Phillip Di Giuseppe
Canadian forward drafted by Hurricanes, played in four NHL organizations.
Phillip Di Giuseppe is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward, currently playing for IF Björklöven in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was selected 38th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2012 NHL entry draft.
Di Giuseppe was born in Maple, Ontario, to Luciano and Cathy. His father works as a general contractor, and his mother is in finance. He started playing hockey at age seven.
He played amateur hockey for the Vaughan Kings in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and the Villanova Knights in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). In 2009–10, he put up 16 goals and 31 assists in 56 games with the Knights. That season, the Niagara IceDogs drafted him in the sixth round of the 2009 OHL Draft, but he chose to stay in the OJHL for 2010–11. There, he broke out with 24 goals and 39 assists for 63 points, then added six goals and ten assists in ten playoff games. He was named to the South-East Conference All-Prospects Second Team.
While with the Knights, Di Giuseppe committed to the University of Michigan for the 2011–12 season. He played three seasons for the Wolverines in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), studying in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He made an immediate impact alongside Chris Brown and A.J. Treais, scoring his first two NCAA goals on October 8 in a 4–1 win over Bentley. By the end of October, his line had 28 points, earning him CCHA Rookie of the Month for October and Rookie of the Week for the week ending October 31. Around that time, his OHL rights were traded to the Windsor Spitfires along with Jaroslav Pavelka and draft picks for Tom Kühnhackl and a second-round pick. Shortly after, he was invited to try out for Team Canada’s National Junior Team ahead of the 2012 World Juniors. By late November, he led Michigan with seven goals in 16 games and was one of two NCAA freshmen on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s preliminary “Ones to Watch” list, ranked 28th among North American skaters in the mid-term rankings. He struggled offensively in the second half, going six games without a point and nearly two months without a goal, but picked up five points in six playoff games. He finished his freshman year with 26 points, second among team rookies. That summer, the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him in the second round, 38th overall.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1993-10-09
- Birth Place
- Maple, Ontario, Canada
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 0
- Weight Lb
- 192
- Position
- Left wing
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- SHL
- Team
- IF Björklöven
- Former Teams
- Carolina Hurricanes / Nashville Predators / New York Rangers / Vancouver Canucks
- Draft
- 38th overall
- Draft Year
- 2012
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Di Giuseppe played amateur hockey with the Vaughan Kings and Villanova Knights before committing to the University of Michigan. He played three seasons with the Michigan Wolverines from 2011 to 2014, finishing his freshman year with 26 points and being drafted in the second round by Carolina. He signed an entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in March 2014 and made his NHL debut on December 5, 2015, in a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
After being re-signed by Carolina to a one-year, two-way contract in July 2017, Di Giuseppe was claimed on waivers by the Nashville Predators in January 2019. He later signed with the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets, spending significant time in the AHL. He won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks in June 2025. After 12 professional seasons in North America, he signed his first overseas contract with IF Björklöven of the SHL in July 2026.
Reader's Guide
Di Giuseppe's career illustrates the path of a second-round draft pick who carved out a professional career primarily in the AHL while earning occasional NHL call-ups. His time with the Hurricanes began with a three-year entry-level contract after 115 NCAA games at Michigan. He was recalled by Carolina in December 2015 and made his NHL debut that same month. The Hurricanes re-signed him to a one-year, two-way contract in July 2017 before he was claimed off waivers by Nashville in January 2019. His NHL appearances were limited: he played 20 games with the Rangers in the 2019–20 season and later shuffled between the NHL and AHL with Vancouver. His most productive AHL season came in 2021–22 with Abbotsford, where he set career highs with 24 assists and 36 points. He won the Calder Cup with Abbotsford in June 2025. After a season with the Winnipeg Jets organization in 2025–26, he moved to Sweden to play for IF Björklöven in the SHL, marking his first professional experience outside North America.
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