C. J. Suess
American forward who played one season in the Sharks organization.
Last updated
C. J. Suess is an American professional ice hockey forward who played college hockey for the Minnesota State Mavericks and later signed with the San Jose Sharks organization. He is notable for being named WCHA Player of the Year and for his 127 career points, tied for fifth on the school's NCAA Division I era scoring list.
Lore & Background
Suess was born Clinston R. Franklin in Roseville, Minnesota, and began skating at age four in White Bear Lake. He attended Forest Lake Area High School, where he played hockey under former Minnesota State defenseman Aaron Forsythe, earning three letters and two Suburban East All-Conference selections. He also played baseball and helped his team qualify for the 2010 state tournament before breaking his ankle.
After high school, he played for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, leading the team with 32 goals and 28 assists in 63 games. He served as an alternate captain for Team USA at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, winning a gold medal. He was drafted 129th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Reader's Guide
Suess played college hockey at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 2014 to 2018. He switched from left wing to center during his sophomore season to improve his speed through the zone. He was named co-captain as a junior and captain as a senior.
In his senior year, he changed his last name from Franklin to Suess in honor of his mother. He was named WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Offensive Player of the Year, and selected for the WCHA First All-Star Team and All-American First Team. He signed an amateur tryout with the Manitoba Moose after college. He made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets on November 11, 2019, against the San Jose Sharks, playing 6:26.
On July 13, 2022, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks. After one season in the Sharks organization, he left as a free agent and returned to the Manitoba Moose. In 2025, he signed his first contract abroad with Dresdner Eislöwen of the DEL.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2009–10 | Forest Lake High School | USHS | 25 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | Forest Lake High School | USHS | 25 | 23 | 10 | 33 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | Forest Lake High School | USHS | 25 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 2012–13 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 63 | 32 | 28 | 60 | 60 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 2013–14 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 53 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 43 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2014–15 | Minnesota State | WCHA | 37 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Minnesota State | WCHA | 41 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Minnesota State | WCHA | 39 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Minnesota State | WCHA | 40 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 26 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 57 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 31 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 46 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2021–22 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | San Jose Barracuda | AHL | 46 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 68 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 71 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | United States | WJAC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2014 | |
| College | ||
| WCHA All-Rookie Team | 2015 | |
| WCHA Second All-Star Team | 2017 | |
| WCHA First All-Star Team | 2018 | |
| WCHA Offensive Player of the Year | 2018 | |
| WCHA Player of the Year | 2018 | |
| West First All-American Team | 2018 | |
| Hobey Baker Award Finalist | 2018 | |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: C. J. Suess (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
More in San Jose Sharks Players
Test yourself
Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.
Answers checked against the source article
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: C. J. Suess (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced