Kyle Capobianco (born August 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the 63rd overall selection of the Arizona Coyotes at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Capobianco's grandfather, Clare Exelby, is a former CFL player and uncle, Randy Exelby, is a former NHL player.

Kyle Capobianco
Capobianco with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2018
Born (1997-08-13) August 13, 1997 (age 27)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Dallas Stars
Texas Stars (AHL)
Arizona Coyotes
Winnipeg Jets
NHL draft 63rd overall, 2015
Arizona Coyotes
Playing career 2017–present

Playing career

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Junior

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Capobianco played four seasons of junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. The Coyotes selected him after his 2014–15 season, wherein he scored 10 goals and 30 assists in 68 games, for a total of 40 points.

Professional

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The Coyotes returned Capobianco to junior hockey for both seasons after drafting him, but upon the completion of the 2016–17 OHL season, Capobianco was called up to the AHL in order to play for the Tucson Roadrunners. Capobianco ended up playing four games for the Roadrunners, scoring zero points. The Arizona Coyotes signed Capobianco to a three-year entry-level contract on June 30, 2017.[1]

At the beginning of the 2017–18 season, Capobianco was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners. On December 4, 2017, Capobianco was recalled to the Arizona Coyotes.[2] On December 7, 2017, he made his NHL debut for the Arizona Coyotes against the Boston Bruins, earning no points and a –1 rating in 13:33 of ice time.[3][4] He was assigned to the Coyotes AHL affiliate shortly after.[5] His demotion was short lived as Capobianco was recalled back to the NHL on January 1, 2018.[6]

Capobianco was selected for the 2018 AHL All-Star Game as a replacement for San Antonio Rampage defencemen Jordan Schmaltz.[7][8] As a restricted free agent, Capobianco remained with the Coyotes by agreeing to a two-year, $1.55 million contract extension on October 5, 2020.[9]

As a free agent from the Coyotes, Capobianco was signed to a two-year, $1.525 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets on July 14, 2022.[10]

During his second year within the organization while playing for the Jets AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose in the 2023–24 season, Capobianco won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's top defenseman.[11] He was also selected as a First Team AHL All-Star, and played in the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic, his fourth appearance at that event.

At the conclusion of his contract with the Jets, Capobianco left as a free agent and was signed to a two-year contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2024.[12]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   Canada
Ice hockey
IIHF World U18 Championships
  2015 Switzerland

Capobianco represented Canada at the 2015 U18 World Championships, where he scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 7 games.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Oakville Blades OJHL 3 0 1 1 12
2013–14 Sudbury Wolves OHL 53 0 11 11 18 5 0 0 0 0
2014–15 Sudbury Wolves OHL 68 10 30 40 54
2015–16 Sudbury Wolves OHL 68 7 36 43 58
2016–17 Sudbury Wolves OHL 65 10 37 47 66 6 0 3 3 10
2016–17 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 4 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 49 2 28 30 36 9 0 0 0 2
2017–18 Arizona Coyotes NHL 1 0 0 0 0
2018–19 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 40 7 25 32 51
2018–19 Arizona Coyotes NHL 2 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 42 10 27 37 47
2019–20 Arizona Coyotes NHL 9 1 0 1 2
2020–21 Arizona Coyotes NHL 2 0 0 0 2
2020–21 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 20 2 11 13 22 1 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Arizona Coyotes NHL 45 2 7 9 38
2022–23 Winnipeg Jets NHL 14 2 0 2 6 1 0 0 0 0
2023–24 Manitoba Moose AHL 69 12 42 54 46 2 0 2 2 0
NHL totals 73 5 7 12 48 1 0 0 0 0

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Canada Ontario U17 5th 5 1 0 1 0
2015 Canada U18   7 1 1 2 2
Junior totals 12 2 1 3 2

References

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  1. ^ "Arizona Coyotes sign Kyle Capobianco to three-year, entry-level deal". Fox Sports. June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  2. ^ "Capobianco recalled by Coyotes from Roadrunners". ArizonaSports.com. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  3. ^ "Bruins vs Coyotes boxscore". National Hockey League. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  4. ^ Vest, Dave (December 7, 2017). "'Yotes Notes: Capobianco Makes NHL Debut in Boston". NHL.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  5. ^ "Coyotes Assign Capobianco to AHL". NHL.com. December 11, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  6. ^ "Coyotes Recall Capobianco from AHL". NHL.com. January 1, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "MORE ALL-STAR ROSTER CHANGES ANNOUNCED". theahl.com. January 24, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Marlin, Kynan (January 24, 2018). "Tucson Roadrunner defenseman Kyle Capobianco added as AHL All-Star". arizonasports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  9. ^ "Coyotes re-sign Capobianco and Lyubushkin". Arizona Coyotes. October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  10. ^ "Jets sign defenceman Kyle Capobianco to a two-year contract". Winnipeg Jets. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  11. ^ "Kyle Capobianco Voted AHL's Outstanding Defenceman". Manitoba Moose. Winnipeg Jets. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  12. ^ "Stars sign Kyle Capobianco to two-year contract". Dallas Stars. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
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