Ryan Alan Lasch (born January 22, 1987) is an American 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 ...

winger for

Lahti Pelicans The Lahti Pelicans are a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the Liiga. Founded in 1996, they play in the city of Lahti at Isku Arena. The team is co-owned by (among others) former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender Pasi Nurminen ...

of the Finnish

Liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...

Playing career

After playing four years with St. Cloud State University, Lasch completed his collegiate career as the university's all-time leading scorer. An undrafted free agent, Lasch began his professional career in Europe, signing a one-year contract with

Södertälje SK Södertälje Sportklubb, also known as Södertälje SK and often referred to as SSK, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second highest level of pro hockey in Sweden. Södertälje were charter members of Eli ...

of the Swedish

Elitserien Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan. Elitserien leagues at present: * Elitserien (badmint ...

. During the following 2011–12 season he led the Finnish

SM-Liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...

with 62 points to capture the scoring title whilst helping the

to finish second, their highest in franchise history. Despite re-signing to a one-year contract extension with the Pelicans, on May 31, 2012, Lasch was signed by the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

to a two-year contract prior to the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season. In signing he became the franchise's first Orange County–born player to sign with the Ducks. Due to the

lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage **Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, lock ...

he was directly assigned to the Ducks AHL affiliate, the

Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals has been the name of two professional ice hockey franchises: *Norfolk Admirals (AHL), a team which played in the American Hockey League from 2000 to 2015 *Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hocke ...

. Unable to duplicate his European success with the Admirals, and also enduring a stint with ECHL club the

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...

, Lasch opted to return to the Swedish Elitserien, signing on loan from the Ducks to the

Växjö Lakers Växjö Lakers Hockey Club (often referred to as the Växjö Lakers or VLH) is a Swedish ice hockey club from Växjö in Sweden. The club plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitserien), the top-level league of Swedish ice hockey, and ...

for the remainder of the season on January 26, 2013. After playing in the Lakers last 10 games to end their season, the Ducks traded Lasch along with a seventh round pick in 2014 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

Dave Steckel David Steckel (born March 15, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey center. He played in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals, the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks, before finishing his ...

on March 15, 2013. He was then immediately recalled to report to AHL affiliate, the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

. Lasch then spent the 2013–14 season entirely with the

, tallying 20 goals and 16 assists in 54 SHL games. The 2014–15 season saw him move to Finland. He made 43

appearances for

HC TPS TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 10-time champion of SM-liiga and 1-time champion of SM-sarja. They play in Turku, Finland, at Gatorade Center. In terms of championships, TPS is the second all-time most successful team in SM-L ...

, before returning to Sweden. He finished the season with

Frölunda HC Frölunda Hockey Club, previously known as the Frölunda Indians, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They currently play in the highest Swedish league, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), formerly the Elitserien, where th ...

, scoring six goals in 12 contests to go along with eight assists. Lasch re-signed with Frölunda for the 2015–16 campaign and won the Swedish national championship as well as the

Champions Hockey League The Champions Hockey League is a European first-level ice hockey tournament. Launched in the 2014–15 season by 26 clubs, 6 leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the tournament features top teams across Europe. Backgrou ...

(CHL) with the team. He led the SHL in assists (51 in regular season) and also scored 15 goals. In 16 playoff contests, Lasch tallied eight goals and eleven assists. In CHL play, Lasch scored seven goals and dished out nine assists in 13 games and was named

Most Valuable Player. On September 8, 2016, Lasch was signed to a one-year contract by

SC Bern Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English language, English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. ...

as a replacement for

Kris Versteeg Kristopher Royce Versteeg (born May 13, 1986) is a Canadian entrepreneur and former professional ice hockey winger. During his career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hur ...

. He saw the ice in 52 contests with 17 goals and 34 assists en route to winning the 2017 Swiss championship. On April 21, he signed a three-year deal with Frölunda HC, returning for a second stint with the SHL outfit. He returned to Lahti Pelicans for the 2020–21 season. On January 23, 2021, Lasch joined the

ZSC Lions The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and playe ...

as a replacement for injured Chris Baltisberger for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. On May 19, 2021, Lasch returned to Frölunda. On June 2, 2023, Lasch signed a two-year contract with his former team,

of the Finnish Liiga.

Playing style

Matias Strozyk, a journalist for

Yleisradio Yleisradio Oy (Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founde ...

, described Ryan Lasch's playing style for Elite Prospects in 2011:

A fairly small winger and hard worker. A quick skater with sharp movement. Has a very good shot and does well in playmaking. Useful as an offensive player, especially as a finisher. Sometimes criticized of embellishment when drawing penalties.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lasch, Ryan 1987 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American men's ice hockey right wingers SC Bern players Fort Wayne Komets players Frölunda HC players Ice hockey players from California Lahti Pelicans players Norfolk Admirals players Södertälje SK players Sportspeople from Lake Forest, California St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey players Toronto Marlies players HC TPS players Växjö Lakers players ZSC Lions players