Ryan White (born March 17, 1988) is a

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 ...

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 hock ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

who last played for the

Wichita Thunder The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in ...

of 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 E ...

. He previously 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) for 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 ...

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

and

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

. He is the current assistant coach of the

Winkler Flyers The Winkler Flyers are a Manitoba Junior Hockey League team playing out of the Winkler Arena in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. The Flyers entered the MJHL as an expansion team for the 1980-81 season and have won three Turnbull Cup Championships as M ...

of the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

Playing career

White grew up playing in the Brandon minor hockey system before graduating to the AAA midget level. In his first and only year of AAA, White led his Wheat Kings team to a gold medal at the 2004 Telus Cup. White spent four seasons, from 2004–05 to 2007–08, in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

with the

Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL). They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" ...

. He was drafted by the

in the third round, 66th overall, in the

2006 NHL Entry Draft The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 24, 2006. The draft order for the first 14 picks was decided during a lottery held on April 20, 2006. The draft was ...

. Following his WHL career, White was assigned to the Canadiens' minor league affiliate, the

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 OHL season, 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Cent ...

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), where he recorded 29 points in 80 games as a rookie in 2008–09. White made his NHL debut in a call-up to the Montreal Canadiens on November 5, 2009 against the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

, recording an assist. He was called up once again for a game against the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

the following month on December 8. After playing in the first period of that game, he was pulled from the game after the NHL noticed he was playing, despite the Canadiens not having properly reported his call-up to the league before the 5 p.m. deadline. White scored his first NHL goal as part of a

Gordie Howe hat trick A Gordie Howe hat trick is a variation on ice hockey's hat-trick. It is accomplished when a player collects a goal, an assist, and a fight in the same game. It is named after Hall of Famer Gordie Howe. The term was coined by a 1950s New York spo ...

during a game against the

on March 20, 2011. On August 7, 2014, having left the Canadiens organization as a free agent, White signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. On July 1, 2016, White signed as a free agent to a one-year deal with the

. Adding a physical presence in a depth role to the Coyotes, White added 7 goals and 13 points in 46 games during the 2016–17 season, before he was traded alongside

Martin Hanzal Martin Hanzal (; born 20 February 1987) is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Amateur As a youth, Hanzal played in ...

and a fourth-round pick in 2017, to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 1st-round pick in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, 2nd-round pick in

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 ...

, conditional 4th-round pick in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, and Grayson Downing on February 26, 2017. On August 29, 2017, the Vancouver Canucks signed White to a PTO in order to attend training camp. However, on October 7, he was released by the Canucks. With the 2017–18 season underway, White signed a professional tryout contract with the

on October 10. After practicing and travelling with the Bruins for nearly a month, White and the Bruins agreed on a mutual release from his PTO on November 6. On November 17, 2017, White secured an initial PTO contract with the

San Diego Gulls The San Diego Gulls are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in San Diego, California, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks, the Gulls play th ...

of the AHL, affiliate to 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. ...

. White appeared in 21 games with the Gulls for 9 points before he was released from his PTO on February 8, 2018. The following day, White was signed to the

Iowa Wild The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, that began play for the 2013–14 season. The team plays at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, as the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. The team was f ...

on a Standard Player Contract (SPC), marking a return of sorts within the Minnesota Wild organization. He completed the season with Iowa, finishing with 2 goals and 8 points in 23 games. Remaining as an unsigned free agent into the 2018–19 season, White again continued his professional career in the AHL, securing a professional try-out contract with home province club, the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets o ...

, on October 27, 2018. Approaching the 2019–20 season, White as an unsigned free agent returned to the Manitoba Moose, attending training camp. On October 4, 2019, he was signed to a professional tryout contract in making the opening night roster. After beginning the 2020–21 season with the Boissevain Border Kings of the Tiger Hills Hockey League (THHL), White signed with the

of the

on March 30, 2021. He made his debut with the Thunder the following day, April 1.

Personal life

After retiring from playing professional hockey White became assistant coach of the

of the

. In February, 2022 his son Gordie was diagnosed with

diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), previously called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is a fatal tumour that arises in the brainstem; most commonly in the pons or thalamus. DMG is believed to be caused by genetic mutations that cause epigenetic ...

, a rare and difficult to treat cancer. A GoFundMe page raised more than $200,000 for his treatment.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Ryan 1988 births Arizona Coyotes players Calgary Hitmen players Canadian ice hockey centres Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from Manitoba Iowa Wild players Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Living people Manitoba Moose players Minnesota Wild players Montreal Canadiens draft picks Montreal Canadiens players Philadelphia Flyers players San Diego Gulls (AHL) players Sportspeople from Brandon, Manitoba Wichita Thunder players