The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have re-signed forward Tom Kostopoulos to an American Hockey League contract for the 2016-17 season.
Kostopoulos enters his 18th season of professional hockey and 10th year with the Penguins organization. The 37-year-old native of Mississauga, Ont., had his most productive season in a decade in 2015-16, appearing in 75 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and racking up 52 points (19 goals, 33 assists). His 52 points were good enough for the second-highest total on the team. He was also named the recipient of the AHL’s 2015-16 Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award, which recognizes a player for his sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.
During the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs, Kostopoulos tied for the team lead with five goals and tied for second on the club with 12 points in 10 postseason games.
A five-time captain for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Kostopoulos is the club’s all-time leader in games played (553), goals (157), assists (239) and points (396). He is also first in the Penguins’ postseason rankings with 86 games played, 23 goals, 42 assists and 65 points.
Since beginning his pro career in 1999-2000 as a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins inaugural team, Kostopoulos has played in 1,247 regular-season matches between the AHL and National Hockey League. On Mar. 6, 2016, Kostopoulos played his 600th career AHL game, making him the fourth player in hockey history to reach both 600 NHL games and 600 AHL games.
In 617 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Manchester, Kostopoulos has recorded 182 goals and 285 assists for 467 points. In 630 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Montreal, Carolina, Calgary and New Jersey, Kostopoulos has totaled 61 goals, 96 assists and 157 points.
Kostopoulos has played 92 career postseason games in the AHL, totaling 23 goals and 49 assists for 72 points — good for 20th on the league’s all-time playoff scoring list.
Kostopoulos was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the seventh round (204th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.
