Kerby Rychel (born October 7, 1994) is an American-born
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
who is currently an
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. He most recently played under contract with the
Charlotte Checkers
The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL). He was selected by the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
in the first round (19th overall) of the
2013 NHL Entry Draft
The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Alek ...
. He was born in
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...
, but grew up in
Tecumseh, Ontario
Tecumseh is a town in Essex County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on Lake St. Clair east of Windsor and had a population of 23,229 at the 2016 census. It is part of the Windsor census metropolitan area, and is a part of the Windsor-Es ...
. His father is
1996 Stanley Cup winner
Warren Rychel
Warren Stanley Rychel (born May 12, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League. He was hired as the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League in 2019.
P ...
.
Playing career
Rychel was originally selected 21st overall in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection by the
Barrie Colts
The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League, based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.
Pre-OHL history
There were two previous Barrie Colts teams which played Junior A & B hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association, one from 1 ...
.
Rychel was rated as a top prospect and was a first-round selection at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
In his debut professional season in
2014–15, on an injury-plagued Blue Jackets roster, Rychel was recalled from AHL affiliate the
Springfield Falcons
The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center.
In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...
and made his NHL debut on November 29, 2014, against the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
.
Rychel gained notoriety during the
2015–16 NHL season when reports surfaced that he had requested a trade out of Columbus over his lack of playing time at the NHL level. Rychel and his father, who also serves as his agent, held a meeting with management during the Blue Jackets development camp, raising concerns over Rychel being "buried" on the team's
depth chart.
Ultimately though, Rychel was not traded during the season, and split time between the club and their new AHL affiliate, the
Lake Erie Monsters
The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...
. The Monsters finished as one of the top teams in the league, and ultimately won the
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...
.
On June 25, 2016, less than an hour after the conclusion of the
2016 NHL Entry Draft
The 2016 NHL Entry Draft was the 54th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The first three selections were Auston Matthews going to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine go ...
, Rychel was traded by the Blue Jackets to the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
in exchange for defenseman
Scott Harrington and a conditional 5th round pick (condition was not met). The Maple Leafs were rumoured to be one of the teams most interested in Rychel following his earlier trade request.
On February 25, 2018, Rychel was traded along with
Rinat Valiev
Rinat Valiev (born May 11, 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing under contract with Admiral Vladivostok of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Valiev was selected in the third round (68th overall) of the ...
and a
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
second-round pick to the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in exchange for
Tomáš Plekanec
Tomáš Plekanec (born 31 October 1982) is a Czech professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He has played most of his professional career for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey ...
and
Kyle Baun.
As an unsigned restricted free agent with the Canadiens over the summer, Rychel was traded by the Canadiens to the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
in exchange for fellow restricted free agent,
Hunter Shinkaruk
Hunter Shinkaruk (born October 13, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for Dinamo Riga in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Shinkaruk was originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1st round ...
, on August 20, 2018, and signed a one-year contract with the Flames.
On June 25, 2019, Rychel was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Flames, enabling him to become a free agent. Rychel paused his North American career, agreeing to his first contract abroad in signing a one-year contract with Swedish club
Örebro HK
Örebro HK is a Swedish ice hockey club located in Örebro. The team is currently playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitserien), the top tier of Swedish ice hockey, since the 2013–14 season. The team's home arena is Behrn Are ...
of the
Swedish Hockey League
The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...
(SHL) on July 27, 2019. Approaching the
2019–20 season, Rychel sought and was released from his contract with Örebro HK in order to later sign a one-year contract with Russian club
HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (russian: Нефтехимик Нижнекамск, en, Nizhnekamsk Petrochemist) is a professional ice hockey team based in Nizhnekamsk, in the Tatarstan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members ...
on September 3, 2019.
Rychel struggled to adapt to the KHL and was scoreless in just 7 games with Neftekhimik before his contract was terminated on October 8, 2019. Following his brief stint in the KHL, Rychel returned to North America and opted to resume his career in the AHL, by agreeing to a one-year contract with the
Charlotte Checkers
The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...
, affiliate of the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
, on November 19, 2019. He notched 1 assist in 6 games with the Checkers before he was suspended by the team and removed from the roster.
International play
During the
2010–11 season, Rychel won a gold medal with Team Ontario at the
2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge
The 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge was an ice hockey tournament held in Windsor, Tecumseh and La Salle, Ontario, Canada, between December 29, 2011, and January 4, 2012. The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is held by Hockey Canada annual ...
, and during the
2011–12 season he won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the
2012 IIHF World U18 Championships. During the
2012–13 season he was an invited participant at the 2013
CHL Top Prospects Game
The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is an annual event in which forty of the top NHL Entry Draft eligible prospects in the Canadian Hockey League play against each other in an all-star game environment. Players are able to boost their draft ranking ...
.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rychel, Kerby
1994 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey left wingers
Calgary Flames players
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players
Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Guelph Storm players
Ice hockey players from California
Lake Erie Monsters players
Laval Rocket players
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors players
Montreal Canadiens players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk players
Sportspeople from Torrance, California
Springfield Falcons players
Stockton Heat players
Toronto Marlies players
Windsor Spitfires players