Ryan Sproul (born January 13, 1993) is a Canadian-born 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 ...

defenceman 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 la ...

. Born in Canada, he is currently playing with

HC Kunlun Red Star HC Kunlun Red Star () is a Chinese ice hockey club that joined the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) prior to the 2016–17 season. History Preparation of the team In March 2016, representatives of Kunlun Red Star and the KHL signed a protocol o ...

of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and represented

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

. Sproul was drafted 55th overall by 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

2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...

Playing career

Junior

Following his first season with the

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (often shortened to Soo Greyhounds) are a Junior ice hockey#Major junior, major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

(OHL), Sproul was selected in the second round, 55th overall by the

in the

. During the 2011-12 season, Sproul was the third-leading scorer for the Greyhounds and was third amongst all OHL defensemen with 54 points. Sproul recorded 23 goals and 31 assists in 61 games for the Greyhounds. During the

2012–13 OHL season The 2012–13 OHL season was the 33rd season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors were sold during the off-season. As part of the sale, the "St. Michael's Majors" name was returned to St. Michael's College School. ...

, Sproul was the Greyhounds' second-leading scorer and led all OHL defensemen with 66 points. Sproul recorded 20 goals and 46 assists in 50 games. Sproul was rewarded for his outstanding play during the season by being named to the OHL's First All-Star Team. Sproul was awarded the

Max Kaminsky Trophy The Max Kaminsky Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the most outstanding defenceman. The award is named in honour of Max Kaminsky, who coached the St. Catharines Teepees to the Memorial Cup in 1960 and died shortly thereaf ...

as the most outstanding defenceman in the

Professional

On March 25, 2012, the Red Wings signed Sproul to a three-year entry-level contract. After the Greyhounds were eliminated from the playoffs, Sproul joined the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey, hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National H ...

for two regular-season games, making his AHL debut on April 20, 2013, in a game against the

Lake Erie Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

. During the 2013–14 season, in his first full season with the Griffins, Sproul was the second-highest scoring defenseman on the team, recording 11 goals and 21 assists in 72 games. On April 13, 2014, Sproul made his NHL debut for the

in a game against the St. Louis Blues. On September 23, 2016, the Red Wings re-signed Sproul to a two-year contract. On October 3, 2017, Sproul was assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. On October 21, 2017, Sproul was traded to the

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

in exchange for

Matt Puempel Matthew Puempel (born January 24, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Puempel was selected 24th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the O ...

. He was initially assigned to the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a ...

, and contributed with 10 goals and 25 points in 44 games. He was later recalled to play out the remaining season with the Rangers, collecting 5 points in 16 games. As an unrestricted free agent, Sproul was unable to sign an NHL contract over the summer. He was invited to attend the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

' training camp on a professional tryout. After appearing in three preseason games, he was released by the Flames on September 26. On October 14, Sproul signed a professional tryout with the Toronto Marlies. After one game, Sproul was released from his tryout. He immediately signed another tryout contract, this time with the

Laval Rocket The Laval Rocket (french: Rocket de Laval) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) as an affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Montreal Canadiens. Based in Laval, Quebec, Canada, the Rocket play th ...

, on October 25. Sproul appeared in 11 games with the Rocket, producing 1 goal and 5 points before he was released from his tryout on November 29, 2018. On December 4, Sproul joined his third AHL club for the season, securing an AHL contract for the remainder of the campaign with the Hershey Bears, affiliate to the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

International play

Due to his stint in China, Sproul was called up to represent the China men's national ice hockey team for the

on January 28, 2022.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sproul, Ryan 1993 births Living people Canadian emigrants to China Naturalized citizens of the People's Republic of China Chinese ice hockey defencemen Olympic ice hockey players of China Canadian ice hockey defencemen Detroit Red Wings draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Grand Rapids Griffins players Hartford Wolf Pack players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Ontario HC Kunlun Red Star players Laval Rocket players New York Rangers players Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds players Sportspeople from Mississauga Toronto Marlies players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in China Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics