Louie Caporusso

Louie Caporusso
Caporusso (right) with the Michigan Wolverines in 2009
Born (1989-06-21) June 21, 1989 (age 35)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
ECHL team
Former teams		 Cincinnati Cyclones
Binghamton Senators
Augsburger Panther
Iserlohn Roosters
Brynäs IF
Asiago Hockey 1935
NHL draft 90th overall, 2007
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 2011–present

Luigi "Louie" Caporusso (born June 21, 1989) is a Canadian ice hockey player. He is currently playing under contract to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Caporusso was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 3rd round (90th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Caporusso played from 2007 to 2011 with the University of Michigan Wolverines team. During the 2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season, he was named to the All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) first team.[1] He was also named first-team AHCA/Reebok Division I Ice Hockey All-American.[2] He led the nation in goals scored for most of the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. During the 2009–10 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season, he was named to the CCHA All-tournament team as he led the team to the championship. Prior to his time at the University of Michigan, he excelled in junior hockey in Ontario, Canada, which earned him a position as a draftee by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League before entering college. After finishing his senior season, Caporusso signed with the Senators on May 30, 2011.

Since his time at Michigan he has played several years of minor league hockey as well as spent time playing internationally. Most of his professional career has been for teams in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga and East Coast Hockey League.

Early life

Luigi Caporusso was one of four children born to two Italian parents in Toronto, where the family was raised. Both his father and maternal grandfather are named Luigi and his parents and grandparents are all from Italy. At age five, he watched his brother Francesco dominate at hockey. He started to play hockey after his father took him ice skating.[3]

Playing career

Caporusso vs. Western Michigan (2008-11-15)

Junior

During the 2004–05 season, he played in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) for the Toronto Red Wings, recording 70 points including 41 goals in 56 games. The 70-point total made him the GTHL point leader for the season.[4]

After his league leading performance, he was drafted by the Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League with the seventh selection of the tenth round,[5] but instead of playing for them, he spent the following two seasons playing in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OPJHL) for the St. Michael's Buzzers.[4][6] During the 2005–06 season, he led the OPJHL in scoring with 73 points in 48 games and led the team to the OPJHL championship.[4] Caporusso scored 50 points in 37 games during the 2006–07 season, but the team lost in the finals.[4] Following the season, he was drafted with the 90th selection overall in the 3rd round by the Ottawa Senators in the June 22, 2007 NHL Entry Draft.[7][8]

As a junior player, he earned a variety of all-star selections. He participated in the 2006 Canadian Junior Hockey League Top Prospects Game, earning Team East MVP honors.[9] In addition, he was selected for the 2007 Ontario Hockey Association Top Prospect Team and the 2007 OPJHL All-Star team.[6] He was also a silver medalist for Team Canada East at the 2006 World Junior A Challenge where he was selected to tournament's all-star team.[6]

College

Caporusso (left) next to Bryan Hogan

Caporusso, is described as a left-handed shooting forward by some sources,[6][7] and he is described as either a left wing or a center by others.[10][11] However, the Ann Arbor Press described him as a center.[12] The Ottawa Senators have him listed as a centre.[13]

As a freshman at Michigan, he scored 21 points, including 12 goals, in 33 games.[7] That season he missed 8 games due to a leg injury.[6] As a sophomore during the 2008–09 season, Caporusso was 1 of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.[14] During the season, he scored 49 points in 41 games.[7] He was also named to the All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) first-team and AHCA/Reebok Division I Ice Hockey All-American first-team along with teammate Aaron Palushaj.[1][2] In addition, he was selected to the CCHA All-Conference tournament team.[10] One of the highlights of the season occurred when he scored the first 3 goals of the game in the first period (the first 2 within 24 seconds of each other) for the natural hat trick against Michigan Tech on December 27, 2008.[15] During the first half of the season, he led the nation in goals scored.[12][16][17][18][19] He played a different scoring role during the final 9 regular season games, as the team went 8–1 and he scored 2 goals and posted 14 assists.[12] Caporusso was named the team MVP at the end of the season.[20]

In Caporusso's junior season, he posted 21 goals and 22 assists.[21] Michigan began the season ranked number five in the nation, but Caporusso only scored one goal in his first 10 games and had no multigoal games until well into February.[22] Michigan entered the CCHA playoffs with a 19–17–1 record and was on the verge of breaking the team's 19 consecutive year streak of qualifying for the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. However, the team won 6 consecutive games in the conference championship tournament to earn the automatic invitation.[23] Caporusso scored both goals in the final 2–1 victory of the tournament and was named to the All-Tournament team.[24] He also scored in the second period of the first game of the tournament to give Michigan a 2–0 lead.[25][26] However, Michigan lost in the quarterfinal round in double overtime to the CCHA regular season champion Miami Redhawks.[27][28]

As a senior, he served as captain of the team.[29] The 2010–11 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team was the 2001–11 CCHA regular season champion.[30] Subsequently, the team finished as runner-up in the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.[31][32] Caporusso finished second on the team in scoring for the third consecutive season.[33]

Professional

Caporusso signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Senators on May 30, 2011. After attending Ottawa's NHL training camp, He was expected to join the Binghamton Senators to begin his professional career.[34][35] On October 14, 2011, Caporusso was reassigned to the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL.[36] After scoring 5 points in his first 5 games with Elmira, he was promoted to the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League on November 4.[37] After recording 0 points in 6 games with Binghamton, he was reassigned to Elmira on November 17.[38][39] On November 26, Caporusso was recalled by Binghamton for one game before being returned to Elmira on November 28.[40] Caporusso spent 4 months with the Jackals (missing 6 weeks due to a concussion), scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 29 games, before being called back up to the Senators on March 15.[41][42]

At the conclusion of his contract Caporusso's rights were relinquished by the Senators. On August 15, 2013, he signed as a free agent to a 1-year contract with reigning champions the Reading Royals of the ECHL.[43]

In his Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) debut for the Augsburger Panther, he scored the game-winning goal in a shootout. He scored 8 goals in 31 shots on goal for a team-high 26% shooting percentage for the 2013–14 season. Augsburger exercised the team option on his contract for a second year.[44] After parts of two seasons in the DEL with Augsburger Panther, Caporusso joined fellow German club, Iserlohn Roosters on a one-year contract on June 12, 2015.[45] In the 2016–17 season with the Roosters, his second year in Iserlohn, Caporusso played on the top two scoring lines finishing 3rd in scoring with 29 points in 42 games as Iserlohn finished out of playoff contention. On March 3, 2017, it was announced that Caporusso would not re-new his contract with the club to seek other opportunities in Europe.[46]

On March 6, 2017, Caporusso agreed to a move to Sweden, signing a 1-year deal with Brynäs IF of the top tier Swedish Hockey League.[47] He began the 2017–18 season by appearing in only 7 games with Brynäs before opting to terminate his contract with the club and return to Germany with former team, the Iserlohn Roosters, on a two-year deal on November 1, 2017.[48] Upon joining Iserlohn, he had a knee injury in his first game. After some rehab work, he played in 24 games before requiring season-ending surgery on his patellar tendon in February 2018.[49]

Caporusso spent a season with Italian club, Asiago Hockey 1935 of the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) for the 2019–2020 season.[50] On July 28, 2021, Caporusso marked his return to professional hockey in agreeing to a 1-year deal in the ECHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones.[51] For the 2022–23 ECHL season, he was the leading scorer as the team approached the final week of the season.[52] He continued with the Cyclones through the 2023–24 season.[53]

Personal

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Caporusso is from Woodbridge, Ontario.[14] At the University of Michigan, Caporusso was enrolled in the School of Kinesiology and performed public service by visiting the U-M Mott Children's Hospital.[14] Caporusso is a 2007 graduate of the St. Michael's College School in Toronto.[6]

Career statistics

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada East
World Junior A Challenge
Silver medal – second place 2006 Yorkton
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Toronto Red Wings Min. Midget GTHL 53 38 28 66 28  —  —  —  —  —
2005–06 St. Michael's Buzzers OPJHL 48 29 44 73 44 25 8 10 18 16
2006–07 St. Michael's Buzzers OPJHL 37 23 27 50 45 20 14 19 33 14
2007–08 Michigan Wolverines CCHA 33 12 9 21 18  —  —  —  —  —
2008–09 Michigan Wolverines CCHA 41 24 25 49 30  —  —  —  —  —
2009–10 Michigan Wolverines CCHA 45 21 22 43 26  —  —  —  —  —
2010–11 Michigan Wolverines CCHA 41 11 20 31 22  —  —  —  —  —
2011–12 Binghamton Senators AHL 13 0 0 0 6  —  —  —  —  —
2011–12 Elmira Jackals ECHL 29 16 16 32 8  —  —  —  —  —
2012–13 Binghamton Senators AHL 23 1 5 6 8  —  —  —  —  —
2012–13 Elmira Jackals ECHL 41 19 26 45 22 6 2 6 8 4
2013–14 Reading Royals ECHL 24 7 21 28 23  —  —  —  —  —
2013–14 Augsburger Panther DEL 19 8 13 21 4  —  —  —  —  —
2014–15 Augsburger Panther DEL 47 15 23 38 46  —  —  —  —  —
2015–16 Iserlohn Roosters DEL 49 18 30 48 32 6 2 2 4 0
2016–17 Iserlohn Roosters DEL 42 13 16 29 56  —  —  —  —  —
2017–18 Brynäs IF SHL 7 0 1 1 0  —  —  —  —  —
2017–18 Iserlohn Roosters DEL 25 10 9 19 18  —  —  —  —  —
2018–19 Iserlohn Roosters DEL 36 14 13 27 24  —  —  —  —  —
2019–20 Asiago Hockey 1935 AlpsHL 19 7 11 18 12  —  —  —  —  —
2021–22 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 67 22 44 66 32 6 0 5 5 12
2022–23 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 68 23 48 71 50 11 2 0 2 6
2023–24 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 34 10 19 29 63  —  —  —  —  —
AHL totals 36 1 5 6 14  —  —  —  —  —
  • All statistics taken from NHL.com[54]

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
All-CCHA First Team 2008–09 [55]
AHCA West First-Team All-American 2008–09
CCHA All-Tournament Team 2009, 2010 [56]

References

  1. ^ a b "Michigan lands Louie Caporusso and Aaron Palushaj on All-CCHA first team". MLive.com. March 11, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Men's Reebok Division I Ice Hockey All-Americans Announced". American Hockey Coaches Association. April 10, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  3. ^ "Louie Caporusso - an Italian at heart". Augsburger Allgemeine (in German). October 10, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Louie Caporusso". Hockey's Future. CraveOnline Media, LLC. March 6, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  5. ^ "Team-By-Team Selections". Columbus Dispatch. June 24, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Louie Caporusso". M Go Blue. Regents of the University of Michigan & IMG College. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d "Louie Caporusso". Hockeydb.com. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  8. ^ "Erie Otters". Erie Times-News. May 8, 2005. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  9. ^ "West Prospects beat East". Kelowna Capital News. December 17, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  10. ^ a b "C/LW - Louie Caporusso". Hockey News. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  11. ^ "Louie Caporusso # - C/LW". The Sports Network. CTVglobemedia. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c Ryan, Kevin (April 1, 2009). "Center greatly influenced U-M's odds of winning". Ann Arbor News. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  13. ^ "Louie Caporusso". NHL Enterprises, L.P. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  14. ^ a b c "Hobey Baker Award Announces Top Ten Finalists". hobeybaker.com. March 19, 2009. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  15. ^ Goricki, David (December 28, 2008). "Caporusso hat trick lifts U-M". Detroit News. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  16. ^ Sipple, George (December 5, 2008). "Sophomore Steps Up For U-M - Caporusso Tied For NCAA Goals Lead". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  17. ^ Ryan, Kevin (December 28, 2008). "No rust evident - Caporusso leads well-rested Wolverines in GLI opener". Ann Arbor News. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  18. ^ Ryan, Kevin (January 16, 2009). "Michigan icers share offensive wealth". Ann Arbor News. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  19. ^ Ryan, Kevin (February 7, 2009). "Wolverines beat Lake Superior St. - Rust scores big goal, Caporusso nets 2 in 6-2 victory". Ann Arbor News. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  20. ^ "Metro & State Sports Briefs". Detroit Free Press. April 5, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  21. ^ "2009-10 Michigan Ice Hockey: Michigan Combined Team Statistics (as of Mar 29, 2010)". CBS Interactive. March 29, 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  22. ^ Rothstein, Michael (March 26, 2010). "Forward Louie Caporusso's up-and-down season mirrors Michigan hockey team". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  23. ^ Rohan, Tim (March 21, 2010). "Blue extends record NCAA Tournament streak, will face Bemidji State in first round in Fort Wayne". Michigan Daily. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  24. ^ "News - Wolverines Capture Mason Cup". CCHA. March 20, 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  25. ^ "Michigan 5, Bemidji St. 1". ESPN. March 27, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  26. ^ Oehser, John (March 27, 2010). "Michigan Overpowers Bemidji State 5-1 in NCAA First Round: Michigan will play against No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio) on Sunday". NCAA.org. Retrieved May 4, 2010. [dead link‍]
  27. ^ "Michigan 2, Miami (OH) 3". ESPN. March 28, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  28. ^ Oehser, John (March 29, 2010). "Redhawks Withstand Wolverines 3-2, in 2OT Thriller: Miami (Ohio) moves on to the Frozen Four to meet Boston College on Thursday". NCAA.org. Retrieved May 4, 2010. [dead link‍]
  29. ^ "Brandon Burlon signs with New Jersey Devils, leaves Michigan hockey program". AnnArbor.com. May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  30. ^ "2010-11 Season". Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  31. ^ "Minnesota Duluth 3, Michigan 2". ESPN. April 9, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  32. ^ "Duluth edges Michigan in OT for title". ESPN. April 9, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  33. ^ "Caporusso signs entry-level deal with Senators". WJRT-TV. May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.[dead link‍]
  34. ^ "Senators reduce training camp roster by 20 players". Ottawa Senators. September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  35. ^ "Caporusso Inks Deal with NHL's Ottawa Senators". M Go Blue. CBS Interactive. May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  36. ^ "B-SENS REASSIGN FORWARD LOUIE CAPORUSSO TO ELMIRA JACKALS (ECHL)". Binghamton Senators. October 14, 2011. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  37. ^ "B-Sens Return Radja to Jackals, Recall Caporusso". OurSports Central. November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  38. ^ "B-Sens Reassign Caporusso and Downing to Elmira". Intotheboards.net. November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011. [dead link‍]
  39. ^ "B-Sens Reassign Caporusso And Downing To Elmira". Binghamton Senators. November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  40. ^ "B-Sens Reassign Forwards Louie Caporusso and Jack Downing to Elmira". OurSports Central. November 28, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  41. ^ Mink, Joe (March 15, 2012). "Elmira Jackals close in on playoff spot". Star-Gazette. Retrieved March 20, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  42. ^ Lindsay, Joy (March 15, 2012). "B-Sens scouting report: Devils, Amerks and Penguins". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved March 20, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  43. ^ "Royals agree to terms with Louie Caporusso". Reading Royals. August 15, 2013. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  44. ^ "AUGSBURGER PANTHER VERLÄNGERN MIT LOUIE CAPORUSSO". aev-panther.de (in German). March 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  45. ^ "Louie Caporusso is a Rooster". Iserlohn Roosters (in German). June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  46. ^ "Roosters make initial personnel decisions". Iserlohn Roosters (in German). March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  47. ^ "Caporusso with new players for next season" (in Swedish). Brynäs IF. March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  48. ^ "Louie Caporusso back at Iserlohn". Iserlohn Roosters (in German). November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  49. ^ "Saisonende für Louie Caporusso". ikz-online.de (in German). February 20, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  50. ^ "Louie Caporusso C". NHL.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  51. ^ "Cyclones add pair of forwards". ECHL. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  52. ^ Monroe, Mark (April 8, 2023). "Walleye take key division battle; Toledo pulls within 4 points of Cyclones". The Blade. p. C1. Retrieved April 27, 2024. The 2021 first-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings made back-to-back stops on Louie Caporusso (Cincinnati's leading scorer)
  53. ^ "Walleye can't overcome early onslaught in 5-1 loss at Cincinnati". The Blade. January 20, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024. Cincinnati got it to 5-0 at 12:53 of the second when Louie Caporusso put away a shot off an assist from Jalen Smereck.
  54. ^ NHL.com (2009). "Louie Caporusso's NHL Profile". NHL.com. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  55. ^ "All-CCHA Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  56. ^ "2012-13 CCHA Media Guide". ISSUU.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.