After 74- and 80-point seasons with Youngstown of the United States Hockey League from 2013-15, Connor was selected in the first round (No. 17) of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
Before making his NHL debut, Connor played one season at the University of Michigan, where he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year as a freshman after finishing with 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists) in 38 games and finished second to Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in NCAA hockey.
After 74- and 80-point seasons with Youngstown of the United States Hockey League from 2013-15, Connor was selected in the first round (No. 17) of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
Before making his NHL debut, Connor played one season at the University of Michigan, where he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year as a freshman after finishing with 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists) in 38 games and finished second to Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in NCAA hockey.
Connor signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Jets on April 11, 2016. He spent most of the 2016-17 season with Manitoba of the American Hockey League, but played 20 games with the Jets and scored his first NHL goal in a 4-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 27, 2016.
Connor began the 2017-18 season with Manitoba, but was recalled by the Jets on Oct. 16, 2017, and scored a goal the next night against the Columbus Blue Jackets; he went on to lead NHL rookies with 31 goals, helping the Jets to their best season in franchise history (52-20-10, 114 points). He also had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 17 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Jets, who advanced to the Western Conference Final before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
He showed his rookie season was no fluke by scoring 34 goals in 2018-19 and bettering that total in his third season.
Connor in 2021-22 became the first Jets/Atlanta Thrashers player to win the Lady Byng Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player voted to best combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability. He led Winnipeg and set NHL career highs in goals (47), assists (46) and points (93) in 79 games this season, and was assessed two minor penalties, the fewest among the top 100 scorers in the NHL (minimum, 50 games), while leading Jets forwards in ice time per game (21:47).
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- USHL First All-Star Team (2014, 2015)
- USHL Player of the Year (2015)
- Big Ten All-Rookie Team (2016)
- Big Ten First All-Star Team (2016)
- Big Ten Rookie of the Year (2016)
- Big Ten Player of the Year (2016)
- NCAA West First All-American Team (2016)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (2022)
