Kenny Agostino
Kenneth Tyler Agostino | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 30, 1992 Mount Olive Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Playing for multiple NHL teams and ERC Ingolstadt in the DEL; winning the 2013 NCAA championship with Yale; AHL MVP 2017 |
Kenneth Tyler Agostino (born April 30, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for ERC Ingolstadt in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was selected 140th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and subsequently traded to the Calgary Flames as part of the deal involving Jarome Iginla. Agostino competed for four seasons at Yale University, where he was instrumental in securing their 2013 national championship title.
Youth and college hockey
Originating from the Flanders area within Mount Olive Township, New Jersey, Agostino participated in the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing the New Jersey Devils minor team. While attending Delbarton School, he set the school's scoring record with 261 points and earned the New Jersey High School Player of the Year honor in both 2009 and 2010, finishing his senior year with 50 goals and a total of 83 points.
After being picked by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, Agostino committed to play collegiate hockey at Yale. On January 2, 2011, he became only the third freshman in Yale’s history to achieve a hat-trick, also adding two assists for a total of five points in one game. Throughout his college tenure, he consistently enhanced his performance, leading Yale with 41 points during his junior year.
In March 2013, Agostino’s rights were traded from Pittsburgh to Calgary as part of a package deal for Jarome Iginla. That same year, Yale captured its inaugural NCAA team championship. Opting to remain for his senior year, Agostino concluded his collegiate career with an impressive tally of 132 points over 134 games.
Following his senior season, he signed a two-year contract with Calgary valued at $900,000 annually as he transitioned into professional hockey.
NHL and AHL
Agostino debuted in the NHL on March 21, 2014, during a 6–5 defeat against the Nashville Predators. He netted his first NHL goal on April 4 against goaltender Roberto Luongo in a 2–1 win over the Florida Panthers.
On July 2, 2016, after not receiving a qualifying offer from Calgary, Agostino agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues. Assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, he earned the American Hockey League MVP award for the 2016–17 AHL season, scoring 24 goals and leading the league with 59 assists and a total of 83 points across 65 games.
Agostino signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $850,000 with the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2017. Unable to secure a roster spot there, he then inked a one-year, two-way $700,000 deal with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2018. He started the 2018–19 NHL season playing for their AHL team, the Laval Rocket, before being recalled on November 7 due to injuries among key Canadiens players. At that point, he led Laval with four goals and ten points. Agostino recorded eleven points over thirty-six NHL games before being placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by his hometown squad, the New Jersey Devils, on February 11, 2019. The claim was made by General Manager Ray Shero, who originally drafted him in 2010.
After becoming an unrestricted free agent when the Devils chose not to re-sign him, Agostino joined the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 24, 2019, signing a two-year one-way contract worth $700,000 annually.
Following eight seasons professionally across six NHL franchises, Agostino embarked on an international stint by signing a one-year contract with Russian club Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the premier Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on June 1, 2021.
Europe
Agostino participated in the 2021–22 KHL season, which was reduced by approximately 20 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia. On February 16, 2022, the KHL declared that the Gagarin Cup playoffs would commence on March 1. In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, multiple non-Russian players and two teams based outside Russia had withdrawn by March 5. By March 8, the NHL halted all interactions with the KHL. Although a Swedish Hockey League (SHL) team expressed interest in Agostino, he opted to renew his contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod for the 2022–23 KHL season.
Once his contract in the KHL concluded, Agostino inked a one-year agreement with Swedish outfit Skellefteå AIK for the 2023–24 SHL season on August 21, 2023. Nevertheless, amid disputes related to his earlier KHL contract renewal and other players’ exits—combined with the SHL's stance against signing athletes from the KHL—his contract was rescinded on August 27.
Subsequently, on September 25, 2023, after the start of the 2023-24 DEL season, Agostino secured a one-year contract with German premier league team Düsseldorfer EG, stepping in due to an injury to pivotal player Stephen MacAulay. He concluded the season ranked fourth in league scoring, although the club did not qualify for the playoffs.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | Delbarton School | HS-Prep | 24 | 12 | 20 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2006–07 | New Jersey Colonials 14U AAA | AYHL | 18 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Delbarton School | HS-Prep | 24 | 24 | 48 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007–08 | New Jersey Colonials 16U AAA | AYHL | 24 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | New Jersey Colonials 16U AAA | AYHL | 29 | 30 | 43 | 73 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Delbarton School | HS-Prep | 27 | 50 | 33 | 83 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| New Jersey Colonials 18U AAA | AYHL | 14 | 23 | 11 | 34 | 16 | ||||||||
| 2010–11 | Yale Bulldogs | ECAC | 31 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 30 | |||||||
| NHL totals | 86 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| KHL totals | 75 | 24 | 27 | 51 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United States | OG | 5th place | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| Senior totals | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Distinction | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| Second Team All-ECAC All-Star | 2013 | |
| Second Team All-Ivy League All-Star | 2013, 2014 | |
| Third Team All-ECAC All-Star | 2014 | |
| AHL | ||
| First Team All-Star | 2017 | |
| Recipient of the John B. Sollenberger Trophy | 2017 | |
| Awarded the Les Cunningham Award | 2017 | |