Ryan Russell (born May 2, 1987) is a Canadian former 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 h ...

forward. He played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) with 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 ...

. Russell has a twin brother, Kris who is currently playing for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Playing career

Russell was drafted by the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

in the

2005 NHL Entry Draft The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft. Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, the 2004–05 NHL lockout led to the draft being postponed to July 30. Special procedures were required to determine the order of picks, because ...

(7th round, 211th overall). He was drafted from the

Kootenay Ice The Kootenay Ice (officially stylized as ICE) were a major junior ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team played its home games at Western Financial Place. The franchise w ...

in the WHL where he played from 2003 till 2007. After the 2006–07 season with the Ice, Russell was unable to come to terms with the Rangers and was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for a seventh round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft on May 31, 2007. He was swiftly signed to a three-year entry level contract by the Canadiens. In his first professional season in 2007–08, Russell split the year between both affiliates of the Canadiens the Cincinnati Cyclones in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL. While with the Cyclones, he scored a series-winning shorthanded goal in overtime of Game Five to send the Cyclones into the Kelly Cup Finals. They went on to win the Kelly Cup in six games. On July 20, 2010, Russell was re-signed by the Canadiens as a restricted free agent to a one-year contract. On July 7, 2011, Russell was traded to the

for Michael Blunden. He joined his brother

Kris Russell Kris Russell (born May 2, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted in the third roun ...

with the Blue Jackets organization. On January 7, 2012, Russell made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets in a 1–0 win over the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

. On January 13, 2012, Russell scored his first NHL goal against Jason LaBarbera of the Phoenix Coyotes. As a free agent, on July 29, 2013, Russell signed his first European contract, agreeing to a one-year deal with Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League, Ryan resigned after his first season with Leksands. On January 11, 2016, Russell joined the Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom. Russell made his debut for the Cardiff Devils at home versus the Belfast Giants, scoring 2 points with a goal and an assist, earning him a man of the match accolade.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Ryan 1987 births Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden Canadian ice hockey centres Cardiff Devils players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Columbus Blue Jackets players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from Alberta Kootenay Ice players Leksands IF players Living people New York Rangers draft picks Sportspeople from Red Deer, Alberta Springfield Falcons players Canadian twins Twin sportspeople