James van Riemsdyk

At 34 years old, James van Riemsdyk has this physical status:

James Frederick van Riemsdyk (born May 4, 1989), also known as JVR, is an American professional ice hockey left winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League. (NHL) Van Riemsdyk began his NHL career with the Flyers, the team that originally selected him second overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012.

During the 2018 off-season, he rejoined the Flyers as a free agent.

In addition,, he has represented the United States in numerous tournaments. Trevor, his younger brother, is also a professional hockey player in the NHL, currently with the Carolina Hurricanes.

After transferring from the University of New Hampshire in 2019, Brendan's youngest brother, Brendan, has followed in his brothers' footsteps and is playing hockey for Northeastern University.

Early life

Van Riemsdyk was born in Middletown, New Jersey, on May 4, 1989, to parents Frans and Allison van Riemsdyk. His family, and especially his father, were big supporters of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Van Riemsdyk started playing ice hockey at the age of five, skating at a rink in Old Bridge, New Jersey. He started playing minor ice hockey with the Monmouth County Youth Hockey Association, then spent six years with the Brick Hockey Club in Brick Township, New Jersey. Both James and his brother Trevor advanced the club to a national championship during his time as a member of the Brick Stars.

He continued his hockey career at Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) in Lincroft, New Jersey, where he made the varsity team as a freshman in high school. He continued to play for Brick, serving as the team captain for the 2004–05 Midget AA season and guiding the team to the Atlantic District Championship. Van Riemsdyk was a member of the New Jersey Parochial championship-winning team at CBA in the same year. In 2013, the Ocean Ice Palace in New Jersey, where van Riemsdyk had skated throughout his youth, retired his No. 111. Jersey is a jersey that is 21 years old.

van Riemsdyk left CBA to join the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, following the 2004-05 hockey season. Van Riemsdyk's two seasons as NTDP leader Nicolas Marches contributed to 65 goals and 124 points, tying for fifth-highest program history at the time. Van Riemsdyk met with future Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane while playing for Team USA.

Personal life

Lauren Tjernlund, Van Riemsdyk's longtime girlfriend, married him on July 19, 2019. Scarlett Everly van Riemsdyk was their first child and was born on May 2, 2020. The van Riemsdyks live in Philadelphia's Society Hill neighborhood, and they have a summer home in Minnesota. Van Riemsdyk plays in the Da Beauty League, a "glorified pickup game" in Edina, Minnesota, during the offseason. van Riesmdyk has two younger brothers who play competitive ice hockey. Trevor is a defenseman who plays for the Washington Capitals. Brendan played college hockey at the University of New Hampshire and Northeastern University before committing to the Reading Royals of the ECHL in August 2020.

van Riemsdyk played for Team Philly/New Jersey as part of Operation Hat Trick, a charity hockey game held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on November 24, 2012. In the upcoming month, he and former Flyer Scott Hartnell will compete for Hurricane Sandy relief. van Riemsdyk contributed to the PHL COVID-19 fund in 2020, which is aimed at providing grants to organizations supporting high-risk populations in the greater Philadelphia area. Van Riemsdyk was appointed as the Maple Leafs' ambassador for the You Can Play campaign in 2017, a group created to help LGBTQ people and reduce homophobia in sports. He told reporters that his aim as a You Can Play ambassador was to foster understanding in the greater hockey community, as well as making others "feel like idiots for thinking in a manner that is archaic."

Van Riemsdyk, as well as fellow Flyers Scott Hartnell, Ian Laperriere, and Matt Carle, made a cameo appearance in the 2012 Judd Apatow comedy film This Is 40. Two characters played by Megan Fox and Leslie Mann decide to unwind in a bar, where they meet and flirt with Flyers members. After the disaster, Van Riemsdyk said he and his coworkers were afraid of filming and that they "didn't want to do anything stupid or mess up or embarrass ourselves too much."

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Playing career

The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked van Riemsdyk as the third best North American skater out of all available options, behind Kane and Kyle Turris. Kane was the first overall draft pick this year, drafted by the Blackhawks, while the Philadelphia Flyers drafted van Riemsdyk second overall. Van Riemsdyk chose to honor his service to the University of New Hampshire, where he worked with Capitals draft pick Phil DeSimone.

Van Riemsdyk finished third on the team in 31 games as a freshman at New Hampshire during the 2007-08 NCAA season, scoring 11 goals and 23 assists. In January and March, he was one of the Hockey East Rookie of the Month picks, as well as a a Hockey East All-Rookie Team selection. In the regional semifinal round, New Hampshire was defeated by Notre Dame that year in the NCAA tournament. Van Riemsdyk led New Hampshire in scoring with 17 goals and 23 assists before deciding to focus on recreational hockey.

van Riemsdyk's last two years of participation in order to sign an entry-level deal with the Flyers was decided on April 1, 2009. Despite the fact that his deal didn't go into place until the 2009–10 season, that means van Riemsdyk was not allowed to play in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, he was able to play with the Philadelphia Phantoms for the remainder of the American Hockey League (AHL) season under a tryout contract. He appeared in seven Phantoms games during the season, scoring one goal and one assist, but not so much during the Calder Cup playoffs. During a September 11 preseason game against the Washington Capitals, Van Riemsdyk continued to impress Flyers coach John Stevens during training camp, scoring four goals and an assist.

Van Riemsdyk debuted on a line with Darroll Powe and prolific sophomore Claude Giroux in the 2009–2010 season. In the Flyers' 2–0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on October 2, 2009, he made his NHL debut on October 2, 2009, earning his first NHL point with a power play assist. In the third quarter of a 5–1 loss to the Florida Panthers, he scored his first NHL goal. Van Riemsdyk maintained his momentum throughout November, scoring four goals and five assists in 12 games to be named the NHL Rookie of the Month. Van Riemsdyk suffered with one goal in a 22-game drought after scoring 18 points in his first 16 NHL games. Van Riemsdyk recovered his energy by late December, and by January 22, he was a strong contender for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which was awarded to the top rookie in the NHL. Despite playing fewer minutes per game, he was third in scoring at the time, behind Matt Duchene and John Tavares. Van Riemsdyk had mostly dropped out of Calder Contention by the end of the season, but he did receive three points in trophy voting, tying for 11th place. In 78 games, he had scored 15 goals and 35 points. Van Riemsdyk made his first playoff appearance as the Flyers, down 3–0 at the start of the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, battled to Game 7. In the first period of Game 7, Van Riemsdyk scored his first career playoff goal, boosting the Flyers' momentum and assisting them in the Eastern Conference finals. It was the first time a team had come back from a 3–0 deficit to win an NHL playoff series after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1975. The Flyers advanced to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. Van Riemsdyk scored three goals and three assists in 21 playoff games as a rookie.

Van Riemsdyk continued his offensive play in his sophomore 2010-2011 season, scoring 21 goals in 75 games. In a 4–3 shootout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, van Riemsdyk's first Gordie Howe hat trick came with a point, an assist, and a contest. As he defended Giroux against former Flyer Randy Jones, the contest was also the first of van Riemsdyk's NHL career. In the Flyers' 4–1 victory over the New York Islanders on March 26, 2011, he earned his first regular hat-trick for the first month. van Riemsdyk was back for the Flyers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday, making a pivotal role in three goals of the series-winning 5–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. The Bruins advanced to seven games in the semifinals, with van Riemsdyk scoring two goals to force the final game into overtime, but the Bruins ultimately defeated the Bruins 3–2 in overtime.

Van Riemsdyk's third season as he began his third season of professional hockey, he became a face of the modern power forward. Unlike celebrities like Eric Lindros and John LeClair, he and other contemporary power forwards used their stamina and agility as well as their strength. However, van Riemsdyk's game was limited due to a variety of injuries, including a hip injury, an oblique strain, and a rib cage strain, which caused him to miss a total of 43 games in both the regular 2011–12 season and the playoffs. Van Riemsdyk's fractured left foot sustained the most damage on March 1, 2012, but he missed a shot against the Islanders, debating the most debilitating. The fracture required surgery, and van Riemsdyk was kept out of the lineup for the remainder of the regular season. With their "kid line," consisting of young forwards van Riemsdyk, Brayden Schenn, and Jakub Vorák, the Flyers also broke the rhythm that had been established with their "kid line" which contained young forwards van Riemsdyk, Brayden Schenn, and Jakub Voráék, the Flyers had also broken broken the Flyers' normal rhythm. Van Riemsdyk scored 11 goals and 13 assists in 43 games he played, with one goal and one assist during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.

van Riemsdyk spent the 2012 offseason as the subject of several trade rumors, with some sports journalists predicting that he would be sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Rick Nash. Van Riemsdyk was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn on June 23, the team's trade for defenseman Luke Schenn. Van Riemsdyk's debut was postponed due to the 2012-13 NHL lockout, but he scored eight goals in his first 14 games. He was placed on the third line with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov to start the season, but with Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak, he was immediately deployed to replace an injured Joffrey Lupul on the top line. He had 18 goals and 14 assists in the 48-game regular season, and he helped the Leafs earn their first playoff appearance since 2005. van Riemsdyk's first-round playoff series against the Bruins featured two goals and three assists, as well as a pair of assists, triggering a game seven. With a 5–4 overtime victory in game seven, the Bruins tied the series in the series.

Van Riemsdyk began the 2013–14 season on a line with Bozak and Kessel, a trio that gave the Maple Leafs a big offensive boost. Van Riemsdyk alone scored eight points in his first eight games. Van Riemsdyk tied for the fastest goal from the start of a season on March 29, 2014, beating Flyers' Steve Mason four seconds in the second period. He joined Claude Provost in 1957 and Denis Savard of 1986 as the third player to do so. Van Riemsdyk's rookie season was also his first season as a goal scorer. In a 4–3 overtime victory over the Bruins on April 3, 2014, the Bruins won the grand prize. Despite the Leafs' eight-game losing streak at the end of the season, Van Riemsdyk had his best season ever, with 30 goals and 30 assists in 80 games.

Van Riemsdyk, Kessel, and Bozak's top line continued to play together in the 2014–15 NHL season, despite inconsistent results. Despite boasting a 15 percent scoring percentage, the line's collective plus–minus stood at 8.8 percent as of mid-December. Van Riemsdyk's goals and 29 assists, as well as a 33 personal plus-minus, continued to suffer throughout the season, finishing 27th overall in the league, while the Leafs fell to 27 goals and 29 assists, as well as a 33-plus. Despite the overall failures, van Riemsdyk's season marked two major milestones. For the first time in the Leafs' professional careers, he played against his brother Trevor for the first time in the team's NHL careers. van Riemsdyk scored his 200th career point in a game against the Arizona Coyotes just short of 200. Luke Schenn, the man he had been traded for, scored his 100th career point against the Edmonton Oilers on the same night.

During the 2015-2016 season, the Leafs underwent a change in leadership, with Mike Babcock taking over as head coach. He escorted van Riemsdyk onto a team with two-way forwards Kadri and Komarov, which strengthened all three players as they balanced offensive and defensive roles. The Leafs reported on January 11, 2016 that van Riemsdyk had sustained a "non-displaced fracture" in his left foot, and that he would be out for up to two months as he recovered. Van Riemsdyk's recovery progress continued, but the Leafs shut him down for the season on February 25. He had been planning for a career-best season in the 40 games he played prior to his injury, with 14 goals and 29 points.

Van Riemsdyk recovered fully from his foot injury during the 2016-17 season and is excited to continue playing alongside rising stars like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Van Riemsdyk renamed his jersey number from No. 67 just shy of the season. He had been wearing No. 21 since he was ten years old, and now he was in No. 21. The former jacket was retired on behalf of Borje Salming on November 25, which was why it was retired. Van Riemsdyk made a career of the Leafs, scoring 29 goals and 33 assists in the year. During the 2016–17 and 2017-18 seasons, Bozak served as Van Riemsdyk's primary center, as well as time on a line with Marner and Connor Brown. The Leafs took on the Capitals in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs after losing their last regular-season game 3–2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In game six, Washington defeated Toronto with an overtime victory.

Van Riemsdyk was part of a strong forward group meant to carry the team offensively into the 2017-2018-19 season. Van Riemsdyk's third goal in an 8–1 victory of the Hurricanes on December 19, 2017. Reg Noble of the Arenas scored the franchise's first goal in Toronto history on the 100th anniversary of the franchise's first goal in Toronto history, on December 19, 1917. In a 6–5 victory over the Dallas Stars on March 14, 2018, his third hat-trick came later this season. van Riemsdyk's second goal in a 5–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres was his 31st of the season, his second high in the next game. In a 4–3 win over the Florida Panthers on March 28, Van Riemsdyk's 200th career NHL goal came in the same month. The victory also set a new Leaf franchise record, marking their 27th victory on home ice during the season. He finished the year with 54 points, including a career-high 36 goals. In the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Leafs met the Bruins again, with the Bruins taking the series in seven games.

Van Riemsdyk, who had been an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2017–18 season, agreed to a five-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1, 2018. Van Riemsdyk took a puck to the leg during a game against the Colorado Avalanche on October 6, 2018, only his second game with the Flyers, and was supposed to miss five to six weeks. He played in 16 games before returning to the ice on November 15, when he was on a line with Jordan Weal and Wayne Simmonds for a game against the New Jersey Devils. The NHL Department of Player Safety fined van Riemsdyk $5,000, the highest amount allowed under the collective bargaining contract, for a high-sticking foul against Los Angeles Kings Alec Martinez. Despite these setbacks, van Riemsdyk proved to be a good offensive generator during the 2018–19 season. Van Riemsdyk scored 27 points in 28 games, including 18 goals, between January 10 and March 16, 2019. Six of those goals were inspired by two hat-tricks: the first against the Minnesota Wild on January 14 and the second against the Maple Leafs on March 15. Van Riemsdyk scored 27 goals and 48 points in 66 games in his first season with Philadelphia.

Van Riemsdyk took a step back in the 2019-20 season, scoring 19 goals and 40 points. Van Riemsdyk's results were prone to streaks: for instance, he started the season with seven pointless games, he then scored six points in his next three games. He had three separate droughts of seven games or more during the 66 regular season games in which van Riemsdyk participated. Each drought was followed by a surge: six points in three games, 14 points in 13 games, and 15 points in 14 games. The index finger on his right hand was fractured on March 4, 2020, and the Capitals defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, van Riemsdyk, was expected to miss the remainder of the regular season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL season was postponed indefinitely until March 12. Van Riemsdyk, one of 31 Flyers selected to play in the "bubble" when the NHL returned to Toronto for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. During the quarterfinals against the Montreal Canadiens, he didn't score any goals, and he was a healthy scratch for several games. His first postseason appearance came during game five of the Flyers' semifinal series, a thrilling 4–3 victory over the Islanders. In seven games, the Islanders completed the series.

Van Riemsdyk's primary concern was as the ongoing effects of the COVID-21 pandemic reduced the 2020-21 NHL season to 56 regular-season games, in which the Flyers only played the seven other teams in the East Division. After leading the league with four power-play goals in the first ten games of the season, leading the Flyers to 15 points, he was named NBA Player of the Month for January 2021. It was the most points the team had scored in the first ten games of a season since 2002–03. As he led all NHL forwards with 4.02 assists per 60 minutes through the first 11 games of the season, being placed on a line with Joel Farabee and Scott Laughton improved van Riemsdyk's scoring and playmaking skills. In the Flyers' 7–3 loss to the Bruins in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe on February 21, 2021, Van Riemsdyk's 500th career game came on February 21, 2021. van Riemsdyk's goal drought lasted another season in the middle of the season, having gone 17 games without a single goal before scoring on a breakaway against the Capitals on April 17. Van Riemsdyk scored a goal on April 22, when Travis Konecny stabbed him in the chest and deflected his face into the net. Van Riemsdyk underwent X-rays to determine the severity of the injury and was able to return in the third period, where he scored another goal in the 3–2 win. Van Riemsdyk scored 43 points in the short season, tying Giroux and Vorá's for the team lead.

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