Tyler Cuma

Tyler Cuma
Born	January 19, 1990 Scarborough, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	193 lb (88 kg; 13 st 11 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
team Former teams	Free Agent Minnesota Wild Graz 99ers
NHL Draft	23rd overall, 2008 Minnesota Wild
Playing career	2010–present

Tyler Cuma (born January 19, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently an unrestricted free agent who last played for the Graz 99ers of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft when he was playing for the Ottawa 67's.

Playing career

Junior

Cuma began his major junior career in the OHL with the Ottawa 67's in 2006–07. He was drafted sixth overall in the 2006 OHL Priority Draft.

He recorded 19 (3 goals, 16 assists) points in his rookie season before improving to 32 (4 goals, 28 assists) points in 59 games in 2007-08. That year, he was named the 67's Top Scholastic Player and played in the OHL All-Star Game.

Cuma's 2008–09 season, his third with the 67's, was cut short after sustaining a knee injury during Team Canada's 2009 World Junior selection camp in December 2008.^[1] He appeared in just 21 games, scoring nine points. It was thought that he might have made the Minnesota Wild's roster that year.^[2]

Cuma's last year in the OHL was the 2009-10 season, where he got 22 points (5 goals, 17 assists) in 52 games.

Professional

Cuma's first AHL season was in 2010–11, when he played for the Houston Aeros. That year, he played 31 games, getting 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) before suffering a knee injury in February.

In the 2011-12 season, Cuma played 73 games, getting 9 assists for the Houston Aeros. Cuma made his NHL debut in April 2011–12, playing for the Minnesota Wild in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, getting 2 PIM in 11 minutes on ice.

In 2012-13, Cuma spent the entire season with the Houston Aeros, playing in 42 games, getting 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists). He suffered a foot injury which caused him to miss a month.

As a free agent from the Wild, Cuma belatedly signed a trial contract into the 2014–15 season with Austrian club, the Graz 99ers of the EBEL on September 30, 2014.^[3]

International play

Cuma has represented Canada at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and the 2008 World Junior Championships.

Style of play

Cuma is a two-way defenseman, who has a slightly offensive bent.^[4]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006–07	Ottawa 67's	OHL		63	3	16	19	55		5	0	2	2	6
2007–08	Ottawa 67's	OHL		59	4	28	32	69		4	1	1	2	2
2008–09	Ottawa 67's	OHL		21	1	8	9	27		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Ottawa 67's	OHL		52	5	17	22	73		12	0	5	5	20
2010–11	Houston Aeros	AHL		31	1	3	4	15		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Houston Aeros	AHL		73	0	9	9	48		2	0	0	0	0
2011–12	Minnesota Wild	NHL		1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Houston Aeros	AHL		42	1	11	12	14		1	0	0	0	0
2013–14	Iowa Wild	AHL		55	0	8	8	47		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Graz 99ers	EBEL		31	1	7	8	35		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—

References

1. "Cuma suffers World Junior heartbreak for second straight year". The Sports Network. 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
2. "Cowen. Myers struggle". Ottawa Citizen. 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
3. "99ers pick Canadian for try-out" (in German). Austrian Hockey League. 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
4. "Tyler Cuma player profile". hockeysfuture.com. 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-04.

External links

• Tyler Cuma's player profile at NHL.com
• Tyler Cuma's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
• Tyler Cuma's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database