Michael Souza

Michael Souza, (born January 28, 1978) often referred to as Mike Souza, is a professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Bolzano-Bozen Foxes of the Serie A. Born and raised in the United States, Souza later gained Italian Citizenship and participated at the 2009 and 2010 IIHF World Championship as a member of the Italy men's national ice hockey team.
==Playing career==
Souza was born in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Souza attended the University of New Hampshire from 1996 to 2000. He is a cousin of fellow UNH player Paul Thompson. In 1997 Souza was drafted 67th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. At UNH Souza was noted for his speed and skating skill. In 1999 UNH reached the championship game of the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. In the championship game Souza scored a key goal in the third period to force overtime. Maine won in overtime, however. In 2000 Souza was a member of the Hockey East All Star team. 
After leaving UNH he played in the AHL for three seasons with the Norfolk Admirals and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In 2001 and 2002 he attended the Chicago Blackhawks' training camp. The next two seasons Souza split his time between the ECHL and the AHL, playing for the Florence Pride and Reading Royals of the ECHL, and the Portland Pirates, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and Hershey Bears of the AHL. 
In 2005 Souza began to play in Europe. In the 2005–06 season Souza played for the Cologne Sharks of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, EHC Basel of the Swiss National League A, and EHC Olten of the Swiss National League B. In 2006 he moved to Italy to play in the Serie A. He played with SG Cortina for four seasons before moving to the Bolzano-Bozen Foxes in 2010.
==Career statistics==
  	  	  	 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	 	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1996–97 	U. of New Hampshire 	HE 	 	39 	15 	11 	26 	20 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1997–98 	U. of New Hampshire 	HE 	 	38 	13 	12 	25 	36 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1998–99 	U. of New Hampshire 	HE 	 	41 	23 	42 	65 	38 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1999–2000	U. of New Hampshire 	HE 	 	38 	15 	25 	40 	58 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Norfolk Admirals 	AHL 	 	75 	14 	17 	31 	44 	 	3 	0 	0 	0 	2
2001–02 	Norfolk Admirals 	AHL 	 	66 	20 	11 	31 	58 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Norfolk Admirals 	AHL 	 	5 	2 	2 	4 	7 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL 	 	59 	7 	15 	22 	89 	 	9 	0 	1 	1 	12
2003–04 	Florence Pride 	ECHL 	 	17 	8 	13 	21 	29 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Portland Pirates 	AHL 	 	27 	5 	5 	10 	16 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL 	 	14 	4 	1 	5 	22 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2004–05 	Reading Royals 	ECHL 	 	12 	6 	3 	9 	20 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2004–05 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	53 	14 	8 	22 	36 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2005–06 	Cologne Sharks 	DEL 	 	5 	0 	1 	1 	6 	 	9 	1 	1 	2 	14
2005–06 	EHC Basel 	NLA 	 	3 	1 	0 	1 	4 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2005–06 	EHC Olten 	NLB 	 	23 	16 	18 	34 	38 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	SG Cortina 	Serie A 	 	31 	22 	31 	53 	32 	 	8 	5 	5 	10 	12
2007–08 	SG Cortina 	Serie A 	 	31 	13 	15 	28 	32 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2008–09 	SG Cortina 	Serie A 	 	42 	23 	20 	43 	34 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	SG Cortina 	Serie A 	 	28 	6 	11 	17 	12 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
Serie A totals 	Serie A totals 	Serie A totals	 	132 	64 	77 	141 	110 	 	8 	5 	5 	10 	12
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
*Mike Souza statistics at Hockeydb.com
Category:Italian ice hockey players
Category:New Hampshire Wildcats players
Category:Born in 1978
Category:American ice hockey players
Category:Norfolk Admirals players
Category:Bridgeport Sound Tigers players
Category:Hershey Bears players
Category:EHC Basel players
Category:SG Cortina players
Category:Bolzano HC players
Category:Member of the Italian National Team