Tyler Cuma

Tyler Cuma (born January 19, 1990) is a Canadian-Austrian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for HC TWK Innsbruck of the Austrian Hockey League (IceHL). 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.

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

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, 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] Cuma opted to remain in the EBEL the following season, although leaving Graz as a free agent to sign with rivals, the Vienna Capitals on October 5, 2015.[4]

After sitting out the 2018–19 season, Cuma returned to the professional ranks, using his Austrian citizenship in obtaining a one-year non import contract with HC TWK Innsbruck of the EBEL on May 13, 2019.[5]

International play

Cuma has represented Canada the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships.

Style of play

Cuma is a two-way defenseman, who has a slightly offensive bent.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				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		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Vienna Capitals	EBEL		35	0	2	2	10		4	1	0	1	2
2016–17	Vienna Capitals	EBEL		41	3	8	11	28		12	0	4	4	6
2017–18	Vienna Capitals	EBEL		48	1	13	14	36		11	0	1	1	18
2019–20	HC TWK Innsbruck	EBEL		37	1	4	5	36		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				201	2	31	33	124		3	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
EBEL totals				192	6	34	40	145		27	1	5	6	26

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2007	Canada	IH18	4th		4	1	0	1	2
2008	Canada	WJC18			7	2	3	5	6
Junior totals					11	3	3	6	8

References

1. "Cuma suffers World Junior heartbreak for second straight year". The Sports Network. December 2, 2009. Archived from the original on December 6, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
2. "Cowen, Myers not alone in struggles". Ottawa Citizen. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
3. "99ers pick Canadian for try-out" (in German). Austrian Hockey League. September 30, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
4. "Tyler Cuma is a Cap". Vienna Capitals (in German). October 5, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
5. "Tyler Cuma a Shark!". HC TWK Innsbruck (in German). 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
6. "Tyler Cuma player profile". hockeysfuture.com. March 4, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2017.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database