Boo Nieves

Cristoval "Boo" Nieves (born January 23, 1994) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played his entire NHL career with the New York Rangers, who drafted him 59th overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft.

Playing career As a youth, Nieves played in the 2007 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Syracuse, New York. He played scholastic hockey with Kent School before a short junior hockey stint for the Indiana Ice in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played collegiate hockey for the University of Michigan from 2012 to 2016. On March 28, 2016, Nieves signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers.

Nieves made his NHL debut on November 15, 2016, against the Vancouver Canucks. On October 26, 2017, in his second NHL game, Nieves scored his first point and in total had three assists in a 5–2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.

On January 1, 2021, Nieves accepted a professional tryout invitation to attend the Tampa Bay Lightning training camp. Nearing the conclusion of camp, on January 12, 2021, Nieves was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning. Nieves was assigned to Syracuse, but did not appear in a game during the season due to a head injury.

Career after hockey After retiring from hockey due to injuries, Nieves established Topline Elite Hockey to train young hockey players at City Ice Pavilion in New York City.

Personal life Boo Nieves, was born January 23, 1994, to Rafael and Joanne Nieves. He identifies as a Afro-Latino, making him the only person of Puerto Rican descent to ever play in the National Hockey League.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2011 United States IH18 5th 4 1 3 4 0 Junior totals 4 1 3 4 0