Anthony Cristoforo
2023-24 Team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Date of Birth: Feb. 23, 2006
Place of Birth: Vaughan, ON, Canada
Ht: 5-foot-11 Wt: 180-pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: Defenceman
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2024 first-year eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting (North American): 194th
- Sportsnet/Cosentino: 32nd
- Draft Prospects Hockey: 55th
- Horn’s Top 100 for April: 73rd
- Forbes’ Top 96 for February: 44th
The Windsor Spitfires drafted Anthony Cristoforo 22nd overall in the 2022 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder came advertised as an offensive defenceman, living up to his billing right away and finishing second on the team in defensive scoring in 2022-23 with 41 points in 63 games. While he was thrown into the fire, he was able to use his skating, intelligence, and creativity to find open holes and build offence for his team. Defensively, it was a growing process as he wasn’t physical but showed a good stick and patience in his own zone. He finished sixth among Spitfires’ defencemen with a plus-10 rating.
With multiple defencemen graduating in the summer, the torch was passed to him in 2023-24 and he remained a bit of a work-in-progress. Offensively, he continued his creativity, adding 38 points in 67 games. He didn’t have the same support system to boost his numbers beyond the rookie totals, but he was able to maintain similar offensive totals and appeared to be more comfortable in the opponent’s zone.
Related: THW 2024 NHL Draft Guide
Defensively, Cristoforo can be hit-or-miss. He’s more than willing to block every shot he can get in front of and, if opponents try to get around him, he’s good at keeping them to the perimeter with his stick work. Despite the positives, there are plenty of areas for him to work on. He rarely takes the body and, when he’s guarding the net, his positioning allows players to get behind him. These played a part in him having the fourth-worst plus/minus in the OHL at minus-43 (second worst on the Spitfires).
Cristoforo still has a high ceiling but it’s going to take a lot of work and dedication to both zones to reach that. The offence is developing and a bright light on the team. However, his defensive game has significant room for improvement. He plays a very simplistic defensive game but, with the right systems and putting him into spots where he can succeed, it could develop to where he needs it to be.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Anthony Cristoforo – NHL Draft Projection
Last October, Cristoforo was given a B-rating by NHL Central Scouting, putting him in the second or third round of the draft. During the mid-term rankings, he was listed 101st among North American skaters. In the final rankings, he fell to 194th among North American skaters. While he has a lot to work on in his own end, there’s enough potential a team could take a chance on him as a diamond in the rough in the later rounds. Don’t count him out just yet.
Quotables
“Cristoforo doesn’t possess the effortless skating stride that made (Jamie) Drysdale a top-10 pick or the bold play-creating that made (Brandt) Clarke one, but he’s a well-rounded offensive defenseman who boasts strong edges and good skating in his own right, plays and defends really hard shift to shift, and has skill but always seems to make the right decisions. He plays a modern style and has what you want from a 5-foot-11 defenseman.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
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“Cristoforo is a smooth skater and puckhandler from the back end, showing some good vision and confidence with the puck. He uses his agility and tenacity to defend in-zone, but his physicality and defensive positioning needs improvement to defend at higher levels. He could have the puck skills to play on the power play as a pro and has the potential to become a depth defender in the NHL.” – Ontario-based FC Hockey Scout Joseph Aleong
“…Given his skill, poise, and vision, I want him to command the puck. Overall, Cristoforo is still a solid prospect thanks to his IQ. This is a very smart player. However, I do believe that there is some concern that he’s one of those heady, jack-of-all-trades types who can have difficulty transitioning. I just want to see him taking the bull by the horns to help lead this Windsor team out of their funk. Until I see more “dynamic” play from him, I feel more confident with him ranked in this range, rather than pushing for the first round as I had him preseason.” – Brock Otten – Director of Scouting for McKeen’s Hockey
Strengths
- Offensive awareness
- Intelligence
- Competitiveness
Under Construction – Improvements to Make
- Defensive awareness
- Physicality
- Motor
NHL Potential
Cristoforo is an offensive defenceman who had a high ceiling when he was drafted into the OHL. Unfortunately, getting thrown into the spotlight right away was difficult for him and it may have hurt his development. While he shows intelligence and creativity in his offensive game, his defensive game is passive with room for improvement. He likely has two more seasons with the Spitfires to work on everything. If he can continue to develop his offensive game while becoming more aggressive and commanding in his own zone, there’s a chance he could become a depth defenceman in the pros down the road.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk: 3.5/5, Reward: 3.5/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offence: 6/10, Defence: 5/10
Awards/Achievements
- OHL Second All-Rookie Team 2022-23
- U17 World Hockey Championships Silver Medal 2022-23
- Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gold Medal 2023-24
