Louie Caporusso

Louie Caporusso (born June 21, 1989) is a Canadian ice hockey player. He is currently playing for the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL). Caporusso was drafted by the Ottawa Senators him in the 3rd round (90th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Caporusso played from 2007 to 2011 with the University of Michigan Wolverines team. During the 2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season, he was named to the All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) first team. He was also named first-team AHCA/Reebok Division I Ice Hockey All-American. He led the nation in goals scored for most of the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. During the 2009–10 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season, he was named to the CCHA All-tournament team as he led the team to the championship. Prior to his time at the University of Michigan, he excelled in junior hockey in Ontario, Canada, which earned him a position as a draftee by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League before entering college. After finishing his senior season, Caporusso signed with the Senators on May 30, 2011.

Junior hockey
During the 2004–05 season, he played in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) for the Toronto Red Wings, recording 70 points including 41 goals in 56 games. The 70-point total made him the GTHL point leader for the season.

After his league leading performance, he was drafted by the Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League with the seventh selection of the tenth round, but instead of playing for them, he spent the following two seasons playing in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OPJHL) for the St. Michael's Buzzers. During the 2005–06 season, he scored in 73 points in 48 games and led the team to the OPJHL championship. Caporusso scored 50 points in 37 games during the 2006–07 season, but the team lost in the finals. Following the season, he was drafted with the 90th selection overall in the third round by the Ottawa Senators in the June 22, 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

As a junior player, he earned a variety of all-star selections. He participated in the 2006 Canadian Junior Hockey League Top Prospects Game, earning Team East MVP honors. In addition, he was selected for the 2007 Ontario Hockey Association Top Prospect Team and the 2007 OPJHL All-Star team. He was also a silver medalist for Team Canada East at the 2006 World Junior A Challenge where he was selected to tournament's all-star team.

College hockey
Caporusso, is described as a left-handed shooting forward by some sources, and he is described as either a left wing or a center by others. However, the Ann Arbor Press described him as a center. The Ottawa Senators have him listed as a centre.

As a freshman at Michigan, he scored 21 points, including 12 goals, in 33 games. That season he missed eight games due to a leg injury. As a sophomore during the 2008–09 season, Caporusso was one of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. During the season, he scored 49 points in 41 games. He was also named to the All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) first-team and AHCA/Reebok Division I Ice Hockey All-American first-team along with team mate Aaron Palushaj. In addition, he was selected to the CCHA All-Conference tournament team. One of the highlights of the season occurred when he scored the first three goals of the game in the first period (the first two within 24 seconds of each other) for the natural hat trick against Michigan Tech on December 27, 2008. During the first half of the season, he led the nation in goals scored. He played a different scoring role during the final nine regular season games, as the team went 8–1 and he scored two goals and posted 14 assists. Caporusso was named the team MVP at the end of the season.

In Caporusso's junior season, he posted 21 goals and 22 assists. Michigan began the season ranked number five in the nation, but Caporusso only scored one goal in his first ten games and had no multigoal games until well into February. Michigan entered the CCHA playoffs with a 19–17–1 record and was on the verge of breaking the team's nineteen consecutive year streak of qualifying for the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. However, the team won six consecutive games in the conference championship tournament to earn the automatic invitation. Caporusso scored both goals in the final 2–1 victory of the tournament and was named to the All-Tournament team. He also scored in the second period of the first game of the tournament to give Michigan a 2–0 lead. However, Michigan lost in the quarterfinal round in double overtime to the CCHA regular season champion Miami Redhawks.

As a senior, he served as captain of the team. The 2010–11 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team was the 2001–11 CCHA regular season champions. Subsequently, the team finished as runner-up in the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. Caporusso finished second on the team in scoring for the third consecutive season.

Professional career
Caporusso signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Senators on May 30, 2011. He was expected to join the Binghamton Senators to begin his professional career. On October 14, 2011, Caporusso was reassigned to the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL.

Personal
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Caporusso is from Woodbridge, Ontario. At the University of Michigan, Caporusso was enrolled in the School of Kinesiology and performed public service by visiting the U-M Mott Children’s Hospital. Caporusso is a 2007 graduate of the St. Michaels College School in Toronto.

Regular season and playoffs

 * All statistics taken from NHL.com