NEW YORK, February 15, 2013 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has assigned forward Chris Kreider to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Kreider, 21, has registered one goal and one assist for two points, along with four penalty minutes and a plus-two rating in seven games this season. He tallied a point in consecutive games, including his first career regular season point with a goal on February 5 at New Jersey and his first career regular season assist on February 7 against the New York Islanders, after missing the previous five games, including four games due to injury. Kreider made his NHL regular season debut in the season opener on January 19 at Boston.
The 6-3, 230-pounder established an NHL record for most postseason goals (five) and points (seven) by a player before skating in a regular season game during the 2012 playoffs. Kreider tied for first among NHL rookies in goals and power play goals (two), second in game-winning goals (two) and power play points (two), and ranked fourth in points during the playoffs. He also tied for third on the team in playoff goals, first in power play goals and second in game-winning goals. Kreider made his NHL debut on April 16, 2012, at Ottawa in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, becoming the first player to win an NCAA title and make his NHL debut in that year’s playoffs since 1990.
The Boxford, Massachusetts native was originally selected by the Rangers as a first round choice, 19th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
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