Chris Conner

Chris Conner
Born	Christopher Ryan Conner (1983-12-23) December 23, 1983 Westland, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Professional ice hockey winger (retired)
Years active	2006–2020s
Known for	NHL player for Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers

Christopher Ryan Conner (born December 23, 1983) is a retired American professional ice hockey winger who competed in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Early life

Raised in Westland, Michigan, Conner attended Churchill High School located in Livonia. During his youth hockey career, he played alongside Ryan Kesler, who also advanced to the NHL. Conner took part in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing the Detroit Little Caesars minor hockey organization.

Playing career

Although undrafted, Conner completed four seasons of collegiate hockey at Michigan Tech within the Western Collegiate Hockey Association from 2002 through 2006, where he played with future NHL player John Scott. He began his professional career with the Iowa Stars in the American Hockey League (AHL) near the conclusion of the 2005–06 season.

On July 13, 2006, Conner inked a two-year contract as a free agent with the Dallas Stars. He started the 2006–07 campaign assigned to Iowa but was later called up and netted his inaugural NHL goal on December 27, 2006, facing the Colorado Avalanche. The Stars extended his contract for an additional year in March 2008.

During the 2008–09 season, Conner split his time between Dallas and their AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. On July 7, 2009, he signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the 2010–11 season, he played in 60 games for Pittsburgh, tallying seven goals and nine assists. Although he contributed during the postseason, the Penguins were eliminated in a seven-game first-round series by Tampa Bay.

Conner agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 7, 2011. The subsequent year, he joined the Phoenix Coyotes on a one-year contract. Because of the 2012 NHL lockout, he spent most of that season with their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, before being briefly recalled for playoff action.

Returning to Pittsburgh in July 2013, Conner signed a one-year two-way contract with an NHL salary of $550,000. On July 1, 2014, he secured another one-year two-way agreement with the Washington Capitals. The following year, he committed to a two-year two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers and led scoring for their AHL team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, during the 2015–16 season by recording 55 points.

After completing his stint with Philadelphia, Conner signed a two-year AHL-only contract to continue with Lehigh Valley in July 2017. Following four seasons there, he extended his AHL career by signing a one-year deal with the Binghamton Devils—the New Jersey Devils’ affiliate—on July 17, 2019.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000–01	Chicago Freeze	NAHL		56	17	28	45	18		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Chicago Freeze	NAHL		30	18	15	33	30		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Compuware Ambassadors	NAHL		19	4	9	13	23		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Michigan Tech	WCHA		38	13	24	37	8		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Michigan Tech	WCHA		38	25	14	39	12		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Michigan Tech	WCHA		37	14	10	24	6		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Michigan Tech	WCHA		38	17	12	29	18		—	—	—	—	—

"|2008–09"|Dallas Stars| "NHL"|38| 3| 10| 13| 10| —| —| —| —| —| "|2009–10"|Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins| "AHL"|59| 19| 37| 56| 21| 4| 2| 2| 4| 2| "|2009–10"|Pittsburgh Penguins| "NHL"|8| 2| 1| 3| 0| 1| 0| 0| 0| 0| "|2010–11"|Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins| "AHL"|11| 3| 6| 9| 2| —| —| —| —| —| "|2010–11"|Pittsburgh Penguins | "NHL"|60 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | "|2011–12"|Grand Rapids Griffins | "AHL"|57 | 16 | 37 | 53 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | "|2011–12"|Detroit Red Wings |NHL |8 |1 |2 |3 |0 | — | — | — | — | — | "|2012–13"|Portland Pirates |AHL |60 |13 |27 |40 |28 |1 |0 |1 |1 |2 | "|2012–13"|Phoenix Coyotes |NHL |12 |1 |1 |2 |2 | — | — | — | — | — | "|2013–14"|Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |AHL |17 |6 |5 |11 |8 | — | — | — | — | — | "|2013–14"|Pittsburgh Penguins |NHL |19 |4 |1 |5 |2 | — | — | — |- "|2014–15"|Hershey Bears "AHL" 61 19 33 52 10 10 2 5 7 2

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
"2005–06"	"Iowa Stars"	"AHL"	"15"	"2"	"3"	"5"	"0"	"7"	"1"	"1"	"2"	"2"
"2006–07"	"Iowa Stars"	"AHL"	"48"	"19"	"18"	"37"	"24"	"12"	"2"	"5"	"7"	"2"
"2006–07"	"Dallas Stars"	"NHL"	"11"	"1"	"2"	"3"	"4"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"2007–08"	"Iowa Stars"	"AHL"	"55"	"13"	"26"	"39"	"17"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"2007–08"	"Dallas Stars"	"NHL"	"22"	"3"	"2"	"5"	"6"	"1"	"0"	"0"	"0"	"0"
Peoria Rivermen| "AHL"|30| 16| 12| 28| 10| —| —| —| —| —|
NHL totals			180	22	28	50	38	9	1			1

Awards and distinctions

Honor	Year
All-WCHA Second Team	2003–04

External links

• Interview with Chris Conner on Pens Universe