Brandon Pirri (Ice Hockey) Biography and Facts You Need To Know About Him

Quick Facts

Canadian professional hockey player, Brandon Pirri went pro in 2009 when he was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2009 NHL Entry draft. Pirri plays at the center and is renowned for his goal-scoring ability which was what attracted the Blackhawks to him.

At the start of his pro career, Pirri struggled to find his footing in the NHL, thus he was constantly traded to the minor AHL teams. However, an impressive performance in 2013 with AHL’s Rockford IceHogs became the big career break he so much needed.

Brandon Pirri’s Biography

Pirri was born on April 10, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2007, at the age of 16, he began his junior career joining the Ontario Junior Hockey League side Streetsville Derbys. Pirri’s scoring abilities in the OJHL began to turn heads in the 2008/2009 season when he scored 46 goals and 94 points combined during his time with the Georgetown Raiders and Streetsville Derbys.

In 2009, Pirri attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he played for the school’s RPI engineers men’s hockey team who played in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). By the end of his freshman year, Pirri had played 39 games scoring 11 goals and 24 points. His freshman year would become his only college year.

However, Pirri’s performance in the junior league and in the NCAA was enough to see him enter the 2009 NHL Entry Draft where he was selected second round 59th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. He got his NHL debut in a match on October 9th, 2010 against the Detroit Red Wings. However, his stay in the NHL became short-lived as he was traded to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs for the rest of the 2010/2011 season.

Career Success

In his 70 games played for Rockford, Pirri scored 23 goals and 56 points. He started the following 2011/2012 season with NHL’s Blackhawks. After appearing in 5 games with the NHL side, Pirri ended the season in the AHL with Rockford. He played in a total of 66 games scoring 23 goals and 56 points. The following 2012/2013 season was even better for the budding star who went on to score a whopping 75 points which was also the league’s season highest.

This was a major breakthrough for Pirri. The feat earned him the coveted John B. Sollenberger Trophy. Thanks to the impressive performance, Pirri would spend the next four seasons playing in the NHL without any assignment to the minor AHL.

He scored his first NHL goal on October 17th, 2013 in a match against the St. Louis Blues. Between November 14 and 17 2013, Pirri scored a goal in three consecutive games played. On March 2nd, 2014, the Blackhawks would trade Pirri to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2014 3rd-round pick and a 2016 5th-round pick.

The 2014/2015 season would become Pirri’s first full NHL season. He played in 49 games and scored 22 goals and 24 points. The following season, Pirri continued as a main fixture for the Panthers. After appearing in 52 games and scoring only 11 goals and 24 points, Pirri spent the rest of the 2015/2016 season with the Anaheim Ducks where he was traded in exchange for a 6th round pick.

Pirri as a Free Agent

Becoming a free agent in 2016, Brandon Pirri signed a one year deal worth $1.1 million with the New York Rangers. However, his performance greatly wanned. Out of 60 appearances made for the side, he scored only 8 goals and 18 points. As a result of his poor season, Pirri found it difficult to land another contract.

Reports had it that he was signed to a one-year deal by the ZSC Lions of the National League of Switzerland but it was never made official. Pirri attempted to make a return to his first NHL side the Chicago Blackhawks but he failed to impress at the try-out. Fortunately, in October 2017 the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights signed him to a one-year deal after which he was assigned to play in their AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves.

He would later get to make his debut with the Knights in a match against the Vancouver Canucks where he scored 2 goals and three points.

Facts About Brandon Pirri

1. In 2010 during his time with the ECAC’s RPI Engineers, Brandon Pirri was named to the All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team.

2. He was AHL’s top scorer in 2013 with the Rockford IceHogs.

3. Brandon Pirri is married to Elyse. She hails from Highland Park. Together they have a child who was born in early 2018. The family resides in Chicago.

4. Pirri stands at exactly 6 feet tall and weighs around 183 lbs.

5. In his career, Pirri has made at least 228 appearances scoring 60 goals and 101 points.

6. Brandon Pirri does not operate any social media account.

7. Prior to attending RPI, Pirri schooled at the Vaughan Road Academy.

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