Connor Bunnaman(born April 16, 1998) is aCanadianprofessionalice hockeyforwardwho plays last forKärpätin FinnishLiiga.Bunnaman played in theOntario Hockey Leaguefor theKitchener Rangersbefore being drafted by thePhiladelphia Flyersin the2016 NHL Entry Draft.Bunnaman is now free agent.

Connor Bunnaman
Bunnaman in 2020
Born (1998-04-16)April 16, 1998(age 26)
Guelph,Ontario,Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL draft 109th overall,2016
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 2018–present

Early life

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Bunnaman was born on April 16, 1998, inGuelph,Ontario,Canada.[1]

Playing career

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Junior

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Growing up, Bunnaman played for the Guelph Jr. Gryphons U16 AAA in the South Central Triple-A Hockey League U16.[1]Following this, he was named to Team OMHA White, where he competed at the OHL Gold Cup U-16 tournament and earned an invitation to Canada’s national under-17 development camp. He was subsequently drafted 31st overall in the 2014Ontario Hockey League(OHL) draft by theKitchener Rangers.[2]He scored his first career OHL goal during a 6–5 win over theGuelph Stormoff an assist from Mike Davies on October 13, 2014.[3]As the Rangers began their playoff berth against theLondon Knights,he recorded his first post-season goal during Game 2.[4]

Bunnaman was drafted in the fourth round, 109th overall, by thePhiladelphia Flyersin the2016 NHL Entry Draft.Upon being drafted, Bunnaman stated that he felt he would fit in well with the team because he considered himself "a two-way, power forward. I create space well for others so I think I fit into their system well."[5]Prior to the2017–18 season,Bunnaman signed an entry-level contract with the team[6]and was invited to participate in the Flyers' training camp.[7]Upon returning, Bunnaman was named captain of the Kitchener Rangers alongside alternate captains Adam Mascherin, Connor Hall and Jake Henderson. At the night of the announcement, Bunnaman also played in his 200th career OHL game, tying Barry Duench for 41st place in franchise history for regular-season games played.[8]

Professional

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Philadelphia Flyers

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Upon concluding hismajor junior ice hockeycareer, Bunnaman joined the Flyers'American Hockey League(AHL) affiliate, theLehigh Valley Phantoms,for the2018–19 season.[9]He recorded his first professional goal on October 28, 2018, in a 3–1 loss against theHershey Bears.[10]After a slow start to the season, Bunnaman was moved to the teams' first line afterPhil Varonewas recalled by the Flyers and played alongside Greg Carey andNicolas Aubé-Kubel.[11]By December, he had a goal-scoring streak of three games and recorded the game winning goal during a game against theBelleville Senators.[12]Bunnaman ended the season with 32 points in 62 games.[1]

After participating in the Flyers' 2019 training camp, Bunnaman made his NHL debut on October 4, 2019, skating 11:06 minutes and recording two shots on goal.[13]He split the 2019-20 season between the Flyers and the Phantoms, but recorded his first career NHL goal on January 13, 2020, against theBoston Bruins.[14]He also joined the Flyers for the2020 playoffsin Toronto.[15]

Florida Panthers

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On March 19, 2022, Bunnaman was involved in a trade that sent him along withClaude Giroux,German Rubtsov,and a draft pick to theFlorida Panthersin exchange forOwen Tippettand some draft picks.[16]

Oulun Kärpät

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On July 31, 2023, as a free agent, Bunnaman was signed to his first contract abroad in agreeing to a one-year contract with FinnishLiigateamKärpät.[17]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Kitchener Rangers OHL 67 10 5 15 18 6 1 1 2 0
2015–16 Kitchener Rangers OHL 68 16 22 38 14 9 2 2 4 0
2016–17 Kitchener Rangers OHL 64 37 15 52 30 3 4 0 4 7
2017–18 Kitchener Rangers OHL 66 27 23 50 31 19 5 9 14 16
2018–19 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 62 19 13 32 16
2019–20 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 21 1 1 2 2 4 0 0 0 2
2019–20 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 29 6 3 9 12
2020–21 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 18 0 1 1 2
2020–21 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 15 1 1 2 12
2021–22 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 15 0 0 0 4
2021–22 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 41 6 5 11 10
2021–22 Charlotte Checkers AHL 12 1 2 3 0 7 1 0 1 2
2022–23 Charlotte Checkers AHL 61 16 7 23 48 7 2 3 5 0
2023–24 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 56 7 11 18 14 7 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 54 1 2 3 8 4 0 0 0 2

References

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  1. ^abc"Connor Bunnaman".eliteprospects.com.Elite Prospects.Archivedfrom the original on January 16, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  2. ^"BUNNAMAN COMMITS TO RANGERS".kitchenerrangers.com.Kitchener Rangers. June 23, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  3. ^"MAGYAR POTS A PAIR IN RANGERS WIN".kitchenerrangers.com.Kitchener Rangers. October 13, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on August 6, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  4. ^"BUNNAMAN, DAVIES SCORE IN GAME 2 LOSS".kitchenerrangers.com.Kitchener Rangers. March 29, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  5. ^"Connor Bunnaman excited and motivated after being drafted by the Flyers".kitchenerrangers.com.Kitchener Rangers. July 15, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  6. ^"Flyers agree to terms with forward Connor Bunnaman".nhl.com.National Hockey League. April 21, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on January 27, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  7. ^"Six Kitchener Rangers off to NHL camps".kitchenerrangers.com.Kitchener Rangers. September 6, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  8. ^"Connor Bunnaman named Kitchener Rangers captain".kitchenerrangers.com.Kitchener Rangers. September 22, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  9. ^Hryvnak, Russ (September 20, 2018)."Flyers Assign 10 Players to Phantoms Ahead of Training Camp".phantomshockey.com.Leigh Valley Phantoms.Archivedfrom the original on November 21, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  10. ^"Phantoms Take First Away Loss of Season".phantomshockey.com.Leigh Valley Phantoms. October 28, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  11. ^Williams, John (January 17, 2019)."Phantoms Rookies Filling Key Roles During Crucial Part of the Season".phantomshockey.com.Leigh Valley Phantoms.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  12. ^"Rookies Lead the Way Past Belleville 4-1".phantomshockey.com.Leigh Valley Phantoms. December 14, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on September 22, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  13. ^Meltzer, Bill (May 16, 2020)."Meltzer's Player Profile: Connor Bunnaman".nhl.com.National Hockey League.Archivedfrom the original on June 21, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  14. ^Adams, Blair (January 14, 2020)."Bunnaman scores first NHL goal".kitchenertoday.com.Archivedfrom the original on August 5, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 5,2021.
  15. ^Hall, Jordan (26 July 2020)."2020 NHL playoffs: Flyers announce 31-man roster for 24-team tournament, fly to Toronto with sweet shirts".NBC Sports.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2020.Retrieved15 October2020.
  16. ^"Panthers acquire Giroux from Flyers for package centred around Tippett".Sportsnet.19 March 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 19 March 2022.Retrieved19 March2022.
  17. ^"Connor Bunnaman ja Trevor Mingoia Kärppiin".Oulun Kärpät. 31 July 2023.Retrieved2 August2023.
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