Will Cuylle

William Cuylle (born February 5, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 60th overall by the New York Rangers in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Will Cuylle
Cuylle at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
Born (2002-02-05) February 5, 2002
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team New York Rangers
NHL Draft 60th overall, 2020
New York Rangers
Playing career 2021–present

Playing career

Early OHL career

Cuylle played junior hockey for the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was the third overall pick in the 2018 OHL draft by the Peterborough Petes, selected behind only Quinton Byfield, who ended being the second overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, and Evan Vierling, and just ahead of Jamie Drysdale, the sixth overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[1][2][3] Cuylle did not think Peterborough was a good fit for him and he committed to play college hockey for Penn State University.[1][4][5] When Peterborough traded his rights to Windsor in exchange for seven OHL draft picks, Cuylle decided to play for Windsor.[2][4][6]

In his first season with Windsor, Cuylle scored 26 goals, fourth in the OHL among 16-year-old players, and 15 assists for 41 points.[2][7] After the season, Cuylle was projected by many analysts to be a likely first round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[2][8][9] He started slowly in the 2019–20 season and had several eight game goal-scoring droughts.[2][8] He finished the season with 22 goals and 20 assists, for 42 points, one more than the prior year.[2][8][10] He ended up being ranked as the no. 34 draft-eligible North American skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau after being ranked no. 22 in mid-season.[10] He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 60th overall pick in the draft.[2][7]

2020-21

With the OHL shut down for the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuylle played in 18 games with the Rangers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring two goals and three assists for a total of five points.[7][11] On April 19, 2021, Cuylle signed an entry-level contract with the New York Rangers.[12]

2021-22

On October 14, 2021, the Windsor Spitfires announced that Cuylle would be the team captain for the 2021–22 OHL season, his third with the team.[13][14] Cuylle had a much more productive season with Windsor in 2021–22 than his prior seasons, finishing the regular season with 43 goals and 37 assists in 59 games.[7][15] As a result he was named the OHL's Second Team All-Star left wing.[16][17]

2022-23

Cuylle began the 2022–23 season with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was named to the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic during the 2022–23 season.[18] He was called up to the Rangers on January 24 after scoring 13 goals and 7 assists in his first 39 games with Hartford.[19][20] He made his NHL debut on January 25 in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his hometown of Toronto.[21] He returned to Hartford after a January 27 game against the Vegas Golden Knights.[22] The Rangers recalled him after the NHL All-Star Game hiatus, but returned him to Hartford after he played 2 more games when the Rangers acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko.[23]

2023-24

Cuylle made the Rangers 2023-24 roster out of training camp.[24][25] He scored his first NHL goal on October 14, 2023, during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

International play
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 Canada

Cuylle was selected to Canada's team in the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[7][26][27] He recorded two assists in two games before the tournament was shut down due to COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

Playing style

Cuylle is a power forward who models his game after Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, and other power forwards such as Matthew Tkachuk and Jamie Benn.[2][9][4][11] His style has also been compared to former Rangers' forward Brendan Lemieux and to Milan Lucic.[28] According to former Windsor coach Trevor Letowski. Cuylle is "a high-energy, physical guy that can get up and down the ice really well for a big guy — and he can score."[2] He also has a hard shot. According to Letowski, "He can find pockets in the offensive zone — those little, quiet areas — and if he gets it on a stick, especially in juniors, then he can just shoot it past goalies. It doesn't even have to be a perfect shot. It's just heavy, and it's quick."[2]

NHL director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said of Cuylle ahead of the 2020 draft "He brings more of that power-forward type of game and I thought he got away from that last year...He can own the corner, battle for position at the net and play to the strengths of his size and [use] it in a smart way. He's got all the tools."[10]

Before the 2023-24 season, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette compared Cuylle to Wilson, who Laviolette had coached in Washington, saying "I don't know if you want to exactly make that comparison because he's a young kid that’s trying to make it to the NHL, but I do think that those are his traits. He can skate, he can hit, last year he proved that he can fight once in a while, and he has good hockey sense and good hands to be able to score goals, as well."[29]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 Windsor Spitfires OHL 6326154150 42136
2019–20 Windsor Spitfires OHL 6222204237 —————
2020–21 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 1823535 —————
2021–22 Windsor Spitfires OHL 5943378048 2515163130
2022–23 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 6925204559 91232
2022–23 New York Rangers NHL 400010 —————
NHL totals 400010 —————

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2019 Canada HG18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 52130
2022 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 722425
Junior totals 1243725

References
  1. Davies, Mike (September 1, 2018). "Peterborough Petes deal Will Cuylle to Windsor Spitfires". The Peterborough Examiner. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  2. Mercogliano, Vincent (October 30, 2020). "An inside look at why the NY Rangers traded to draft edgy forward Will Cuylle". lohud.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  3. Barrie, Don (April 28, 2018). "Will Cuylle should have to sit out Ontario Hockey League season if he doesn't report to Peterborough Petes". The Peterborough Examiner. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  4. Kimelman, Adam (March 16, 2020). "2020 Draft: Cuylle using size, skill, intelligence to boost profile". nhl.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  5. Mandarino, Mikey (June 6, 2018). "Forward Will Cuylle Commits To Penn State Hockey". Onward State. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  6. Parker, Jim (September 1, 2018). "Spits pay heavy price for Cuylle". The Windsor Star. p. C1. Retrieved May 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "Will Cuylle". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  8. Jewell, Dave (March 24, 2020). "Will Cuylle – 2020 NHL Draft Prospect Profile". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  9. Cosentino, Sam (October 2, 2019). "Sportsnet's 2020 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: October". Sportsnet. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  10. Parker, Jim (September 30, 2020). "Cuylle 'Has All the Tools'". The Windsor Star. p. NP8. Retrieved May 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  11. Stephenson, Colin (September 13, 2021). "Rangers prospect Will Cuylle is focused on making team out of development camp". Newsday. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  12. "Rangers Agree to Terms with Forward Will Cuylle". NHL.com. April 19, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  13. "Windsor Spitfires announce 2021-2022 leadership group". windsorspitfires.com. October 14, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  14. Parker, Jim (October 15, 2021). "New Spitfires captain Cuylle 'demands respect'". The Windsor Star. p. NP9. Retrieved May 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  15. Staple, Arthur (July 15, 2022). "Rangers development camp notes: Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle renew a juniors rivalry". The Athletic. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  16. "OHL Announces 2021-22 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams". OHL. June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  17. Mercogliano, Vincent Z. (June 23, 2022). "NY Rangers prospect report: Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle knocking on the door". Lohud.
  18. "Wolf Pack F Will Cuylle Named to 2023 AHL All-Star Classic". Hartford Wolf Pack. January 11, 2023.
  19. Abriano, Danny (January 24, 2023). "Rangers recall prospect Will Cuylle for potential NHL debut". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  20. Gorman, Denis P. (January 24, 2023). "Will Cuylle up, Sammy Blais down for Rangers". Newsday. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  21. Smith, Alex (January 25, 2023). "Rangers' Will Cuylle 'really excited' to make NHL debut in hometown of Toronto". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  22. "Rangers' Will Cuylle: Returned to AHL Hartford". CBSSports.com. January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  23. "Rangers Assign F Will Cuylle to Wolf Pack". Hartford Wolf Pack. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  24. Botte, Peter (October 8, 2023). "Rangers rookie Will Cuylle earned his spot on opening-night roster: Peter Laviolette". New York Post. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  25. Brooks, Larry (October 7, 2023). "Will Cuylle seized moment to secure Rangers roster spot". New York Post. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  26. Battagello, Dave (December 18, 2021). "Spitfires captain suiting up for Canada at world juniors". The Windsor Star. p. C6. Retrieved May 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  27. Parker, Jim (December 2, 2021). "Spitfires Leader Cuylle Gets the Call for Canada". The Windsor Star. p. N13. Retrieved May 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  28. Staple, Arthur (February 9, 2022). "Rangers prospect pipeline check-in: Skilled, physical Will Cuylle has the makings of 'Milan Lucic in his prime'". The Athletic. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  29. Mercogliano, Vincent Z. (September 27, 2023). "Will Cuylle positioning himself as NY Rangers next man up". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
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