With his strength, size, and willingness, Ryan takes the puck hard to the net and is willing to take a beating to screen goalies. He developed these skills by playing against top tier players and by adopting the hard working attitude of his hometown of Pittsburgh. For his junior year of high school he attended and played for Shattuck-St. Mary's. During his senior year of high school he played for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). After high school he played 4 years at St. Cloud State of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association(WCHA), where he was on over a point a game pace during his junior and senior years.
Ryan was drafted in the 4th round of the NHL entry draft before going to play for St. Cloud State. He made his professional debut for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2002-03. The following year, he made the Pittsburgh Penguins out of training camp and played in all 81 games while putting up respectable numbers totaling 43 points. During the lockout season he spent time playing in Finland, Italy and Switzerland. After the lockout he came back to beat his NHL rookie point total by 1 point. He has had his career season in 2007-08 when he got 51 points and 103 penalty minutes. That same year he helped the Penguins reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs by potting 16 points in 20 games. Over the summer of 2008 him and Gary Roberts' rights were traded to Tampa Bay. Ryan signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 28, 2008. He is currently playing for Tampa Bay. At times he placed on a line with Stamkos and St. Louis, which will only help him eclipse his previous career point totals. Playing in the Vancouver Olympics will be Ryan's first taste of international hockey.
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2009-10 Upper Deck #91
2008-09 Black Diamond #74
