Ronald Attard (born March 20, 1999) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

currently under contract to the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He was drafted 72nd overall by the

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 (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Early life

Attard was born on March 20, 1999, in

White Lake Township, Michigan White Lake Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Together with its two unincorporated communities, the township makes up part of the Detroit metropolitan area outskirts. As of the 2020 census, t ...

, USA to parents Toms and Sue. He grew up alongside two older sisters; Jessica and Julia.

Playing career

Amateur

Growing up in Michigan, Attard played

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

for the Honeybaked and Victory Honda before being drafted by the

Tri-City Storm The Tri-City Storm is a Tier I junior ice hockey team based in Kearney, Nebraska, that plays in the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Its name refers to the three central Nebraskan cities of Kearney, Hastings, and ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL). During his rookie season with the Storm, Attard announced his commitment to play

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

ice hockey with the

Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey The Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (NCAA), Division I college ice hockey program that represents Western Michigan University. The Broncos are a member of the Nationa ...

team. Through the offseason prior to the 2018–19 season, Attard split his training between working out at Western Michigan with former NHL head coach Andy Murray and the Broncos. His offseason coaching caused Attard to endure a breakout season and win both the USHL Player and Defenseman of the Year. During the 2018–19 season, he set a league single-season record for most goals and points by a defenseman with 30 goals and 65 points. On the way to 30 goals, he also recorded a four-goal game, becoming the first USHL defenseman in more than three years to achieve this feat. As a result of his play as team captain, he won both the 2019

Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award The Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award, formerly known as USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year Award, is presented annually to the most outstanding American-born player in junior ice hockey. Chosen by panel of junior coaches and administra ...

and USHL Defenseman of the Year award. Leading up to the 2019 NHL entry draft, Attard was ranked 76th amongst all North American skaters by the

NHL Central Scouting Bureau The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League (NHL) that ranks prospects for the NHL entry draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate t ...

. He was eventually drafted in the third round, 72nd overall, by the

. Following the NHL entry draft, Attard began his freshman season at the

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

which was eventually cut short due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. During the shortened season, he appeared in 30 games, finishing with 14 points, and was the top scoring defenseman on the team. The following year, Attard continued his offensive output and was selected for the AHCA First-Team All-American team and nominated for the

Hobey Baker Award The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 44 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton Universit ...

Professional

Following the completion of his junior season with Western Michigan, Attard concluded his collegiate career in agreeing to immediately join the Philadelphia Flyers for the remainder of the 2021–21 season on a two-year, entry-level contract on March 29, 2022. Four days later, Attard made his NHL debut in the Flyers' 6–3 loss 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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. He was subbed in for

Keith Yandle Keith Michael Yandle (born September 9, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He also is co-host of the hit podcast, Spittin Chiclets. Yandle was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the fourth round, 105th overall, at the ...

, whose

iron man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

streak ended after a record 989 games. On April 5, Attard recorded his first NHL point, assisting on a goal by

James van Riemsdyk James van Riemsdyk ( ; born May 4, 1989), often known by his initials JVR, is an American professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Between 2012 and 2018, he playe ...

in the Flyers' 4–2 loss to 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. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. As restricted free agent following the conclusion of his entry-level contract, Attard was re-signed to a two-year, two-way $1.7 million contract extension on July 5, 2023. During his final year under contract in the 2024–25 season, on November 4, 2024, Attard was traded by the Flyers to 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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

in exchange for

Ben Gleason Benjamin Gleason (born March 25, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Play ...

. Continuing in the AHL, Attard was assigned to join affiliate, the

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Dignity Healt ...

, for the remainder of the season. In 59 games with Bakersfield, he recorded 7 goals and 17 points, finishing third in offensive categories among team defensemen. As a free agent from the Oilers, Attard was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 1, 2025.

International play

Attard was named captain of Team USA at the 2018

World Junior A Challenge The World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) is an annual under-20 international ice hockey tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The tournament showcases Junio ...

, where he helped lead the team to a gold medal win over Russia.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Attard, Ronnie 1999 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American ice hockey defensemen Bakersfield Condors players Ice hockey players from Michigan Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Philadelphia Flyers draft picks Philadelphia Flyers players Tri-City Storm players Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey players