Kyle Palmieri
Sport: Hockey
Born: February 1, 1991
Town: Montvale
Kyle Charles Palmieri was born February 1, 1991 in Smithtown, Long Island and grew up in the northern Bergen County suburb of Montvale. Kyle developed into an elite hockey prospect as part of the Devils’ Pee Wee program, although he was a childhood fan of the New York Rangers. He had above-average speed and a lot of energy. He also had a quick, accurate shot. Kyle attended St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, which had a top hockey program . He led the school to its first #1 state ranking in 2007.
Kyle spent the next two years in Ann Arbor as part of the USA Hockey Development Program and earned a scholarship to Notre Dame. He was also selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 26th pick in the2009 NHL Draft. In 2009–10, Kyle was a member of the national U20 team and had 8 assists in 7 games on the way to a gold medal at the World Junior Tournament in Saskatchewan. He was less effective for the Fighting Irish, with 9 goals and 8 assists in 33 games.
After Kyle’s freshman season, he decided to turn pro. He played for Anaheim in a handful of games in the fall of 2010 before being sent down to the AHL Syracuse Crunch. In 62 minor-league games, he scored 29 goals and had 22 assists. Kyle also split the next two seasons between the AHL and the NHL. Kyle took regular shifts at right wing for Anaheim in 2013–14 and 2014–15 and score 14 goals each season. In November 2013, he scored the game-winner against the Rangers in his first-ever game in Madison Square Garden.
After the 2015 playoffs, the Ducks traded Kyle to the New Jersey Devils. He became one of the top offensive players on a goal-starved team, scoring 132 times over the next five seasons. He also did good work on defense, showing a particular aptitude for forechecking. Kyle was a member of the 2016 US World Cup squad along with fellow New Jerseyans James van Riemsdyk and John Carslon.
In 2019, Kyle was picked to replace teammate Taylor Hall in the 2019 NHL All-Star Game. In 2019–20, he scored his first hat trick as a Devil against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Later that year, the team began a rebuild but their asking price for Kyle was very high. He stayed in New Jersey, presumably as a player the Devils will build around going forward—or someone who might be moved in 2020–21, the final season of his contract.
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