Canadiens acquire Christian Thomas from the New York Rangers
Tuesday, 02.07.2013 / 5:30 PM / News
Montreal Canadiens
— PRESS RELEASE —
MONTRÉAL – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced Tuesday the acquisition of right winger Christian Thomas from the New York Rangers, in return for right winger Danny Kristo.
“Christian Thomas is a gifted goal scorer with lots of speed. He has been very productive offensively at the junior level with 137 goals before adding 19 more as a rookie with Connecticut in the AHL last season. This young 21-year old forward has shown tremendous character,” said Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin.
Thomas, 21, played one game with the Rangers in 2012-13, his first career NHL game, on February 23 against the Canadiens in Montreal. The right winger produced two shots on goal and three hits while playing 12:46. The 5’09’’, 170 lbs. forward added 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists) in 73 games with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale.
Thomas, who hails from Toronto, was the Rangers’ second round selection, 40th overall, at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. A graduate of the OHL’s London Knights and Oshawa Generals, Thomas recorded 257 points (137 goals, 120 assists) in 244 regular-season contests in the juniors from 2008 to 2012.
Selected in the second round, 56th overall by the Canadiens at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Kristo registered 52 points (26 goals, 26 helpers) in 40 games with North Dakota University in 2012-13. He served 24 penalty minutes and maintained a +17 differential.
From rangers.nhl.com
Rangers Acquire Forward Danny Kristo
Christian Thomas traded to Montreal in exchange for WCHA’S Top Goal Scorer
Tuesday, 07.02.2013 / 5:18 PM / News
New York Rangers
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired forward Danny Kristo from Montreal in exchange for forward Christian Thomas.
Kristo, 23, appeared in 40 games with the University of North Dakota of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) last season, registering 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points, along with 24 penalty minutes. He established collegiate career-highs in goals, points, shorthanded goals (two), and game-winning goals (six), and tied his career-high in assists. Kristo led the WCHA in goals and tied for second in the Conference in points, while serving as an assistant captain with North Dakota. He was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team, and selected to the NCAA West First All-American Team. On January 12, the senior posted a collegiate career-high, four-point effort with two goals and two assists against Colorado College.
Kristo made his professional debut following the conclusion of the WCHA season, registering three assists in nine games with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). He tallied an assist on the game-winning goal while making his professional debut on April 5 at San Antonio, and recorded two assists in a home-and-home set against Lake Erie on April 12-13.
The 6-0, 190-pounder skated in 157 career collegiate contests over four seasons with North Dakota, registering 68 goals and 93 assists for 161 points, along with 83 penalty minutes and a plus-49 rating. Kristo was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and selected as the WCHA Rookie of the Year following the 2009-10 season, after recording 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 41 games as a freshman.
Internationally, Kristo has represented the United States in several tournaments, including most recently at the 2013 World Cup in Ufa, Russia. He registered three points (one goal, two assists) in 10 games with Team USA. He was also a member of the 2010 gold medal winning team at the World Junior Championships, where his teammates included Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, and Ryan Bourque. Kristorecorded eight points (five goals, three assists) in seven tournament contests, as helped lead team USA to the title.
The Edina, Minnesota native was originally selected by the Montreal Canadiens as a second round choice, 56th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Thomas, 21, registered 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points, along with 15 penalty minutes in 73 games with the Connecticut Whale (AHL) last season. The Toronto, Ontario native was originally the Rangers’ second round choice, 40th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
