Noel Acciari
Acciari with the Boston Bruins in 2016
Born (1991-12-01) December 1, 1991
Johnston, Rhode Island, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Pittsburgh Penguins
Boston Bruins
Florida Panthers
St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2015–present

Noel Acciari (born December 1, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Acciari played in the 2004 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from South Shore.[1]

Acciari attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, where he won the state championship in his freshman year.[2] He helped Hendricken defeat Mount St. Charles academy in the finals being played at Providence College. He was also the captain of the Kent School team in Kent, Connecticut, and graduated from there in 2011.

Prior to turning professional, Acciari attended Providence College, where he played three seasons of NCAA Division I hockey with the Providence Friars, registering 32 goals, 33 assists, 65 points and 72 penalty minutes in 113 games. In his senior year Acciari helped his team capture their first 2015 NCAA National Championship,[3] and his outstanding play was recognized when he was named Hockey East's Best Defensive Forward.[4]

Professional

Boston Bruins

On June 8, 2015, the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed Acciari to a two-year entry-level contract.[5] In the midst of the 2015–16 season, on March 1, 2016, Acciari was called up to the Bruins for the first time as a professional. He made his NHL debut that night in a home game against the Calgary Flames.[6] It would not be until March 28, 2017, that Acciari would score his first NHL goal in a home game against the Nashville Predators; Acciari scored the third Bruins goal en route to a 4–1 regulation-time Bruins win.[7][8] On June 28, 2017, Acciari signed a two-year contract extension with Boston.[9]

Florida Panthers

As an unrestricted free agent, Acciari signed a three-year, $5 million contract with the Florida Panthers on July 1, 2019.[10] Following the signing, Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon praised Acciari's versatile play and physicality, saying: "This guy's going to make people accountable, and make our own players accountable as well. He's a versatile player. He will take some of the burden away from others by taking D-zone faceoffs, killing penalties and playing that physical role. He gives our fourth line a little more spirit and passion."[11] However, he was unable to ever play a complete 82 regular-season with the Panthers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his first season, he tallied a career-best 20 goals and 27 points through 66 games.[12]

Acciari and Jaden Schwartz during a game in 2023

St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs

Following the conclusion of his contract with the Panthers, Acciari left as a free agent to sign a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 13, 2022.[13] He skated in 54 games for the Blues during the 2022–23 season, recording 10 goals and eight assists.

On February 17, 2023, Acciari and Ryan O'Reilly were traded by the Blues to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a three-team trade also involving the Minnesota Wild.[14] Acciari finished with four goals in 23 games with the Maple Leafs during the regular season and was one of Toronto's key penalty killers after arriving.[15] He scored the game winning goal in a 3–2 win over the New York Rangers in the Maple Leafs's final game of the season on April 13.[16] During the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Acciari broke his own 25-playoff game goalless drought when he scored the opening goal in Toronto's 4–3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.[17] The Maple Leafs eliminated the Lightning, but were defeated by the Florida Panthers in the second round.[18]

Pittsburgh Penguins

As a free agent from the Maple Leafs, Acciari was signed to a three-year, $6 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1, 2023.[15]

Personal life

Acciari was born to parents Michael and Edna Acciari and grew up the middle child of three brothers.[19]

Acciari married his fiancée Kaitlyn Chisholm on July 14, 2018, in Rhode Island.[20]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2007–08 Bishop Hendricken High School HS-RI
2008–09 Bishop Hendricken High School HS-RI
2009–10 Kent School HS-Prep 26 18 20 38 10 — — — — —
2010–11 Kent School HS-Prep 27 31 21 52 22 — — — — —
2012–13 Providence College HE 33 6 5 11 26 — — — — —
2013–14 Providence College HE 39 11 11 22 20 — — — — —
2014–15 Providence College HE 41 15 17 32 26 — — — — —
2015–16 Providence Bruins AHL 45 7 12 19 19 3 1 2 3 4
2015–16 Boston Bruins NHL 19 0 1 1 8 — — — — —
2016–17 Boston Bruins NHL 29 2 3 5 16 4 1 0 1 2
2016–17 Providence Bruins AHL 30 6 8 14 11 — — — — —
2017–18 Boston Bruins NHL 60 10 1 11 9 12 1 1 2 2
2018–19 Boston Bruins NHL 72 6 8 14 47 19 2 2 4 0
2019–20 Florida Panthers NHL 66 20 7 27 21 4 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Florida Panthers NHL 41 4 7 11 9 6 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Florida Panthers NHL 20 3 5 8 11 9 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Charlotte Checkers AHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2022–23 St. Louis Blues NHL 54 10 8 18 10 — — — — —
2022–23 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 23 4 1 5 11 11 2 0 2 2
NHL totals 384 59 41 100 142 65 6 3 9 6

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
HE Defensive Forward of the Year 2014–15 [21]

References

  1. ↑ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  2. ↑ "NEW: Boston Bruins Sign PC's Acciari to 2 Year Deal". golocalprov.com. June 2, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Bruins sign NCCA Champ Noel Acciari whose motor never stops". NBC Sports. June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Bruins ink NCAA Champion and defensive forward of the year Acciari". The Hockey News. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Bruins sign Providence College forward Noel Acciari". Boston Globe. June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  6. ↑ Cox, Zach (March 2016). "Bruins Promote Noel Acciari From Providence; Forward Set To Debut Vs. Flames". NESN.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  7. ↑ Russo, Eric (March 28, 2017). "Acciari's First Career Goal Helps Bruins Over Preds". bruins.nhl.com. Boston Bruins. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Bruins post win over Predators". National Hockey League. March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Bruins Sign Noel Acciari To 2-Year Contract". NHL.com. June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Panthers Agree to Terms on 3-Year Contract with Forward Noel Acciari". National Hockey League. July 1, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ Olive, Jameson (July 9, 2019). "Acciari Expected to Bring 'Spirit and Passion' to Panthers Bottom-Six". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Noel Acciari". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Acciari signs one-year deal with Blues". St. Louis Blues. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  14. ↑ "O'Reilly, Acciari traded to Maple Leafs from Blues for draft picks". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Penguins sign forward Noel Acciari to a three-year contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Acciari scores late winner as Leafs beat Rangers". TSN. The Canadian Press. April 13, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Maple Leafs' Noel Acciari: Snaps 25-game playoff goal drought". CBS Sports. April 23, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Maple Leafs eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoffs after OT loss to Panthers in Game 5". Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. May 12, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Johnston's Acciari leads Friars to Frozen Four". johnstonsunrise.net. April 9, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  20. ↑ Kashdan, Rachel (October 18, 2018). "Real Wedding: Kaitlyn Chisholm & Noel Acciari". bostonmagazine.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Acciari named Hockey East defensive forward of the year". wpri.com. March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.