There's no shame in being No. 2, particularly if Sidney Crosby is No. 1.
Ryan may have been selected behind the heavily hyped Crosby in the 2005 NHL Draft, but expectations were still quite high for the Collingswood, N.J., product when he was taken by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, as they were then known.
There's no shame in being No. 2, particularly if Sidney Crosby is No. 1.
Ryan may have been selected behind the heavily hyped Crosby in the 2005 NHL Draft, but expectations were still quite high for the Collingswood, N.J., product when he was taken by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, as they were then known.
At 6-2 and over 200 pounds, Ryan had impressed scouts with his size, power, scoring touch and skating ability. Rather than join USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, he played for Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-07, finishing with 89, 95 and 201 points in his final three seasons there.
Ryan split 2007-08 between Anaheim and its American Hockey League affiliate, Portland, scoring five goals and 10 points in 23 games for the Ducks. He followed that with the first of four straight 30-goal seasons, scoring 57 points and finishing as runner-up to Steve Mason for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL's top rookie.
On July 5, 2013, the Ottawa Senators acquired Ryan in a trade with Anaheim, and the veteran continued to be productive, earning a seven-year contract extension in 2014 that runs through the 2021-22 season.
