R. J. Umberger
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Richard Alan "R. J." Umberger, Jr. (born May 3, 1982) is a former
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
professional ice hockey center. Drafted in the first round, 16th overall, in the
2001 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was the 39th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 23 and 24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida. As of 2022, the only remaining active players in the NHL from the 2001 draft class are M ...
by the Vancouver Canucks, Umberger has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.


Playing career


Minor/College

Umberger, who is both a left winger and center, played his high school hockey in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (WPIHL) for the Plum Mustangs in 1997 and 1998. In his sophomore year and final season, he accumulated 116 points in just 26 games. He capped off that season by scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime against Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) to win the WPIHL AAA League Championship in front of a packed house at the
BladeRunners Ice Complex The BladeRunners Ice Complex was a group of ice hockey rinks and sports facilities which were located in Western Pennsylvania. History BladeRunners' first location opened in Harmarville, Pennsylvania in 1992; it was the first twin-ice facility i ...
in Harmarville. His efforts were recognized in 2006 when the Mustangs raised his number to the rafters of its home rink, the Center Ice Arena in Delmont. He was inducted into the Plum High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Umberger is recognized annually with the R. J. Umberger Award for the PA Hockey Scholastic Showcase, a scholastic tournament played in December each year. The Tournament has a Wall of Champions at Harmarille BladeRunners. During his short prep career, Umberger was named to the All Tournament Team both years. Umberger began his career with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program after a successful developmental career with the Pittsburgh Hornets. He then started his college career with Ohio State University. He was drafted in the
2001 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was the 39th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 23 and 24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida. As of 2022, the only remaining active players in the NHL from the 2001 draft class are M ...
in the first round, 16th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks. Umberger left Ohio State before his senior year, intending to turn professional with the Canucks. He was unable to reach a deal, however, and sat out the entire 2003–04 season. He was then traded to the New York Rangers on March 9, 2004, along with
Martin Grenier Martin Grenier (born November 2, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Phoenix Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, and Philadelphia Flyers. Playing career As a youth, Grenier ...
, in exchange for
Martin Ručinský Martin Ručinský (; born 11 March 1971) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ručínský was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round as the 20th overall selection in ...
, but was later signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers on June 16, 2004, just three months later. He was called up to the Flyers roster in the 2005–06 season.


Professional

Umberger became the second Western Pennsylvanian-born hockey player to play in the NHL after
Ryan Malone Ryan Gregory Malone (born December 1, 1979) nicknamed "Bugsy", is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers. In 2003, ...
. He scored his first career NHL goal on November 22, 2005, for the Flyers against the Lightning. On July 6, 2006, the Flyers announced that they had signed him to a two-year contract. On June 20, 2008, Umberger was traded from the Flyers with their fourth round pick (Drew Olson) in the
2008 NHL Entry Draft The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, but because of ...
to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Blue Jackets' first round pick, via the Colorado Avalanche (
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) drafted 19th overall and a third round pick (
Marc-André Bourdon Marc-André Bourdon (born September 17, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently an assistant coach for the Liberty University Flames Division 1 ACHA Hockey team ...
) in the Draft. On April 16, 2009, Umberger scored the Blue Jackets' first ever playoff goal in a 4–1 loss at the
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
in the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. He also scored in Games 3 and 4 as Detroit eventually swept the series, four games to none. On September 21, 2011, Umberger signed a five-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets. On June 23, 2014, Umberger was traded along with a
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fourth-round draft pick, back to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Scott Hartnell. After two largely unproductive and injury hampered seasons in his return to Philadelphia, on June 16, 2016, the Flyers bought out the final year of Umberger's contract. Upon sitting out the entirety of the 2016–17 season, Umberger attempted to resurrect his NHL career in signing a professional tryout agreement with the Dallas Stars on July 14, 2017. He participated in the Stars training camp and pre-season before he was released from his try-out without a contract on September 27, 2017.


International play

Umberger has represented USA Hockey on multiple occasions. His first international effort came with the U.S. under-18 team at the
2000 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2000 IIHF World U18 Championships were held in Kloten and Weinfelden, Switzerland. The championships ran between April 14 and April 24, 2000. Games were played at Eishalle Schluefweg in Kloten and Sportanlage Güttingersreuti in Weinfelden. Fin ...
in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, where the Americans placed eighth. He played in the same tournament the following year,
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, where the U.S. improved to fifth-place. That same year, 2001, Umberger also played with the U.S. junior team in the
2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2001 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2001 World Junior Hockey Championships (''2001 WJHC''), was the 25th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was held in Moscow and Podolsk, Russia from De ...
in Russia, as well as the 2002 edition in the Czech Republic; the U.S. placed fifth in both tournaments. Umberger made his senior U.S. debut in the
2006 IIHF World Championship The 2006 IIHF World Championship was held in between 5–21 May 2006 in Riga, Latvia. It was the 70th annual event, and was run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). One of the requirements of the IIHF for Latvia to host the event ...
in
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


Awards and achievements


References


External links

*
Pennsylvania Hockey website
(contains link to Western Pa. Hockey Scholastic Showcase) {{DEFAULTSORT:Umberger, R. J. 1982 births Living people American men's ice hockey centers Columbus Blue Jackets players Ice hockey players from Pittsburgh National Hockey League first-round draft picks Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey players Philadelphia Flyers players Philadelphia Phantoms players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Vancouver Canucks draft picks AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans