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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

. He played in 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) 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. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. Russell has a twin brother,

Kris The kris or is a Javanese culture, Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although ma ...

, who played 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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Playing career

Russell was drafted by the

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

in the

2005 NHL Entry Draft The 2005 NHL entry draft was the 43rd entry draft for the National Hockey League. Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, it was postponed to July 30 due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. Special procedures were required to determine the order ...

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

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

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 The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heri ...

in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, 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 The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

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 Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played in the , for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was original ...

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 Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

. On January 13, 2012, Russell scored his first NHL goal against

Jason LaBarbera Antonio Jason LaBarbera (born January 18, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played parts of 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the 1998 NHL Entry ...

of the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

. 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. He 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 ice hockey centres Cardiff Devils players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Columbus Blue Jackets players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Kootenay Ice players Leksands IF players Living people New York Rangers draft picks Ice hockey people from Red Deer, Alberta Springfield Falcons players Canadian twins Canadian expatriate ice hockey players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Wales Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Expatriate ice hockey players in Wales Expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden 21st-century Canadian sportsmen