Ray Kaunisto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ray Kaunisto
Kaunisto with the Utica Comets in 2014
Born (1987-02-07) February 7, 1987 (age 37)
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Left
Played for Manchester Monarchs
St. John's IceCaps
Syracuse Crunch
Lake Erie Monsters
Utica Comets
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2010–2016

Ray Kaunisto (born February 7, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He last played with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL.

Playing career[edit]

He played hockey at Northern Michigan University from 2006 to 2010, along with his younger brother Kory Kaunisto. On March 31, 2010, he was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Kings to a two-year entry-level contract.[1] After two seasons with Kings affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, Kaunisto became an unrestricted free agent on June 20, 2012, when the Kings did not tender him a qualifying offer.[2]

On August 21, 2013, Kaunisto signed with the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, an affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Kaunisto however spent the majority of the 2012–13 season, in the ECHL with lower tier affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

On August 28, 2013, he signed as a free agent to a one-year ECHL contract with the Kalamazoo Wings.[3]

During his second season with the Wings in 2014–15, and after appearing in 43 games, Kaunisto was traded to the Evansville IceMen on March 11, 2015.[4] The following day he was moved onto the Florida Everblades to finish out the season.

In the 2015–16 season, Kaunisto was without a club. On February 6, 2016, he signed with the Brampton Beast to play a final professional game in the ECHL before announcing his retirement from professional hockey on February 8, 2016.[5]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Soo Indians NAHL 55 20 20 40 72 14 4 6 10 8
2005–06 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 53 5 14 19 78 8 1 1 2 12
2006–07 Northern Michigan University CCHA 41 3 0 3 30
2007–08 Northern Michigan University CCHA 40 8 5 13 44
2008–09 Northern Michigan University CCHA 40 7 7 14 56
2009–10 Northern Michigan University CCHA 40 18 14 32 78
2010–11 Manchester Monarchs AHL 57 8 6 14 50 7 2 1 3 4
2011–12 Manchester Monarchs AHL 74 7 15 22 65 4 0 1 1 0
2012–13 St. John's IceCaps AHL 1 0 0 0 0
2012–13 Colorado Eagles ECHL 53 7 16 23 113 1 0 0 0 2
2013–14 Kalamazoo Wings ECHL 34 2 10 12 46 6 0 0 0 2
2013–14 Syracuse Crunch AHL 6 1 0 1 4
2013–14 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 3 0 1 1 2
2013–14 Utica Comets AHL 19 1 1 2 4
2014–15 Kalamazoo Wings ECHL 43 5 9 14 76
2014–15 Florida Everblades ECHL 14 5 7 12 12 10 1 0 1 8
2015–16 Brampton Beast ECHL 1 0 0 0 0
AHL totals 160 17 23 40 125 11 2 2 4 4

Awards and honours[edit]

Award Year
College
CCHA All-Tournament Team 2010 [1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Ray Kaunisto player profile". The Hockey News. March 31, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  2. ^ "Kings announce Qualifying offers". Los Angeles Kings. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  3. ^ "K-Wings add four to roster". Kalamazoo Wings. August 28, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "Ray Kaunisto comes to Evansville in trade with Kalamazoo". Evansville IceMen. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  5. ^ "Retirement from pro hockey". Twitter. February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.

External links[edit]