Stéphane Da Costa

Stéphane Da Costa
Da Costa in 2013.
Born July 11, 1989
Paris, France
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
KHL team
Former teams 		CSKA Moscow
Ottawa Senators
National team  France
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2011–present

Stéphane Da Costa (born July 11, 1989) is a French professional ice hockey player who is currently a member of HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Born in France, Da Costa moved to the United States (US), as a junior to develop as a player. After junior, Da Costa moved on to US college hockey, playing two seasons with Merrimack College. He signed as a free agent with the National Hockey League (NHL) Ottawa Senators in 2011, and played three seasons in the organization, including 47 games with Ottawa. In 2014, he left the organization as a free agent, signing with CSKA.

Playing career

Amateur

Da Costa moved from his native country of France to the United States to play junior hockey for the Texas Tornado of the NAHL at the age of 17, and not being able to speak English.[1] With the Tornado in 2006-07, Da Costa had 23 goals and 40 points in 50 games to finish tied for third in team scoring.

Da Costa moved to the USHL in 2007-08, as he joined the Sioux City Musketeers. In his first season with the team, Da Costa had 12 goals and 37 points in 51 games, helping the team qualify for the playoffs. In four playoff games, Da Costa had a goal and three points.

He returned to the Musketeers for a second season in 2008-09, as he led the team in scoring with 31 goals and 67 points in 48 games, however, Sioux City failed to qualify for the post-season.

Da Costa joined Merrimack College of Hockey East in North Andover, Massachusetts for the 2009-10 season. In his second game of his freshman season, Da Costa scored five goals against the Army Black Knights. He finished the season with 16 goals and 45 points in 34 games. After the season, Da Costa won the National Rookie of the Year, USCHO Rookie of the Year, Inside College Hockey Rookie of the Year, College Hockey News Rookie of the Year, and Hockey East Rookie of the Year.[2][3]

After receiving numerous offers from NHL teams to sign as a free agent, Da Costa decided on returning to Merrimack for a second season in 2010-11. He once again led the team in scoring with 14 goals and 45 points in 33 games. He missed some games in February due to a knee injury he suffered.[4]

Professional

On March 30, 2011, Da Costa signed as an undrafted free agent with the Ottawa Senators of the NHL. He made his NHL debut in the 2010–11 season, appearing in four games with the Senators and registering no points. His first NHL game was on April 2, 2011 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Da Costa became the sixth player born in France to play in the NHL, joining Cristobal Huet, Philippe Bozon, Pat Daley, Paul MacLean and Andre Peloffy, and the third French-born and trained NHL player (along with Bozon and Huet and before Antoine Roussel).[5][6]

After an impressive training camp to start the 2011–12 season, Da Costa made the Senators' opening night roster and joined the team for their first game. He registered his first NHL point on October 8 in his second game of the season; a goal in a 6-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs against goaltender James Reimer.[7] After scoring three goals and five points in 22 games in Ottawa, Da Costa was reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, on November 27, 2011. In Binghamton, Da Costa registered thirteen goals and thirty-six points in forty-six games, including his first professional hat trick on December 26, 2011, in an 8-3 Binghamton victory over the Albany Devils.[8]

On July 25, 2012, the Senators announced that they had re-signed Da Costa to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal would pay $800,000 if he played in Ottawa and $80,000 if he returned to Binghamton for a second season.[9] The 2012-13 NHL lockout forced Da Costa to begin the season in Binghamton, where he recorded nine goals and 15 assists in his first 31 games. He was recalled to Ottawa on February 3, 2013, following two straight losses by the Senators.[10]

On July 12, 2014, Da Costa left North America and signed as a free agent to a one-year contract with HC CSKA Moscow of the Russian KHL.[11]

International play

Da Costa plays his international hockey with France, and played in his first international tournament at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships - Division I held in Bad Tolz, Germany. In five games with France, Da Costa had five goals and 10 points, however, France finished with a 1-4-0 record. Da Costa returned for the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships - Division I held in Herisau, Switzerland, as he scored four goals and 13 points in five games, helping France to a 3-2-0 record.

Da Costa played for the French team at the 2009 IIHF World Championship held in Bern and Kloten, Switzerland where he had two assists in six games, as France finished in 12th place. Da Costa was once again named to France for the 2010 IIHF World Championship held in Cologne, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen, Germany as he scored a goal and three points in five games, however, France fell to 14th place. In the 2011 IIHF World Championship held in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia, Da Costa was held to an assist in five games as France finished in 12th place. He once again suited up for France at the 2012 IIHF World Championship, scoring a goal and six points in seven games in France's best finish at the Worlds since 1995; 9th place. Da Costa scored the insurance goal for France in a key 4-2 upset of Switzerland.

In the 2014 IIHF World Championship opener for France on May 9, he scored 2 goals in a 3-2 shoot-out victory over Canada, a major upset.[12][13][14] Da Costa would score twice again in France's 6-2 defeat of Denmark, marking the team's first qualification to the World Championship quarterfinals since 1995.[15]

Personal

A native of Paris, Da Costa is the son of a French and Portuguese father and Polish mother. His two brothers, Teddy and Gabriel , also play hockey in the Finnish Mestis and French Ligue Magnus, respectively.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Texas Tornado NAHL 50 23 17 40 31 — — — — —
2007–08 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 51 12 25 37 22 4 1 2 3 8
2008–09 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 48 31 36 67 23 — — — — —
2009–10 Merrimack College Warriors HE 34 16 29 45 41 — — — — —
2010–11 Merrimack College Warriors HE 33 14 31 45 42 — — — — —
2010–11 Ottawa Senators NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2011–12 Ottawa Senators NHL 22 3 2 5 8 — — — — —
2011–12 Binghamton Senators AHL 46 13 23 36 12 — — — — —
2012–13 Binghamton Senators AHL 57 13 25 38 26 3 0 1 1 0
2012–13 Ottawa Senators NHL 9 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Ottawa Senators NHL 12 3 1 4 2 — — — — —
2013–14 Binghamton Senators AHL 56 18 40 58 32 4 2 2 4 4
2014–15 CSKA Moscow KHL 46 30 32 62 12 11 4 4 8 8
NHL totals 47 7 4 11 10 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
2006 France WJC18-D1 5 3 6 9 2
2008 France WJC-D1 5 5 5 10 8
2009 France WJC-D1 5 4 9 13 4
2009 France WC 6 0 2 2 0
2010 France WC 5 1 2 3 14
2011 France WC 5 0 1 1 6
2012 France WC 7 1 5 6 4
2014 France WC 8 3 6 9 6
Junior totals 15 12 20 32 14
Senior totals 34 7 16 23 34

Awards and honours

Award Year
All-Hockey East Rookie Team 2009–10
All-Hockey East Second Team 2009–10
All-Hockey East Second Team 2010–11
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 2010–11

References

  1. ↑ Merritt, Andrew (December 2, 2010). "Getting to Merrimack was biggest hurdle for Da Costa". Hockeyjournal.com (New England Hockey Journal). Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  2. ↑ USCHO Staff Report (April 9, 2010). "Merrimack's Da Costa named Hockey Commissioners’ Rookie of the Year". USCHO.com. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Merrimack's Da Costa named Rookie of the Year". HockeyEastOnline. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Highly-Touted College Prospect Da Costa Suffers Knee Injury". TSN.ca. TSN.ca staff. February 12, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Merk, Martin (April 1, 2011). "Senators sign Da Costa". IIHF.com. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Senators Land Highly-Touted College Free Agent Da Costa". TSN.ca. March 31, 2011.
  7. ↑ Ryan, Dennis (October 8, 2011). "Kessel's hat trick helps Leafs hold off Senators 6-5". nhl.com. National Hockey League.
  8. ↑ http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=608615 B-Sens Weekly: It's a holiday hat trick for Da Costa
  9. ↑ Da Costa deal gives Paris native more time to grow http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=638641
  10. ↑ Senators recall centre Stephane Da Costa http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2013/02/03/sp-nhl-ottawa-senators-recall-stephane-da-costa.html
  11. ↑ "Stephane Da Costa joins CSKA" (in Russian). HC CSKA Moscow. 2014-07-12. Retrieved 2014-07-12.
  12. ↑ Hornby, Lance (9 May 2014). "France upsets Canada at world hockey championship". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Whyno, Stephen (9 May 2014). "Canada suffers shocking loss to France at hockey worlds". Globe and Mail (Minsk, Belarus). Canadian Press. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "France defeats Canada in shootout at World Championship". TSN. Canadian Press. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  15. ↑ France wins and advances, IIHF

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Kieran Millan		 Hockey East Rookie of the Year
2009–10 		Succeeded by
Charlie Coyle
Preceded by
Kieran Millan		 NCAA Ice Hockey National Rookie of the Year
2009–10 		Succeeded by
T. J. Tynan