Kyle Rau (born October 24, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently a free agent. He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the 3rd round (91st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
| Kyle Rau | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Rau with the Portland Pirates in 2015 | |||
| Born |
October 24, 1992 Eden Prairie, Minnesota, U.S.[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| team Former teams |
Free agent San Antonnio Rampage Florida Panthers Portland Pirates Springfield Thunderbirds Minnesota Wild Iowa Wild Abbotsford Canucks San Jose Barracuda | ||
| NHL draft |
91st overall, 2011 Florida Panthers | ||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||
Playing career
editIn following his family ties, Rau first established himself in being a standout player in high school with Eden Prairie High. In his final year in 2011, Rau scored 69 points in 25 games to earn selection as the Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner, as the best school player in Minnesota.[2] Rau committed and played collegiate hockey within his home state, with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
In his senior year, Rau captained Minnesota for the 2014–15 season. Leading the Gophers to the Big Ten Conference Championship, he compiled 20 goals and 41 points in 39 games. On March 29, 2015, Rau signalled the end of his college career, having amassed 164 points in 160 contests, in signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers.[3] He was then signed to an amateur try-out contract to complete the season in making his professional debut in the American Hockey League with affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. Rau scored in his first game with the Rampage on his first shot, in a 7–3 defeat to the Adirondack Flames on April 4, 2015.[4]
After attending the Panthers 2015 training camp, Rau was assigned to being his rookie professional season with new AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates on September 25, 2015.[5] In the 2015–16 season, Rau quickly adapted to the pro level, scoring 17 goals in 48 games before he received his first NHL recall to the Panthers on February 19, 2016.[6] He made his NHL debut in a 3–1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on February 20, 2016.[7]
Following the 2016–17 season with the Panthers, Rau was surprisingly not tendered a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. On July 1, 2017 he signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild.[8]
Rau spent most of the 2018-19 season with the Iowa Wild placing second on the team in goals scored with 26, fourth on the team in assists at 27, and third on the team in points with 53. Rau made his debut on January 20, 2018 with the Minnesota Wild, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He got his first point with the Wild as the secondary assist on a Nate Prosser goal.[9] Rau stayed with the Minnesota Wild for the month of February playing in 6 games before getting sent back down to Iowa.
As a free agent from the Wild after 5 seasons within the organization, Rau remained un-signed leading into the following 2022–23 season. On October 25, 2022, he was signed to a one-year AHL contract with the Abbotsford Canucks, the primary affiliate to the Vancouver Canucks.[10]
For the second consecutive season, Rau remained un-signed leading into the commencement of the 2023–24 season, before belatedly signing a one-year contract with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL on December 11, 2023.[11] He scored 7 goals and 23 assists for 30 points in 48 games, good for 6th on the team.
Personal
editKyle's older brother, Chad Rau, played NCAA hockey with Colorado College and is a retired professional ice hockey player. He also has a brother, Matt, and a twin brother, Curt.[12][13]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Eden Prairie High School | USHS | 25 | 38 | 39 | 77 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Eden Prairie High School | USHS | 25 | 33 | 36 | 69 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 11 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 40 | 18 | 25 | 43 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 40 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 41 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 39 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 63 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 48 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 24 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 69 | 23 | 27 | 50 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 69 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 51 | 14 | 29 | 43 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 55 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 68 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | San Jose Barracuda | AHL | 48 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 61 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | United States | WJC | 7th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| USHS | ||
| Minnesota Mr. Hockey | 2011 | [2] |
| College | ||
| All-WCHA Rookie Team | 2011–12 | [14] |
| WCHA All-Academic Team | 2013 | |
| B1G Second All-Star Team | 2014 | [15] |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2014 | |
| NCAA West Second All-American Team | 2014 | |
| B1G Second All-Star Team | 2015 | |
| NCAA All-Americans 2nd Team | 2015 | |
References
edit- ^ "Rau, Kyle". National Hockey League. April 5, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ^ a b "Edin Prairie's Kyle Rau wins Mr Hockey Award". National Hockey League. March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ "Panthers agree to terms with Kyle Rau". Florida Panthers. March 29, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
- ^ "Kyle Rau records first AHL goal in first game". Florida Panthers. April 5, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "Florida Panthers announce roster changes". Florida Panthers. September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^ "Panthers recall Matheson, Rau". Florida Panthers. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Panthers rookies thrilled to witness Jagr's history-making goals in their NHL debuts". Sun-Sentinel. February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ^ "Wild signs Veteran defenseman Kyle Quincey, 6 others". Minnesota Star Tribune. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Lightning - Minnesota Wild - January 20th, 2018". National Hockey League. January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
- ^ "Canucks sign Rau to one-year AHL contract". Abbotsford Canucks. October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Barracuda sign veteran forward Kyle Rau". San Jose Barracuda. December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ "Success with U eases separation pangs for U's Rau". Star Tribune. November 11, 2011.
- ^ "Rau stepped right in, Gophers stepped up". Star Tribune. April 2012.
- ^ "WCHA All-Rookie Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- ^ "Kyle Rau to make NHL debut". Minnesota Golden Gophers. February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database