eventual Clark Cup champion Dubuque in the semifinals. Connor had 3 assists and was -2 with no penalties in nine playoff games.
2013-14: Connor was the USHL’s second-leading scorer behind Omaha’s Jake Randolph for a Youngstown team that finished last in the Eastern Conference. He played for the USA NTDP U18 team following the USHL season and represented the USA in three international tournaments. Connor scored 31 goals with 43 assists and was -15 with 12 penalty minutes in 56 games for the Phantoms. He scored 4 goals with 3 assists and was +8 in seven games for the NTDP U18 team. Connor scored 2 goals with 1 assist and was +1 with 2 penalty minutes in five games for the silver medal-winning USA U18 team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August. He scored 2 goals, including the tie-breaking goal in the USA’s 4-1 win over Russia in the gold medal game, and had 3 assists in four games at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge. In seven games at the 2014 U18 World Juniors he scored 4 goals with 3 assists and was +8. The USA defeated the Czech Republic, 5-2 in the gold medal game.
2014-15: Connor was the USHL’s leading scorer in his third season with Youngstown as the Phantoms finished with the league’s top record. He played for Team USA in his second World Junior A Challenge in December. Connor scored 34 goals with 46 assists and was +3 with 6 penalty minutes in 56 regular season games. Muskegon upset the Phantoms in a conference quarterfinal series. In four playoff games Connor scored 3 goals with 1 assist and was -4 with no penalties. In four games at the WJAC he scored 1 goals with 1 assist. The USA defeated Denmark, 3-2, in the gold medal game. Connor skated for Team Grier in the 2014 All-American Prospects Game and was ranked 13th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Winnipeg in the first round (17th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.
