Chris Kreider

Christopher James Kreider (born April 30, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Growing up in Boxford, Massachusetts, Krieder played high school hockey for Masconomet Regional High School and Phillips Andover.

As a junior at Phillips Andover, Kreider led the team to the New England Prep semifinals and was named New England Prep Player of the Year.

Kreider was born on April 30, 1991, in Boxford, Massachusetts, to parents Kathy and David Kreider.

He grew up alongside his younger sister Katie.

Growing up in Boxford, Kreider played with the Valley Jr. Warriors for four years from 2004 to 2008 before enrolling at Masconomet Regional High School.

Although he was accepted into Pingree and St. John's Prep coming out of middle school, Kreider and his family chose to enrol him in public school.

As a sophomore at Masconomet, he became an All-League player and helped the Chieftains win the Cape Ann League championship.

Although he transferred to Phillips Andover for his junior year, Kreider repeated his sophomore year at the private school.

Prior to leaving for Phillips Andover, Kreider experienced a breakout season with 28 goals and 13 assists through 23 games and was named Salem News Player of the Year.

In his first year at Phillips Andover, Kreider quickly led the team in goals and accumulated 28 points through 21 games.

He improved the following year as he finished with 56 points through 26 games to lead Phillips Andover to the New England Prep semifinals.

Although they fell short of the championship, Kreider was named New England Prep Player of the Year.

Following high school, Kreider enrolled at Boston College for three years where he majored in communications.

Following high school, Kreider played college ice hockey for the Boston College Eagles from 2009 to 2012.

Before the start of his freshman season, Krieder was drafted in the first round, 19th overall, by the Rangers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Prior to the start of his freshman year, Kreider was drafted in the first round, 19th overall, by the New York Rangers, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

As a result, he was named to the 2009-10 Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

As the Boston College Eagles qualified for the Hockey East semifinals, Kreider tallied a goal and an assist in a 3–0 win over Vermont.

In their championship game against Maine, he recorded two assists in their 7–6 overtime win.

Prior to joining Team USA at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Kreider led all rookies on the team with four goals and four assists for eight points through 12 games.

After returning from the tournament, Kreider quickly tallied 12 goals and four assists through 12 games and maintained a six-game point streak from February 14 to March 5.

He finished his rookie season second in the conference among freshmen with 14 goals and tied for ninth in points with 21.

Kreider scored a goal in the 2010 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament title game to help the Eagles defeat the University of Wisconsin to win the national title.

He subsequently became the second American to capture a World Junior Championship gold medal and NCAA title in the same year.

Following the NCAA title, Kreider was also selected to take part in the 2010 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in August 2010 before returning to Boston College for his sophomore season.

While leading the Eagles through the 2011 Beanpot Tournament, Kreider tallied two goals and an assist on the overtime game-winner to help the team clinch their second-straight title.

He was subsequently named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his efforts.

His momentum was cut short in March after he suffered a broken jaw when teammate Brian Gibbons accidentally struck him during a game.

While he was recovering, the Eagles improved their record to 30–7–1 to clinch the Hockey East title and qualify for the 2011 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.

Despite undergoing, Kreider returned to the lineup on March 25 and tallied an assist in their 8–4 loss.

He finished the regular season with 11 goals and 13 assists through 32 games although the Eagles were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the semifinal of the Western Regional by Colorado College.

Following their elimination, Kreider announced his intention to return to Boston College for the 2011–12 season and was also selected to the senior United States national team to compete in the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.

When speaking on his decision to return to Boston College, Kreider said: "Education is very important to me ... and regardless of how long it takes, I will finish my BC degree. There is life after hockey, and whether it is after next year or regardless, it's just one step closer to getting my degree, which is very important for myself and for my family."

At Boston College, Kreider was named to the All-Hockey East Rookie and All-Hockey East Second Team before turning professional in April 2012 after winning his second NCAA championship.

Kreider is the longest tenured player in the Rangers organization and holds the NHL record for most Stanley Cup playoff goals before playing his first NHL regular season game, with five.

In 2022, he became the fourth New York Ranger to score 50 goals in a single season.

He had entered the draft rated 14th among all North American skaters, and first among high school players, by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Kreider recorded four shots on net in his NCAA debut on October 18 against Vermont.

He recorded his first NCAA point, an assist on Ben Smith's second-period goal, the following game to lift Boston College over Notre Dame.