Keith Aucoin
Keith M. Aucoin | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 6, 1978 Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Professional ice hockey player (retired), coach, scout |
| Years active | 2001–2018 |
| Known for | NHL player for Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues; AHL Hall of Fame inductee |
Keith M. Aucoin (born November 6, 1978) is a retired American professional ice hockey player who competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) representing the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and St. Louis Blues.
Playing career
Growing up in Waltham and Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Aucoin attended Chelmsford High School prior to spending four years at Norwich University in Vermont. During his collegiate tenure, he led scoring in the 1999 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey tournament. Aucoin turned pro in 2001 and made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2005–06 season. Although he was included on the "Black Aces" roster during Carolina’s Stanley Cup-winning playoff campaign, he did not participate in postseason games and therefore did not have his name inscribed on the Cup, but he did receive a championship ring. Across three seasons with the Hurricanes, Aucoin played in 53 regular-season contests, recording 5 goals and accumulating 15 points.
On July 3, 2008, Aucoin inked a deal with the Washington Capitals and was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He made an immediate offensive impact for Hershey, earning AHL Player of the Month honors in October 2008 after tallying 8 goals and 21 assists over his first 20 games. Later that season, he was called up to Washington where he appeared in 12 NHL games, contributing 2 goals and 4 assists before returning to Hershey to assist in securing the Calder Cup championship.
In March 2010, Aucoin signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears. He played a key role in winning a second straight Calder Cup and was honored with the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player during that campaign. The following season (2011–12), injuries within the Capitals’ lineup allowed Aucoin to make their opening night roster, where he participated in 27 NHL games and notched 11 points—his most substantial NHL involvement since 2008.
Aucoin agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization on July 21, 2012, but was assigned to their AHL team, the Toronto Marlies. After the conclusion of the NHL lockout, he was invited back for training camp but was claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders on January 17, 2013. That season, he completed a full NHL schedule of 41 games for the Islanders, registering 6 goals and totaling 12 points while helping lead them to their first playoff berth since 2007.
On July 5, 2013, Aucoin signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues; however, his contract was not renewed following that season. Transitioning to European hockey on June 13, 2014, he signed a two-year deal with HC Ambrì-Piotta of Switzerland’s National League A. After posting 31 points across 41 games in one season with Ambrì-Piotta, Aucoin moved to Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), joining EHC München on June 19, 2015. He competed there for three seasons before retiring in 2018.
Having spent a significant portion of his career in the AHL and ranking seventh on its all-time scoring list, Aucoin earned induction into the AHL Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2022.
Post playing career
Following his seventeen-year professional playing career, Aucoin returned to Massachusetts and devoted four seasons (2018–2022) to coaching within the EHL for teams including the Boston Jr. Rangers and Worcester Jr. Railers.
Ahead of the season, Aucoin shifted into a professional scouting position with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL.
Personal
Keith's younger sibling, Phil Aucoin (born 1981), also pursued a career in professional ice hockey.
Career statistics
... [Table continues with full career stats as originally provided] ...| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995–96 | Chelmsford High School | HS–MA | ||||||||||||
| 1996–97 | Chelmsford High School | HS–MA | ||||||||||||
| 1997–98 | Norwich University | ECAC East | 26 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Norwich University | ECAC East | 31 | 33 | 39 | 72 | 14 | — | 3 | 7 | 10 | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Norwich University | ECAC East | 31 | 36 | 41 | 77 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Norwich University | ECAC East | 28 | 26 | 30 | 56 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | B.C. Icemen | UHL | 44 | 23 | 35 | 58 | 42 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2001–02 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |||||||
| AHL totals | 769 | 244 | 613 | 857 | 675 | 92 | 16 | 72 | 87 | 57 | ||||
| NHL totals | 145 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 22 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | ||||
| DEL totals | 155 | 39 | 115 | 154 | 104 | 45 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 14 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division I men's ice hockey (College) | ||
| NCAA Division I men's ice hockey#Awards and honors | ||
|---|---|---|
| American Hockey League | ||
| Deutsche Eishockey Liga |