Austin Poganski

{{Short description|American ice hockey player (born 1996)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

|image=Austin Poganski 2023.jpg

|caption = Poganski with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2023

| position = Right wing

| shoots = Right

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 205

| team = Tucson Roadrunners

| league = AHL

| prospect_team =

| prospect_league =

| former_teams = St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|2|16}}

| birth_place = St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S.

| career_start = 2018

| career_end =

| draft = 110th overall

| draft_year = 2014

| draft_team = St. Louis Blues

}}

Austin Richard Poganski (born February 16, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League (AHL). He was selected by the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL), 110th overall, in the 2014 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Poganski played junior hockey with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL) before committing to collegiate hockey with the University of North Dakota.{{cite web |url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/morning-skate/kyrou-poganski-in-lineup-as-blues-face-sabres/article_4fe4a849-4f67-5b62-a456-957d180a5460.html |title=Kyrou, Poganski in lineup as Blues face Sabres |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |last=Timmermann |first=Tom |date=December 10, 2019 |access-date=2019-12-10}} Prior to his freshman season with the Fighting Sioux, Poganski was selected by the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the fourth round, 110th overall at the 2014 NHL entry draft.{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/blues/news/blues-sign-three-players-to-entry-level-contracts/c-297317294 | title = Blues sign three players to entry-level contracts | publisher = St. Louis Blues | date = March 26, 2018 | access-date = March 26, 2018}} He won the national championship with the Fighting Sioux during the 2015–16 season. In his senior season in 2017–18, Pognnski served as captain of the Fighting Sioux. On March 26, 2018, having completed his collegiate career with the Fighting Sioux, Poganski signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues. He finished the 2017–18 season with the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Poganski spent the majority of the 2018–19 season in the AHL and the beginning of the 2019–20 season. He made his NHL debut for the Blues on December 10, 2019 versus the Buffalo Sabres playing on the fourth line with Mackenzie MacEachern and Jacob de la Rose. He was returned to the Rampage on December 13 and finished the season with them.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/blues-austin-poganski-sent-to-bus-league/ |title=Blues' Austin Poganski: Sent to bus league |work=CBS Sports |date=December 13, 2019 |access-date=November 24, 2023}} On October 18, 2020 Poganski signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Blues.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/blues-austin-poganski-inks-two-way-pact/ |title=Blues' Austin Poganski: Inks two-way pact |work=CBS Sports |date=October 18, 2020 |access-date=November 24, 2023}} In the pandemic-delayed and shortened {{NHL Year|2020}} season, Poganski remained on the Blues roster primarily assigned to the club's extended taxi squad roster.{{cite web |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/pandemic-pucks-lots-of-protocols-no-guarantees-for-blues/article_1f7a63a9-1737-5015-827a-f53f90efc117.html |title=Pandemic pucks: Lots of protocols, no guarantees for Blues |last=Thomas |first=Jim |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=December 27, 2020 |access-date=November 24, 2023}} Over the duration of the season, Poganski was limited to just five games, going scoreless.{{cite web |url= https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-sign-forward-austin-poganski-to-a-one-year-contract/c-325888580 | title = Jets sign forward Austin Poganski to a one-year contract | publisher = Winnipeg Jets | date = July 31, 2021 | access-date = July 31, 2021}}

As an unrestricted free agent from the Blues, Poganski was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets on July 31, 2021. Initially assigned to Winnipeg's AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, Poganski was recalled after several players were put on the COVID-19 protocol list.{{cite web |url=https://battlefordsnow.com/2022/01/13/winnipeg-jets-centre-paul-stastny-added-to-nhls-covid-19-protocol/ |title=Winnipeg Jets centre Paul Stastny added to NHL's COVID-19 protocol |work=Battleford Now |agency=The Canadian Press |date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2023}} Poganski got into 16 games with Winnipeg, going scoreless before being placed on waivers on March 3, 2022. After going unclaimed, he was returned to the Moose.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/jets-austin-poganski-lands-on-waivers/ |title=Jets' Austin Poganski: Lands on waivers |work=CBS Sports |date=March 3, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2023}}

At the conclusion of his contract with the Jets, Poganski was signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Seattle Kraken after agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract on July 13, 2022.{{cite web| url = https://www.nhl.com/kraken/news/kraken-qualify-five-players-big-week-ahead/c-334923612 | title = Four Cups, Three new Kraken | publisher = Seattle Kraken | date = July 13, 2022 | access-date = July 13, 2022}} Poganski was placed on waivers on October 2, 2022 and after going unclaimed, was assigned to Seattle's AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, during their inaugural season.{{cite web |url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/ice-chips-rasmus-sandin-toronto-maple-leafs-1.1856690 |title=Ice Chips: Penguins cut Nylander, 16 others from training camp |work=TSN |date=October 2, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2023}} He spent the entire year with Coachella, which went to the Calder Cup finals, but were defeated by the Hershey Bears in seven games.{{cite web |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/hockey/coachella-firebirds-fall-just-shy-of-calder-cup-in-inaugural-season/ |title=Coachella Valley Firebirds fall just shy of winning Calder Cup in inaugural season |work=The Seattle Times |last=Shefte |first=Kate |date=June 21, 2023 |access-date=November 24, 2023}}

Leaving the Kraken as a free agent, Poganski went un-signed over the summer. He accepted a professional tryout contract (PTO) to attend the Arizona Coyotes 2023 training camp and was later released to sign a PTO with their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, to begin the 2023–24 season.{{cite tweet| url = https://twitter.com/AZCoyotesPR/status/1708912998373531989?s=20 | title = The Coyotes announced today that the following players have been assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) |number=1708912998373531989 |user=AZCoyotesPR |author=Arizona Coyotes | date = October 3, 2023 | access-date = October 3, 2023 }}

Career statistics

=Regular season and playoffs=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! rowspan="98" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! colspan="5" | Regular season

! rowspan="98" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! colspan="5" | Playoffs

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Season

! Team

! League

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

2010–11

| St. Cloud Cathedral

| USHS

| 25

2213356

| 2

0330
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2011–12

| St. Cloud Cathedral

| USHS

| 25

2227496

| 2

2130
2012–13

| St. Cloud Cathedral

| USHS

| 23

25224714

| 3

109192
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2012–13

| Tri-City Storm

| USHL

| 2

1120

| —

2013–14

| Tri-City Storm

| USHL

| 55

19123157

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2014–15

| U. of North Dakota

| NCHC

| 38

4101419

| —

2015–16

| U. of North Dakota

| NCHC

| 44

10152518

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2016–17

| U. of North Dakota

| NCHC

| 40

12132545

| —

2017–18

| U. of North Dakota

| NCHC

| 40

1192016

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2017–18

| San Antonio Rampage

| AHL

| 4

1120

| —

2018–19

| San Antonio Rampage

| AHL

| 59

9223112

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2018–19

| Tulsa Oilers

| ECHL

| 3

2130

| —

2019–20

| San Antonio Rampage

| AHL

| 56

10203016

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2019–20

| St. Louis Blues

| NHL

| 1

0000

| —

2020–21

| St. Louis Blues

| NHL

| 5

0000

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2021–22

| Manitoba Moose

| AHL

| 49

9213020

| 5

0110
2021–22

| Winnipeg Jets

| NHL

| 16

0007

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2022–23

| Coachella Valley Firebirds

| AHL

| 70

8202830

| 24

22410
2023–24

| Tucson Roadrunners

| AHL

| 63

14173150

| 2

0002
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" |NHL totals

! 22 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 7

! — !! — !! — !! — !! —

=International=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Year

! Team

! Event

! Result

! rowspan="98" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

2013

| United States

| U17

| {{bronze3}}

| 6

6060
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2013

| United States

| IH18

| {{silver2}}

| 5

0224
ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan=4 | Junior totals

! 11 !! 6 !! 2 !! 8 !! 4

References

{{reflist}}