Kyle Okposo

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Kyle Okposo
Kyle Okposo - New York Islanders.jpg
Okposo with the New York Islanders in 2015
Born (1988-04-16) April 16, 1988 (age 33)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Buffalo Sabres
New York Islanders
National team  United States
NHL Draft 7th overall, 2006
New York Islanders
Playing career 2007–present

Kyle Henry Erovre Okposo (born April 16, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted seventh overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders, for whom he played from 2008 to 2016.

Playing career[]

Junior and college[]

Okposo played one season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Des Moines Buccaneers in which he was named the most valuable player of the USHL playoffs and the league's top rookie. He helped the Buccaneers to a Clark Cup victory.

During his freshman season at University of Minnesota, Okposo was placed at the center position, even though he is a natural winger. Throughout most of the season this became his most common position due to the abundance of wingers on the team. In January 2007, he played for the U.S. National Junior Team in the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship. On June 7, 2007, Okposo announced he would be returning to the University of Minnesota for the 2007–08 season. Okposo played the 2007–08 season for the University of Minnesota ice hockey team until December 19, 2007. On that morning Okposo notified his teammates at the university of his decision to leave the team. Soon after, both the Gophers and the New York Islanders announced officially that Okposo decided to leave college after the completion of his current semester and would then begin his professional hockey career.

Okposo with the Islanders in 2011

Okposo's decision to leave school was considered controversial by some. As a response to questioning, Islanders general manager Garth Snow told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program. They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that."[1]

Coach Don Lucia then claimed that the Islanders put him "in a very difficult position."[2] In his response to Snow's comments, Lucia emphasized the importance of obtaining a degree, "We have had numerous players sign and play in the NHL, but just as important many more move on to have successful careers after graduating from the University of Minnesota. We have always and will continue to work to ensure our players reach their potential on the ice and in the classroom."[3]

New York Islanders[]

Okposo signed an entry-level contract with the Islanders and was assigned to their top minor league affiliate, the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He made his NHL debut on March 18, 2008, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and netted his first career NHL goal on March 21, 2008, against the New Jersey Devils, a game-winner scored on the powerplay against Martin Brodeur.[4] He also scored in his final game of the season in a game against the New York Rangers.

On September 17, 2009, Okposo suffered a mild concussion after a check to the head by Dion Phaneuf. He returned to the Islanders' lineup for their opening game on October 3, 2009. On May 25, 2011, he signed a five-year, $14 million contract with the New York Islanders.[5]

Okposo broke out in the 2013–14 season, shortly after a strong 2013 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Playing on a line mostly with John Tavares and Thomas Vanek, Okposo scored 69 points in 71 games, leading the Islanders in points for the first and only time since he and Tavares were on the team together (Mathew Barzal also led the Islanders in scoring with Tavares on the roster, but not Okposo). He scored his 100th career goal on October 14, 2014 against the New York Rangers. On January 16, 2015, Okposo scored four goals against the Penguins, also being his first NHL hat trick.

Buffalo Sabres[]

On July 1, 2016, Okposo signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres.[6]

Okposo with the Islanders during the 2013 playoffs

During his first season with the club, Okposo recorded 45 points in 65 games. He also represented the team at the 2017 National Hockey League All-Star Game.[7] He missed time at the end of the season after suffering a concussion and having a reaction to the medication.[8]

Personal life[]

Okposo's Nigerian father, Kome Okposo, and American mother, Michelle Okposo, are both pharmacists.[9][10]

Okposo married his wife, Danielle, on July 28, 2012.[11] Their first child was born on January 6, 2014.[12] Their second was born in April 2016.

In late March 2017, Okposo was hospitalized in the neurosurgical intensive care unit in Buffalo General Hospital and missed the remainder of the season.[13]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 Shattuck-Saint Mary's Midget 71 46 53 99 46 — — — — —
2004–05 Shattuck-Saint Mary's Midget 65 47 45 92 72 — — — — —
2005–06 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL 50 27 31 58 56 11 5 11 16 8
2006–07 University of Minnesota WCHA 33 17 20 37 30 7 2 1 3 4
2007–08 University of Minnesota WCHA 18 7 4 11 6 — — — — —
2007–08 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 35 9 19 28 12 — — — — —
2007–08 New York Islanders NHL 9 2 3 5 2 — — — — —
2008–09 New York Islanders NHL 65 18 21 39 36 — — — — —
2008–09 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL — — — — — 2 1 0 1 2
2009–10 New York Islanders NHL 80 19 33 52 34 — — — — —
2010–11 New York Islanders NHL 38 5 15 20 40 — — — — —
2011–12 New York Islanders NHL 79 24 21 45 46 — — — — —
2012–13 New York Islanders NHL 48 4 20 24 38 6 3 1 4 5
2013–14 New York Islanders NHL 71 27 42 69 51 — — — — —
2014–15 New York Islanders NHL 60 18 33 51 12 7 2 1 3 2
2015–16 New York Islanders NHL 79 22 42 64 51 10 2 6 8 4
2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 65 19 26 45 24 — — — — —
2017–18 Buffalo Sabres NHL 76 15 29 44 40 — — — — —
2018–19 Buffalo Sabres NHL 78 14 15 29 41 — — — — —
2019–20 Buffalo Sabres NHL 52 9 10 19 28 — — — — —
2020–21 Buffalo Sabres NHL 35 2 11 13 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 835 198 321 519 443 23 7 8 15 11

International[]

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Mora
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2005 United States U17 5th 5 2 2 4 2
2007 United States WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 2
2008 United States WJC 4th 6 1 5 6 2
2009 United States WC 4th 9 2 3 5 10
2010 United States WC 13th 6 1 2 3 0
2012 United States WC 7th 8 2 1 3 0
Junior totals 18 3 8 11 6
Senior totals 23 5 6 11 10

Awards and honors[]

Award Year
USHL
Rookie of the Year 2006
Clark Cup playoffs MVP 2006
First All-Star Team 2006
All-Rookie Team 2006
College
All-WCHA Rookie Team 2007
All-WCHA Second Team 2007
NHL
NHL All-Star Game 2017

References[]

  1. ^ "Harris: NHL's Islanders sign Okposo away from Minnesota". USA Today. January 2, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  2. ^ "Okposo leaves Minnesota to sign with New York Islanders". USA Today. December 19, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  3. ^ "Isles GM says Lucia's coaching hurt Okposo". Star Tribune. 2007-12-20. Archived from the original on 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  4. ^ "Okposo's first a game winner over Devils". Newsday. 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
  5. ^ "Okposo agrees to 5-year deal with Islanders". Yahoo!. 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  6. ^ "Kyle Okposo joining Buffalo". National Hockey League. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  7. ^ Moritz, Amy. "Kyle Okposo ready for his L.A. closeup as an NHL All-Star". Buffalo News. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  8. ^ Schneidman, Matt. "Kyle Okposo 'will be ready' for training camp after late-season medical scare, Botterill says". Buffalo News. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  9. ^ Marcus, Steven (Nov 19, 2009). "Okposo returns home for a party with family, friends". Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  10. ^ Kreda, Allan (October 2014). "Another Step Towards Stardom: Rising Star Kyle Okposo". Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  11. ^ "Danielle & Kyle". Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  12. ^ Rosen, Dan (January 6, 2014). "New dad Okposo misses Isles' game vs. Stars". Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  13. ^ "Okposo showing signs of improvement - Article - TSN". TSN. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by New York Islanders first round pick
2006 		Succeeded by
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