Griffen Molino (born January 21, 1994) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He most recently played with the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL. He has previously played in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks.

Griffen Molino
Born (1994-01-21) January 21, 1994 (age 30)
Trenton, Michigan, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 171 lb (78 kg; 12 st 3 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for Vancouver Canucks
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2017–2022

Playing career

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Molino first played minor hockey in the Little Caesars hockey program in Michigan. As a youth, he played in the 2006 and 2007 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Little Caesers minor ice hockey team.[1] He enjoyed stints with the Brockville Braves in the Central Canada Hockey League, the Sioux Falls Stampede and Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League before committing to a collegiate career with Western Michigan University.

Molino played for the Western Michigan Broncos from 2015 to 2017.[2]

After his sophomore season with the Broncos in 2016–17, Molino ended his collegiate career by signing as an undrafted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks to a two-year entry-level contract on March 28, 2017.[2] He immediately joined the Canucks playing roster, and made his professional and NHL debut three days later in a 2–0 defeat to the Los Angeles Kings.[3]

In his first full professional season in the 2017–18 season, Molino was assigned to the Canucks AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Molino suffered through injury and a lack of form resulting in an unimpressive rookie campaign with 3 goals and 10 points in 46 games. In the off-season, Molino was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Canucks and was free to pursue free agency on June 25, 2018.[4]

Unable to secure another NHL offer, Molino agreed to a one-year AHL contract with reigning champions, the Toronto Marlies, on July 5, 2018.[5] In the 2018–19 season, Molino was unable to establish himself within the Marlies, appearing in 36 games producing 4 points. He was reassigned through the season to play in the ECHL with affiliate, the Newfoundland Growlers, registering 6 points in 10 games.

As a free agent from the Marlies, Molino opted to continue his career in the ECHL, agreeing to a contract with the Utah Grizzlies on August 5, 2019.[6]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Brockville Braves CCHL 61 14 20 34 38 6 2 1 3 2
2013–14 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 59 8 31 39 31 2 0 0 0 2
2014–15 Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL 57 18 46 64 39 12 3 6 9 10
2015–16 Western Michigan University NCHC 36 11 14 25 12
2016–17 Western Michigan University NCHC 40 15 18 33 29
2016–17 Vancouver Canucks NHL 5 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Utica Comets AHL 46 3 7 10 19
2018–19 Toronto Marlies AHL 36 1 3 4 12 1 0 0 0 0
2018–19 Newfoundland Growlers ECHL 10 3 3 6 2
2019–20 Utah Grizzlies ECHL 50 22 37 59 23
2019–20 Colorado Eagles AHL 9 1 2 3 4
2019–20 Ontario Reign AHL 2 0 1 1 0
2022 Team Murphy 3ICE 17 4 8 12
NHL totals 5 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  2. ^ a b "Canucks sign forward Griffen Molino". Vancouver Canucks. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  3. ^ Graham, Will. "I Watched This Game: Canucks 0, Kings 2". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  4. ^ "Canucks make qualifying offers". Sportsnet.ca. 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  5. ^ "Marlies sign Molino, Gudbransson and Pospisil". Toronto Marlies. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  6. ^ "Grizzlies sign Griffen Molino". Utah Grizzlies. August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
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