John Kurtz, 2000-2009, Alumni (Oakville Rangers Hockey Club)

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John Kurtz
John Kurtz Photo
Participated: 1996-2005

John Kurtz was born in Oakville, ON and he played for the Minor Midget AAA Oakville Rangers in the 2004/05 season with 30 goals and 32 assists in 54 games. He was selected in the fifth round, 86th overall, by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2005 OHL Priority Draft. He played junior A hockey in 2005/06 with the Burlington Cougars of the OPJHL.

In 2006/07, Kurtz skated with the Windsor Spitfires in his first OHL season. Windsor had the OHL’s second-worst season, finishing last in the West Division.

In 2007, Kurtz was invited to the Detroit Red Wings training camp before returning to the Spitfires for his second OHL season. Traded to Sudbury in September, he played in 63 of 68 games for the Wolves. Sudbury finished last in the Central Division with the OHL’s worst record.

The 2008/09 season was greatly improved for the Sudbury Wolves. They made the playoffs, and took Belleville to six games in the first round. Kurtz was named team captain, and recorded 54 points in the regular season.

In 2009, Kurtz attended Toronto’s training camp but was not signed and returned to the OHL for an overage season. In April 2010, he made his pro hockey debut with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) after captaining Sudbury and scoring 30 goals with the Wolves. For his play during the 2009/10 season, Kurtz was unanimously selected to receive the “Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy”. This is awarded to the OHL captain that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, with a passion and dedication to the game of hockey and his community.

2010 saw Kurtz invited to the Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp, but he did not receive a contact. He signed with Syracuse again, briefly playing with the Elmira Jackals (ECHL) in his first pro season. He played 49 games with the Crunch, and 19 with Elmira.

Kurtz split the 2011/12 season between the AHL and the ECHL. He was limited to 31 games in his second pro season due to a pre-season injury. He played 12 games with the Crunch, and 19 with Elmira.

Kurtz was signed to an AHL contract by Anaheim affiliate Norfolk in 2012. He appeared in 59 games, the most of his three-year pro career. Norfolk finished two points out of a playoff spot. In April 2013, Kurtz signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

In 2013, Kurtz was an assistant captain for the Norfolk Admirals and was briefly re-called by Anaheim in the final week of the regular season. He did not appear in any NHL games. Kurtz signed a one-year contract extension with Anaheim in January of 2014. He was with the Admirals for the 2014/15 season.

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