Paul Bittner

Paul Bittner (born November 4, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey Winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent who was most recently assigned to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League (NHL). Bittner has played major junior hockey with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Bittner was rated as a top prospect who was widely projected to be a first round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[1] He was, however, selected 38th overall, in the second round by the Blue Jackets in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Paul Bittner
Born (1996-11-04) November 4, 1996
Crookston, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shoots Left
team
Former teams		 Free Agent
Cleveland Monsters
NHL Draft 38th overall, 2015
Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

In 2012, Bittner joined the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League.[2] and in his first year he helped the Winterhawks capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as the 2012–13 WHL Champions.[3] During the 2014–15 season he was rewarded for his outstanding play when he was selected to skate in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.[4]

On August 20, 2015, Bittner was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.[5] After attending the Blue Jackets training camp, Bittner was returned to his junior club, the Winterhawks for the 2015–16 season. Hampered by injury, Bittner was limited to just 25 games with Portland, recording 21 points. Upon the completion of the Winterhawks season and a return to health, Bittner was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, on April 13, 2016, to make his professional debut to end the regular season.[6]

Following his fourth season within the Blue Jackets organization, Bittner as a restricted free agent was not tendered a qualifying offer, releasing him to free agency.[7]

International play

Bittner competed with Team USA at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.[8]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 Crookston High USHS 25 15 6 21 10 1 0 0 0 0
2012–13 Portland Winterhawks WHL 45 12 11 23 12 19 0 0 0 0
2013–14 Portland Winterhawks WHL 63 22 27 49 27 21 6 6 12 11
2014–15 Portland Winterhawks WHL 66 34 37 71 52 17 4 8 12 6
2015–16 Portland Winterhawks WHL 25 10 11 21 21 — — — — —
2015–16 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2016–17 Cleveland Monsters AHL 31 0 3 3 10 — — — — —
2017–18 Cleveland Monsters AHL 52 9 9 18 17 — — — — —
2018–19 Cleveland Monsters AHL 50 9 22 31 21 5 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Cleveland Monsters AHL 55 7 9 16 41 — — — — —
AHL totals 190 25 43 68 89 5 0 0 0 0

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2013 United States IH18 5 2 1 3 0
Junior totals 5 2 1 3 0

Awards and honors
Honors Year
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament 2013 [9]
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2015 [10]

References
  1. "Paul Bittner: the next ones profile". thehockeywriters.com. June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  2. "The Winterhawks agree terms with Paul Bittner". Oregon Live. April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  3. "Ed Chynoweth Cup Champions". Western Hockey League. June 25, 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  4. "Bittner named to top prospects game". Portland Winterhawks. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  5. "Blue Jackets sign forward Paul Bittner to entry-level contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  6. "Blue Jackets assign Bittner to Monsters". Lake Erie Monsters. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  7. "What were hearing with the Blue Jackets". The Athletic. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  8. "Paul Bittner prospect profile". hockeysfuture.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  9. "Ivan Hlinka Tournament commences". National Hockey League. September 23, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  10. "Team Orr dominates Team Cherry". CBC Sports. March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
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