Michael Bunting

Michael Bunting (born September 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Michael Bunting
Bunting with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2019
Born (1995-09-17) September 17, 1995
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Toronto Maple Leafs
Arizona Coyotes
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 117th overall, 2014
Arizona Coyotes
Playing career 2015–present

Playing career
Bunting during the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic

Bunting played midget hockey with the Don Mills Flyers in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and captured the league championship during the 2012–13 season. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds selected him 160th overall in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.

Playing as a rookie with the Greyhounds in 2013–14, Bunting produced 42 points in 48 games. The Arizona Coyotes made him their fourth-round pick, 117th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

During the 2014–15 season, Bunting led the Greyhounds with 37 goals in 57 games and served as an alternate captain. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Coyotes on July 23, 2015.[1]

Bunting made the jump to the Coyotes' professional ranks in the 2015–16 season with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Coyotes briefly assigned him to the ECHL's Rapid City Rush early in the season but he returned in time to record his first AHL goal in a game against the Providence Bruins on December 6, 2015.

Bunting became a restricted free agent after the expiry of his entry-level contract. He signed a one-year, two-way deal to stay with the Coyotes on July 14, 2018.[2] While playing with the Tucson Roadrunners in the 2018–19 season, Bunting made his 200th AHL appearance on October 13, 2018, in a game against the Bakersfield Condors.[3]

The Coyotes recalled Bunting to the NHL for the first time on December 8, 2018. At the time, he ranked second on the Roadrunners with 18 points in 20 games.[4] Bunting scored his first NHL goal in his debut, beating Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask in the second period of a 4–3 Coyotes loss on December 11, 2018.[5]

After spending the entire 2019–20 season with the Roadrunners, Bunting returned to the Coyotes' lineup on March 31, 2021, and spent the rest of the 2020–21 season in the NHL. He registered a goal and an assist in his season debut, a 9–3 Coyotes loss to the Colorado Avalanche, before scoring his first NHL hat-trick against the Los Angeles Kings on April 5, 2021.[6] Despite playing just 21 games with the Coyotes in 2020–21, Bunting ultimately tied with Nick Schmaltz for sixth on the team with 10 goals.

As a group 6 free agent after breaking out with the Coyotes, Bunting was signed to a two-year, $1.9 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 28, 2021.[7] On January 29, 2022, Bunting became the first player to score a hat-trick the same day his hometown was featured on Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.[8]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
2021 Latvia

Team Canada general manager, Roberto Luongo, invited Bunting to participate at the 2021 IIHF World Championship following his breakout 2020–21 season season, giving him his first opportunity to represent his home country on an international stage.[9][10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Don Mills Flyers GTHL 28 27 12 39 44 — — — — —
2013–14 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 48 15 27 42 34 9 5 1 6 4
2014–15 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 57 37 37 74 39 14 9 5 14 10
2015–16 Springfield Falcons AHL 63 11 14 25 41 — — — — —
2015–16 Rapid City Rush ECHL 7 2 0 2 4 — — — — —
2016–17 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 67 13 15 28 52 — — — — —
2017–18 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 67 23 20 43 45 9 3 1 4 27
2018–19 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 52 19 22 41 84 — — — — —
2018–19 Arizona Coyotes NHL 5 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
2019–20 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 58 12 37 49 49 — — — — —
2020–21 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 16 7 12 19 14 — — — — —
2020–21 Arizona Coyotes NHL 21 10 3 13 12 — — — — —
NHL totals 26 11 3 14 14 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2021 Canada WC 10 0 0 0 6
Senior totals 10 0 0 0 6

References
  1. "Coyotes sign Bunting to three-year, entry level deal". Arizona Coyotes. July 23, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  2. "Coyotes sign Bunting, Dauphin, Fasching and Murphy". Arizona Coyotes. July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  3. "Roadrunners 2, Condors 1". American Hockey League. October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  4. "Coyotes recall Bunting from AHL". Arizona Coyotes. December 8, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  5. "Arizona Coyotes at Boston Bruins Box Score — December 11, 2018". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved May 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Soto, Johnny (April 5, 2021). "Coyotes' Michael Bunting gets first career hat trick in win over Kings". ArizonaSports.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Maple Leafs sign Michael Bunting for two-years". Sportsnet.ca. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  8. "With hometown in spotlight, Maple Leafs' Bunting erupts for storybook night". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  9. "HOCKEY CANADA NAMES MANAGEMENT GROUP FOR 2021 IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP". Hockey Canada. April 20, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "Elliotte Friedman on Twitter". Twitter. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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