Dominic Toninato

Dominic Toninato (born March 9, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fifth round, 126th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Amateur Toninato was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, and first played High School hockey with Duluth East High School. Toninato was selected as team captain for the Greyhounds in the 2011–12 season, and capped off a productive three-season career by helping the School to a fourth straight berth in the Minnesota State Class AA Tournament and delivered a 61 point season, amassing 27 goals and 34 assists in 25 outings to be selected as a Mr. Hockey Award finalist in addition to landing a spot on the All-State second team. On January 24, 2012, Toninato followed his fathers footsteps in committing to a collegiate career with the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Having completed his senior year with Duluth East, Toninato closed out the season with the Fargo Force in the United States Hockey League, having been previously drafted by the club at the 2011 USHL Entry Draft. In gaining attention from the professional ranks as a two-way player, Toninato in his first year of eligibility was the first Minnesota prep school player drafted in the 2012 NHL entry draft, selected in the fifth round (126th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toninato returned to continue his development with Fargo of the USHL for the 2012–13 season. He completed a highly-productive season, tying for eighth among league scoring with 70 points in 64 regular season outings. He added six points during a 13-game playoff run in which the Force advanced to the Clark Cup finals and was selected to the USHL's Second All-Star Team.

Toninato joined the University of Minnesota-Duluth of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and began his collegiate career in contributing with 7 goals and 15 points as a freshman in the 2013–14 season. He almost doubled his offensive output with 16 goals and 10 assists as a sophomore in the following 2014–15 campaign.

In the 2016–17 season, Toninato registered a season best 29 points with 16 goals and 13 assists in 42 games and finished with a team-high +25 plus/minus rating. He led the Bulldogs to their first-ever NCHC title and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four Championship game before suffering a defeat to the University of Denver. He was selected to the NCHC All-Tournament Team and honored as the league's best Defensive Forward.

Professional Having completed his four-year collegiate career with the Bulldogs, Toninato was not offered an entry-level contract due to the Maple Leafs being up against the contract limit. With little interest in signing an AHL contract within the organization, Toninato rights were relinquished by the Maple Leafs after the August 15, 2017, deadline.

As a free agent, Toninato promptly signed to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche on August 17, 2017. After participating in his first rookie and main roster training camp with the Avalanche, Toninato was re-assigned to begin the 2017–18 season with AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage on September 27, 2017. He made his professional debut with the Rampage on opening night in a 2–1 victory over the Ontario Reign on October 7, 2017. In his third game he scored his first two professional goals in a 6–2 loss to the Texas Stars on October 21, 2017. Playing a two-way responsible game with the Rampage, Toninato received his first recall to the Avalanche on November 17, 2017. Centering a line between Sven Andrighetto and Nail Yakupov, Toninato made his NHL debut with the Avalanche in a 5–2 defeat to the Nashville Predators on November 18, 2017. During the first period, Toninato was illegally boarded by the Predators' forward, Austin Watson, who was ejected from the game and later suspended. He missed the rest of the period with a head/neck injury before returning for the second period to play out the game. On February 14, 2019 Toninato scored his first NHL goal, after not scoring during the 37 games of his rookie season, in Colorado's 4-1 win over Winnipeg.

On June 29, 2019, Toninato was traded by the Avalanche to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jacob MacDonald. He agreed to his qualifying offer, accepting a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers on July 15, 2019. In the following 2019–20 season, Toninato began the campaign in the AHL with affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. He was soon recalled to the Panthers and cemented a role as a depth forward, recording a career high 4 goals and 11 points through 46 games. He returned after the COVID-19 pandemic pause, making his post-season debut in 3 games. On October 10, 2020, Toninato was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets.

After five seasons within the Jets organization, Toninato left as a free agent to sign a two-year, two-way contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1, 2025.

Personal life His father, Jim Toninato, was also a former collegiate player with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He collected 54 points in 155 games throughout his four-year career with Bulldogs from 1982 to 1986. During his tenure with UMD, Toninato majored in Human Resources Management.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2009–10 Duluth East High USHS 25 4 7 11 6 3 3 2 5 0 2010–11 Duluth East High USHS 23 24 27 51 12 3 3 3 6 0 2011–12 Duluth East High USHS 25 27 34 61 28 3 3 3 6 4 2011–12 Fargo Force USHL 4 1 0 1 2 — — — — — 2012–13 Fargo Force USHL 64 29 41 70 50 13 3 3 6 6 2013–14 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCHC 35 7 8 15 51 — — — — — 2014–15 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCHC 34 16 10 26 58 — — — — — 2015–16 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCHC 40 15 6 21 36 — — — — — 2016–17 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCHC 42 16 13 29 30 — — — — — 2017–18 San Antonio Rampage AHL 31 7 5 12 24 — — — — — 2017–18 Colorado Avalanche NHL 37 0 2 2 12 — — — — — 2018–19 Colorado Eagles AHL 57 14 15 29 43 4 0 2 2 2 2018–19 Colorado Avalanche NHL 2 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 2019–20 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 15 5 3 8 18 — — — — — 2019–20 Florida Panthers NHL 46 4 7 11 37 3 0 0 0 0 2020–21 Manitoba Moose AHL 3 3 0 3 2 — — — — — 2020–21 Winnipeg Jets NHL 2 0 1 1 0 3 1 0 1 2 2021–22 Manitoba Moose AHL 2 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2021–22 Winnipeg Jets NHL 77 7 7 14 22 — — — — — 2022–23 Manitoba Moose AHL 50 19 16 35 24 5 0 2 2 8 2022–23 Winnipeg Jets NHL 5 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2023–24 Manitoba Moose AHL 37 7 13 20 28 2 0 0 0 2 2023–24 Winnipeg Jets NHL 15 1 4 5 6 — — — — — 2024–25 Manitoba Moose AHL 60 18 18 36 81 — — — — — 2024–25 Winnipeg Jets NHL 5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2025–26 Rockford IceHogs AHL 52 16 27 43 57 — — — — — 2025–26 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 8 0 1 1 6 — — — — — NHL totals 197 13 23 36 85 8 1 0 1 4

Awards and honors Award YearUSHL Second All-Star Team 2013 NCHC Best Defensive Forward 2017