Introduction
Derek Allen Ryan (born December 29, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing within the Carolina Hurricanes organization of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Ryan started his junior career with his hometown's Spokane Braves of the KIJHL from 2002-2004.
Ryan played four seasons of major junior hockey (2003–2007) in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with his hometown Spokane Chiefs. With limited NHL interest due to his diminutive size, he went on to play four seasons of Canadian college hockey (2007 – 2011) with the University of Alberta in the CWUAA conference of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). For his outstanding college hockey play he was named the CIS (West) Most Valuable Player for the 2010–11 season, and was also named to the 2010–11 CIS All-Canadian First Team.
Ryan embarked on a professional career in Europe and made his debut in the 2011–12 season in the Austrian League with Hungarian club, Alba Volán Székesfehérvár. After placing third in team scoring with 49 points in 50 games, Ryan was signed to an improved contract with Austrian club, EC VSV on July 7, 2012. In his second season in Villacher, Ryan lead the EBEL with 38 goals and finished with 84 points in 54 games. He was awarded the Ron Kennedy Trophy as the league's most valuable player for the 2013–14 season.
On April 10, 2014, Ryan moved to the Swedish Hockey League, signing a lucrative contract with Örebro HK. In the 2014–15 season, Ryan's rapid ascent in the professional leagues continued as he became the cornerstone of Örebro's offense and in leading the club to the playoffs, lead the SHL in scoring with 45 assists and 60 points to be selected as the league's Forward of the Year and the SHL Most Valuable player.
Earning NHL interest after defying initial size concerns, Ryan signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on June 15, 2015. Ryan was called up to the Hurricanes in March 2016 and made his NHL debut on March 1, 2016 against the New Jersey Devils. He scored his first NHL goal against Cory Schneider of the Devils.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 71 | 14 | 32 | 46 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 72 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 72 | 28 | 31 | 59 | 50 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Kalamazoo Wings | UHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | University of Alberta | CIS | 28 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | University of Alberta | CIS | 25 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | University of Alberta | CIS | 28 | 14 | 25 | 39 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | University of Alberta | CIS | 28 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Alba Volán Székesfehérvár | EBEL | 50 | 25 | 24 | 49 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | EC VSV | EBEL | 54 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | EC VSV | EBEL | 54 | 38 | 46 | 84 | 50 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | Örebro HK | SHL | 55 | 15 | 45 | 60 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 70 | 23 | 32 | 55 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SHL totals | 55 | 15 | 45 | 60 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| NHL totals | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CIS All-Canadian Second Team | 2009–10 | |
| CIS (West) Most Valuable Player | 2010–11 | |
| CIS First-Team All-Canadian | 2010–11 | |
| SHL Most Valuable Player | 2014–15 |