Kyle Turris

Kyle Turris (born August 14, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He is currently a restricted free agent whose rights belong to the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected third overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
As a 16-year-old in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Turris scored 72 points in 57 games for the Burnaby Express in 2005–06 and was awarded the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy for the Coastal Conference as rookie of the year. The following year, he finished second in league scoring with 121 points and was named the Coastal Conference's Most Valuable Player. Adding 26 points in 14 games, Turris led the Express to the BCHL championship, advancing to the 2006 Royal Bank Cup, Canada's national Junior A championship. He would score a hat trick in the final game against the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL and led the tournament in scoring as the Express won the championship.

Named the 2007 Canadian Junior A Player of the Year, he was ranked first overall among North American skaters by Central Scouting and third among all skaters by International Scouting Services for the upcoming draft. In the subsequent 2007 NHL Entry Draft, he was drafted third overall by the Phoenix Coyotes, behind Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk. Turris stands as the highest ever drafted Tier II Junior "A" player since the level's inception by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1970.

Turris had the option of playing major junior rather than Junior A, as his WHL rights were held by the Vancouver Giants, but he opted to stay with the Express so that he could play collegiate hockey in the U.S. once eligible. Accordingly, Turris joined the Wisconsin Badgers of the NCAA's Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2007–08 and recorded a team-high 35 points in 36 games.

After Turris's season in Wisconsin ended, he signed an entry level contract with the Phoenix Coyotes on March 31, 2008, and joined the team for their final three games of the season. He made his NHL debut on April 3 against the Dallas Stars and recorded his first point, an assist, in his third game on April 6 against the Anaheim Ducks.

Starting 2008–09 with the Coyotes the following season, Turris scored his first NHL goal on October 12, 2008, digging a rebound out from under goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère's pad in a 4-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks.

After becoming a restricted free agent on July 1, 2011, failed contract negotiations with the Coyotes resulted in Turris holding out for the start of the 2011–12 season. With Turris absent from Phoenix's training camp, ESPN reported in September 2011 that Turris had requested a US$3–4 million salary. His demands caused speculation in the media that he wanted to be traded from the team. By late-October, a month into the season, Turris' agent, Kurt Overhardt, confirmed that the player had requested a trade, asserting that contract negotiations had "never been about money".

International play
In the 2005 World U-17 Hockey Challenge Turris earned a silver medal playing for Canada Pacific. The following year, he received gold with Team Canada at the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament

Early in his second season in the BCHL, Turris competed in the inaugural 2006 World Junior A Challenge, an international Junior A tournament. Playing with Canada West, he led the tournament in scoring and was named tournament MVP as Canada West won the gold medal over Canada East. At the end of the 2006-07 season, he competed in the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships, although Team Canada failed to medal.

Several months later, Turris played in the 2007 Super Series, an eight-game challenge series between Russia and Canada's national under-20 teams. He led the series in goal scoring with 7 as Canada won the series 7-0-1. In the eighth and final game, held in his hometown of Vancouver, Turris scored 2 goals and was named the game MVP.

In 2008, Turris led Team Canada in scoring at the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic en route to a gold medal.

Personal life
Turris was born to Bruce and Vikky Turris in New Westminster, British Columbia. Bruce Turris is a retired lacrosse player, inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame as a former member of the Western Lacrosse Association's Vancouver Burrards.

Turris graduated high school from St. Thomas More Collegiate in Burnaby, British Columbia. Growing up, he excelled in numerous sports. He was a member of the junior New Westminster Salmonbellies lacrosse team and also played the position of quarterback for three years before focusing on hockey full-time.

Awards and achievements

 * 2006 BCHL Coastal Division Rookie of the Year
 * 2006 World Junior A Challenge Most Valuable Player award
 * 2006 World Junior A Challenge All-Star Team
 * 2006 World Junior A Challenge Scoring Champion
 * 2007 RBC Financial Group Canadian Junior A Player of the Year
 * 2007 BCHL Player of the Year
 * 2007 WCHA Preseason Freshman of the Year
 * 2008 All-WCHA Third Team All-star
 * 2008 WCHA All-Rookie Team

Career statistics
Please note: The 2005–06 playoff statistics include the BCHL playoffs, Doyle Cup series , and Royal Bank Cup 2006 .