Last year, his first with the Islanders, Kuhnhackl scored nine points (four goals and five assists) in 36 games. He also played in all eight Islanders playoff games, recording three assists.

Prior to playing with the Islanders, Kuhnhackl spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, totaling 39 points (11 goals and 28 assists) in 168 games. The Landshut, Germany native won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Kuhnhackl has reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his four seasons in the NHL with Pittsburgh and the Islanders, scoring ten points (three goals and seven assists) in 55 games.

Drafted in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Kuhnhackl played four seasons in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring 59 points (29 goals and 30 assists) and a registering a +19 rating in 154 games. The 6'2, 196-pound wing played in 10 Calder Cup Playoff games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, earning two assists.

Kuhnhackl played two years of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Windsor Spitfires and the Niagara IceDogs. He averaged a point per game in the OHL, 97 points (47 goals and 50 assists) in 97 games.