Stephen Gionta
Stephen Gionta | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1983 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Professional ice hockey center (retired), scout |
| Years active | 2005–2019 |
| Known for | Playing in the NHL for New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders |
Stephen Michael Gionta (born October 9, 1983) is a retired American professional ice hockey center. Throughout his career, he competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) representing the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. Stephen is the younger sibling of Brian Gionta, who was part of the Devils roster from 2001 until 2009.
Playing career
Although not selected in the NHL Draft, Gionta secured an amateur tryout contract with the Albany River Rats, the AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, following his graduation from Boston College. He made his professional debut late in the 2005-06 AHL season, impressively tallying three goals and one assist during his inaugural game.
After spending multiple seasons in minor leagues, Gionta earned a call-up to the Devils during the 2010-11 NHL campaign, marking his NHL debut on November 5, 2010. His first NHL goal came on April 12, 2012; it was a decisive game-winning goal against Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson. He played a role in advancing the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.
Gionta agreed to two-year contract extensions with New Jersey in June 2012 and again in July 2014. Following eleven seasons with the Devils organization, he entered free agency and attended the New York Islanders' training camp on a professional tryout basis in September 2016. Subsequently, he inked a one-year contract with their AHL team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and later signed a one-year two-way deal with the Islanders in December of that year. In August 2017, Gionta re-signed for another year with the Islanders but was assigned to Bridgeport after clearing waivers.
In October 2018, Gionta secured a one-year two-way contract with the Islanders. He appeared in five NHL contests before concluding that season with Bridgeport.
On August 1, 2019, after a professional career spanning thirteen years, Gionta retired from playing and transitioned into a scouting position with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1999–00 | Rochester Jr. Americans | NAHL | 41 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | U.S. National Development Team | USDP | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | U.S. National Development Team | USDP | 25 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Boston College | HE | 33 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Boston College | HE | 41 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Boston College | HE | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Boston College | HE | 39 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 66 | — | — | — | — | |||
| AHL & NHL Career Totals | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP (Playoffs) | G (Playoffs) | A (Playoffs) | Pts (Playoffs) | PIM (Playoffs) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHL totals | 301 | 16 | 40 | 56 | 95 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Outcome | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | United States | WJC18 | 6th place | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2013 | United States | WC | Template:Bronze3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Junior career totals | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||||