Jason Bonsignore

Jason M. Bonsignore (born April 15, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey forward and speedway promoter and racer.

Early life Bonsignore was born in Rochester, New York. As a youth, Bonsignore played in the 1990 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Rochester.

Career Bonsignore was a First Round draft choice in the OHL by the Newmarket Royals and went on to star in the league with the Royals, then Niagara Falls Thunder, where he was an asst Captain and finally with Sudbury Wolves where he was OHL player of the week in January of 95 and set a Wolves record for most game winning goals in the playoffs. He was drafted in the first round of the 1994 NHL entry draft, fourth overall, by the Edmonton Oilers, from the Niagara Falls in the Ontario Hockey League. While playing for the Oilers' American Hockey League farm team in the 1997–98 season, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was Tampa Bay's leading rookie scorer his first year while also earning International Hockey League player of the week recognition during a short stay with Tampa's farm team in Cleveland. In his 1998–99 season with Tampa, he finished the year as a regular with the Lightning.

Not given a qualifying offer by the Lightning, Bonsignore became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for the 1999–2000 season. He was a late cut at training camp and was assigned to their AHL farm team in St John's. Bonsignore suffered a season-ending ankle injury mid season, and asked for a release.

He chose to sit out the next two years due to the ankle injury and personal reasons, then returned in the 2002–03 season to play with the AHL franchises in Springfield and Lowell, where he was runner up for the Brian Pad Comeback Player of the year award given out by the Professional Hockey Players Association. He tried out with the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers in 2003 but was released towards the end of training camp.

From the 2003–04 through the 2007–08 seasons, Bonsignore played hockey in the ECHL, Switzerland, Finland and Norway. While in Switzerland he won the Player of the month award for February.

In 2007–08, Bonsignore returned to North America, where he tried to rehabilitate from a groin injury suffered in Norway while playing a few games with the Fresno Falcons. At the time the New Jersey Devils signed him for their farm team, the Trenton Devils, where he finished the year and ended his career as a professional player.

Internationally, Bonsignore was the leading scorer on the USA Select 16 and 17 National teams and also spent time with the US Olympic team. He twice represented the USA in the World Junior Championships.

Bonsignore later coached Rochester Red Wings minor ice hockey team, and signed to play with the Hamilton Steelhawks in January 2016.

Transactions December 30, 1997 – Edmonton trades Bonsignore, Bryan Marchment and Steve Kelly to Tampa Bay in exchange for Roman Hamrlík and the rights to Paul Comrie. July 15, 1999 – Toronto signs Bonsignore. December 13, 2002 – Phoenix signs Bonsignore. September 21, 2003 – Atlanta releases Bonsignore from NHL tryout during training camp.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1990–91 Greece Athena High School HS-NY 18 24 18 42 — — — — — — 1991–92 Greece Athena High School HS-NY 18 33 33 66 — — — — — — 1991–92 Rochester Jr. Americans EmJHL 18 31 29 60 42 — — — — — 1992–93 Newmarket Royals OHL 66 22 20 42 6 7 0 3 3 0 1993–94 Newmarket Royals OHL 17 7 17 24 22 — — — — — 1993–94 Niagara Falls Thunder OHL 41 15 47 62 41 — — — — — 1993–94 United States National Team Intl 5 0 2 2 0 — — — — — 1994–95 Niagara Falls Thunder OHL 26 12 21 33 51 — — — — — 1994–95 Sudbury Wolves OHL 23 15 14 29 45 17 13 10 23 12 1994–95 Edmonton Oilers NHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 1995–96 Sudbury Wolves OHL 18 10 16 26 37 — — — — — 1995–96 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 12 1 4 5 12 — — — — — 1995–96 Edmonton Oilers NHL 20 0 2 2 4 — — — — — 1996–97 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 78 21 33 54 78 7 0 0 0 2 1997–98 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 8 0 2 2 14 — — — — — 1997–98 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 35 2 8 10 22 — — — — — 1997–98 San Antonio Dragons IHL 22 3 8 11 34 — — — — — 1997–98 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 6 4 0 4 32 8 1 1 2 20 1998–99 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 23 0 3 3 8 — — — — — 1998–99 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 48 14 19 33 68 — — — — — 1999–00 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 29 6 13 19 30 — — — — — 2002–03 Springfield Falcons AHL 37 9 12 21 39 — — — — — 2002–03 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 12 1 4 5 8 — — — — — 2003–04 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 5 2 5 7 2 — — — — — 2003–04 EHC Biel SWI-2 9 9 3 12 6 4 2 2 4 51 2004–05 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2004–05 Las Vegas Wranglers ECHL 18 4 8 12 51 — — — — — 2005–06 Pelicans SM-l 7 4 1 5 18 — — — — — 2005–06 Ilves SM-l 4 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 2005–06 Trondheim Black Panthers NOR 17 6 6 12 53 — — — — — 2007–08 Fresno Falcons ECHL 7 0 2 2 10 — — — — — 2007–08 Trenton Devils ECHL 21 1 10 11 24 — — — — — 2015–16 Hamilton Steelhawks ACH 4 0 2 2 16 — — — — — AHL totals 176 38 68 106 181 7 0 0 0 4 NHL totals 79 3 13 16 34 — — — — —

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1994 United States WJC 7 0 0 0 26 1995 United States WJC 7 2 2 4 6 Junior totals 14 2 2 4 32