Danny Kristo

Playing career

Kristo was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft. He played college hockey at the University of North Dakota in the NCAA Men's Division I WCHA conference. During his senior year, his performance earned him a place on the 2012–13 All-WCHA First Team. On July 2, 2013, the Canadiens traded him to the New York Rangers for right winger Christian Thomas. The Rangers re-signed him as a restricted free agent on August 19, 2014, to a one-year contract worth $826,875. He left the Rangers as a free agent on July 2, 2015, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues. In the 2015–16 season, he was assigned to the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, where he played 71 games and recorded 25 goals and 48 points. He re-signed with the Blues on August 2, 2016, on another one-year, two-way deal. During the 2016–17 season, after 2 assists in 8 games with the Wolves, the Blues traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Reid McNeill on November 19, 2016. He then played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, tallying 6 goals and 11 points in 32 games. On February 23, 2017, the Penguins traded him along with a second-round draft pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for Ron Hainsey. He finished the season with the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, contributing 10 points in 14 games. With limited NHL prospects, he signed his first contract abroad on June 30, 2017, a one-year deal with Dinamo Riga of the KHL. After two seasons in the Swiss National League with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, he returned to the KHL on July 29, 2020, signing a one-year contract with HC Kunlun Red Star. He scored 4 goals in 14 games for Kunlun before moving to the German club Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga on January 8, 2021. As a free agent after that season, he signed a one-year contract with Rytíři Kladno of the Czech ELH on July 14, 2021. In October 2022, following a stint in Slovakia with HK Dukla Michalovce, he moved to the UK to sign with the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey League. In July 2023, he moved to fellow Elite League club Coventry Blaze.