As a young junior star in Ontario, Paul DiPietro was a scoring star, but he always faced the criticism that his size would prevent him from succeeding in the rough-and-tumble NHL. Despite four strong offensive seasons in major junior hockey, DiPietro was selected in the fifth round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens in 1990, 102nd overall. Clearly there were not 101 players with more talent than DiPietro in that draft, but virtually all of those selected above him had more size than the 5'9" 180-pounder.
DiPietro joined the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL at the age of 16, playing 49 games, scoring five goals and eleven assists. With full-time duty in 1987-88, he scored 25 goals and 42 assists for 67 points in 63 games. He followed that up with a 79-point season, but it was his final year in 1989-90 when DiPietro really lit up the scoreboard, pumping in 56 goals and 63 assists for 119 points.
DiPietro would put in his dues with the Montreal Canadiens farm team in Fredericton for a season-and-a-half. It was clear he had the ability to put the puck in the net, scoring 65 times in 121 games, while racking up 127 points. That point per game average earned him a spot with the NHL club midway through the 1991-92 season. He found the game much faster at the NHL level and in 33 games managed just four goals and six assists.
In his only full season with Montreal, dressing for 70 games, DiPietro tallied 13 goals and 20 assists. Those were decent numbers, but not impressive enough to keep the Canadiens from sending him off to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1995. His stay in Toronto was quite short-lived and he found himself toiling in the minors much of the time.
The final NHL stop for DiPietro came in the 1996-97 season when he suited up for six games with the Los Angels Kings. After stops in Phoenix and Cincinnati of the now-defunct IHL, DiPietro picked up and moved to Europe where he continues to play.
On the international stage, DiPietro represented Switzerland at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2005, 2007 & 2008 World Championships.
