Jason Bonsignore

Jason Bonsignore (born April 15, 1976) is a former professional ice hockey forward. As a hockey player, he was drafted in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 4th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers, as one of the team's two first-round picks that year (the other was Ryan Smyth two picks later).

Playing career
Bonsignore was drafted from the OHL's Niagara Falls Thunder. While playing for the Oilers AHL 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 IHL player of the week (Rob Capellupo Award) recognition during a short stay with Tampa's farm team in Cleveland. In his 1998-99 season 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 for personal reasons, then returned in the 2002-03 season to play with the AHL franchises in Springfield and Lowell. 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.

In 2007–08, Bonsignore returned to North America, where he tried to rehabilitate from a groin injury suffered in Norway by 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. Bonsignore has not played since.

Bonsignore only played 79 NHL games in all, while the team's second first-round pick in 1994, Ryan Smyth, played the first 770 NHL games of his career for Edmonton alone and has played over 1,000 NHL games overall.

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