Kristofers Bindulis

Kristofers "Kris" Bindulis (born September 17, 1995) is a Latvian professional ice hockey defenseman. He is currently playing for HKM Zvolen of the Slovak Extraliga.

Kristofers Bindulis
Born	(1995-09-18) 18 September 1995 (age 29) Riga, Latvia
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
Slovak team Former teams	HKM Zvolen Hershey Bears Krefeld Pinguine Motor České Budějovice
National team	Latvia
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2017–present

Playing career

Bindulis first played two seasons in his native Latvia from 2011 to 2013 before opting to develop his game in the United States further. He first played in the North American Hockey League with the Soo Eagles in 2013–14 before splitting the following year between the Eagles and the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League.

In the 2016–17 season, he was recruited to play collegiate hockey with Lake Superior State University of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. As a freshman, he contributed with 1 goal and 12 points in 28 games before opting to conclude his collegiate career by signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on March 8, 2017.^[1]

Bindulis split the tenure of his entry-level contract between the Capitals' affiliate, the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. After his three-year deal, Bindulis left North America as a restricted free agent from the Capitals and signed a one-year contract with German club Krefeld Pinguine of the DEL on 5 August 2020.^[2]

International play

Bindulis played in two junior tournament with the Latvian national junior team at the 2013 World Under-18 Championships and the Division I 2015 World Junior Championships.

He was later selected and made his senior debut for Latvia at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, appearing in 5 games.^[3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011–12	SK Riga 17	LHL		35	2	11	13	16		3	0	0	0	0
2012–13	HK Juniors Riga	LHL		17	2	6	8	20		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	HK Juniors Riga	MHL-B		34	4	6	10	62		3	0	0	0	2
2013–14	Soo Eagles	NAHL		52	0	11	11	64		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Soo Eagles	NAHL		28	1	5	6	29		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Des Moines Buccaneers	USHL		30	1	1	2	6		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Aston Rebels	NAHL		57	10	36	46	75		8	3	2	5	4
2016–17	Lake Superior State University	WCHA		28	1	11	12	20		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Hershey Bears	AHL		12	0	1	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL		34	4	11	15	10		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Hershey Bears	AHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL		50	6	17	23	20		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Krefeld Pinguine	DEL		35	2	1	3	12		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Motor České Budějovice	ELH		49	2	3	5	16		1	0	0	0	2
AHL totals				16	0	1	1	8		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013	Latvia	WJC18	10th		6	0	0	0	6
2015	Latvia	WJC-D1	15th		5	0	0	0	27
2017	Latvia	WC	10th		5	0	0	0	0
Junior totals					11	0	0	0	33
Senior totals					5	0	0	0	0