Chris Pryor

Christopher Michael Pryor (born January 23, 1961) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders. He served as the assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2021 to 2023.

After his playing career in 1993, Pryor was an assistant coach for one season with the minor league Salt Lake Golden Eagles, before he transitioned into a front office career as a scout. He was an amateur scout and player development director for the New York Islanders from 1994 to 1998.

From 1998 until his termination in 2019, he was a part of the Philadelphia Flyers organization, filling the roles of scout, scouting director, director of player personnel and eventually assistant general manager.

After two years with the Nashville Predators scouting department, he was hired by incoming Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ron Hextall in February 2021 to join the Penguins as director of player personnel. His role involved overseeing the organization's scouting operations in North America and Europe as well as assisting in team personnel decisions. His hiring was regarded as a "No.1 Priority" for Hextall, as the pair had previously worked together extensively in Philadelphia. Pryor was promoted on June 14, 2022, to assistant general manager, aiding Hextall in managing all aspects of the team. He and Hextall were both fired on April 14, 2023, after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1979–80 University of New Hampshire ECAC 27 9 13 22 27 — — — — — 1980–81 University of New Hampshire ECAC 33 10 27 37 36 — — — — — 1981–82 University of New Hampshire ECAC 35 3 16 19 36 — — — — — 1982–83 University of New Hampshire ECAC 34 4 9 13 23 — — — — — 1983–84 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 72 7 21 28 215 5 1 2 3 11 1984–85 Springfield Indians AHL 77 3 21 24 158 4 0 2 2 0 1984–85 Minnesota North Stars NHL 4 0 0 0 16 — — — — — 1985–86 Springfield Indians AHL 55 4 16 20 104 — — — — — 1985–86 Minnesota North Stars NHL 7 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 1986–87 Springfield Indians AHL 5 0 2 2 17 — — — — — 1986–87 Minnesota North Stars NHL 50 1 3 4 49 — — — — — 1987–88 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 56 4 16 20 171 — — — — — 1987–88 Minnesota North Stars NHL 3 0 0 0 6 — — — — — 1987–88 New York Islanders NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1988–89 Springfield Indians AHL 54 3 6 9 205 — — — — — 1988–89 New York Islanders NHL 7 0 0 0 25 — — — — — 1989–90 Springfield Indians AHL 60 3 7 10 105 18 1 3 4 12 1989–90 New York Islanders NHL 10 0 0 0 24 — — — — — 1990–91 Capital District Islanders AHL 41 1 8 9 94 — — — — — 1991–92 Capital District Islanders AHL 22 0 3 3 12 7 2 2 4 18 1992–93 Capital District Islanders AHL 3 0 0 0 6 — — — — —NHL totals 82 1 4 5 122 — — — — —