Ryan Kesler

At 40 years old, Ryan Kesler has this physical status:

Ryan James Kesler (born August 31, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey center and an alternate captain for the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks. (NHL)

Kesler was drafted in the first round, 23rd overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

On June 27, 2014, he was moved to Anaheim.

He is best known for his two-way forward, winning the Selke Trophy in 2011 after being a finalist for the past two years, as well as his agitation style of play.

He was a member of the CCHA All-Rookie Team for one season and a CCHA Rookie of the Week three times as well as CCHA Rookie of the Month once.

Kesler has also suited up for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he was selected to the 2005 AHL All-Star Game. Kesler has competed for the United States at five International Ice Hockey Federation-sanctioned tournaments, including one World U18 Championship gold medal, one World Junior Championships gold medal, and the 2010 Winter Olympics silver medal.

He also competed in the 2001 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he earned a gold medal.

Early life

Ryan Kesler was born in Livonia, Michigan, on August 31, 1984, to Linda and Mike Kesler. He is the youngest of three children after brother Todd and sister Jenny. Mike McCarthy, his father, played college hockey at Colorado College and worked as a mentor with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association for 37 years. At the age of four, Ryan introduced his children to the ice; Ryan recalls skating at around age four. Mike also coaches a Junior B hockey team and runs a hockey school in Livonia, which Kesler attended as a child every summer from the age of six to seventeen. Mike was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer in April 2007 and had seven inches of his small intestine removed in order to get rid of it.

Kesler played minor ice hockey in Detroit for teams such as Compuware, Honeybaked, and Little Caesars of the Midwest Elite Hockey League. He competed with the Little Caesars team in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Kesler was dropped from every AAA team he tried out for around age 13. In the entailment, he served for his father's Livonia Hockey Association bantam team, which he coached. Kesler owes his brother, who is nine years older than him, for bringing him into hockey. He formed a lasting friendship with Chris Conner, who went on to be drafted by the Dallas Stars during his junior career.

Despite growing up in Michigan, he was a Minnesota North Stars fan. Kesler, a young hockey player, looked up to North Stars center and fellow Livonia native Mike Modano as a role model. Joe Sakic of the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche has also been regarded as a favorite player from his youth.

Personal life

Kesler and his partner Andrea have four children. During the season, the family lives in Huntington Beach, California. They live in Bloomfield, Michigan, during the off-season. In Livonia, Michigan, his family's previous offseason home was right next to him. He had a Ford Mustang at his parents' house in Livonia, which he loved racing as of 2009.

In March 2010, Kesler was announced as the cover celebrity for the 2K Sports video game NHL 2K11, which was released several months later in August. He had previously worked with 2K Sports, assassinating motion capture for NHL 2K10.

In November 2010, Kesler launched his own line of sportswear and casual clothing. The brand was branded "RK17" in collaboration with Vancouver-based Firstar Sports. In Vancouver, a promotional photograph of Kesler modeling athletic underwear attracted significant media attention, resulting in him being included in ESPN's Body Issue magazine and named in a section entitled "Most Beautiful People of B.C." A local newspaper.

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Playing career

Kesler was drafted in the fifth round, 89th overall, by the Brampton Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League in June 2000 (OHL) Priority Selection. Despite being drafted by a Canadian OHL team, Kesler opted to participate in the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) because of its close proximity to Livonia. Kesler could continue his high school education without leaving Winston Churchill High School. He debuted in the USNTDP for the 2000-2001 season. Kesler has scored 99 points in 131 games over his two seasons with the USNTDP.

Kesler accepted a scholarship to play college hockey at Ohio State University for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association after two seasons with the USNTDP (CCHA). Because Ohio State is closer to Kesler's home in Livonia, he prefer Ohio State over the University of Wisconsin–Madison and its Wisconsin Badgers ice hockey program of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Kesler, a freshman, scored 11 goals and 20 assists to finish fourth in team scoring behind junior and Hobey Baker Award finalist R. J. Umberger. Kesler helped the Buckeyes to their third-place finish in the CCHA's regular season standings over the course of his freshman season. Kesler scored two goals as the Buckeyes finished fourth in fourth place at the 2003 CCHA Tournament, losing 4–1 to Northern Michigan 4–1. Despite this placing, Ohio State secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament, the third appearance at the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship in Ohio State's history. In the first round of the East Regional at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Ohio State suffered a 1–0 loss to Boston College, putting an end to both the team and Kesler's seasons.

Kesler's play as a freshman earned him an honorable mention on the CCHA All-Rookie Team. He has been named CCHA Rookie of the Week three times, CCHA Rookie of the Month once, and received the George Burke Most Valuable Freshman award at Ohio State University. Kesler's entry into the 2003 NHL Entry Draft ranked sixteenth overall among North American skaters following the season. He was drafted 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks on June 21, 2003.

Kesler, who was drafted in Ohio, could return to Ohio State for his sophomore season or join the Brampton Battalion, although retaining his OHL rights. However, Kesler signed a three-year, $2.475-million entry level deal with the Canucks, which was followed by an $850,000 signing bonus, less than two months after being drafted. Kesler was cut by the Canucks and sent to the Manitoba Moose, the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Kesler began his professional career with the Moose in November, but the Canucks recalled him in November and made his NHL debut on November 24, 2003, shooting one shot on goal and 12:12 of ice time. In a 4–4 tie, he scored his first NHL goal against Calgary Flames goaltender Jamie McLennan on November 29 for his first NHL goal in his career. Kesler split time between the Canucks and the Moose in 28 Canucks games and 11 points in 33 Moose games for the remainder of the season.

Kesler's entire season with the Moose was ruined during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, which ended the 2004-05 NHL season. Kesler, a Winnipeg product, has risen to the Canucks' top prospects. Kesler was named to the PlanetUSA All-Star Game in 2005, where he helped PlanetUSA defeat Team Canada for the first time in five years. Kesler came in third in team scoring with thirty goals and 57 points to be named the Moose's Most Valuable Player of the Year. As the Moose advanced to the Western Conference finals, Kesler added nine points in fourteen playoff games before being swept by the Chicago Wolves.

Kesler played in all 82 games and finished with 23 points as the NHL lockout ended and play resumed for the 2005-06 NHL season. Kesler refused a $564,000 qualifying offer from the Canucks before becoming a restricted free agent on July 1, 2006. Kesler, the Canucks', was unable to come to a decision on a new Canucks contract, and the Philadelphia Flyers released a one-year, $1.9-million offer sheet on September 12. Bobby Clarke, the Flyers' general manager, had an offer sheet when the Tampa Bay Lightning gave one to Brett Hauer in July 1999. Many NHL general managers expressed skepticism about Kesler's compensation, fearing that future free agent signings would be affected by his increased salary. The Canucks had one week to either match the offer or receive a second-round draft pick from the Flyers in 2007 as compensation. The Canucks matched the Flyers' bid two days after the signing.

Kesler missed the remainder of the season after playing 48 games in the 2006–07 NHL season, earning 16 points in the process. For the first game of their quarterfinal playoff series against the Dallas Stars, Kesler returned to the Canucks squad. Kesler was re-injured after blocking a shot in the fourth overtime of the game, suffering from a missing index finger. Despite finishing the game, Kesler was forced to underwent surgery to fix the injury and missed the remainder of the playoffs. The Canucks re-signed Kesler to a three-year, $5.25 million contract extension in the offseason. The transaction, which was facilitated by the Flyers' offer sheet, represented a $150,000 salary decrease in terms of average annual salary.

In the face of Flyers forward Jesse Boulerice early in his fourth season with the Canucks, Kesler was cross-checked. The cross-check was an immediate reaction to Kesler's injury of Flyers defensiveman Randy Jones, resulting in Kesler's suspension of the game with a sore jaw. Boulerice was then banned for 25 games, bringing the largest suspension in NHL history. Kesler was involved in another violent on-ice incident earlier this season when Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger stomp on Kesler's calf. Kesler was not hurt on the game, and he was not hurt. Though the NHL had hoped that Pronger would not be suspended on the game, he was banned from playing eight games later in life when new footage of the incident surfaced. Kesler developed himself as a solid two-way center, scoring what was then a career-high 21 goals and 37 points while still playing a regular shutdown role against top players and linemate Alexandre Burrows.

With Markus Näslund's, Brendan Morrison, and Trevor Linden's departures after the 2007-08 season, the Canucks were left without a captain for the 2008–09 NHL season. Kesler was named captain of the Canucks alongside Willie Mitchell and Mattias hlund, while Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was named captain on September 30, 2008. Although he started on the third row in a largely defensive role with Burrows, head coach Alain Vigneault eventually dropped the pair after a rough start to the season in January. As a result, Kesler was placed on the second line with free agent acquisitions Pavol Demitra and Mats Sundin. With 26 goals, 33 assists, and 59 points, he set new personal records for the 2008-09 season. He received the Cyclone Taylor Award as a team MVP, ahead of his higher-profile colleagues Luongo, Daniel, and Henrik Sedin. Kesler, along with Detroit Red Wings and Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers, received more attention on a national basis as a Frank J. Selke Trophy finalist. He came in second runner-up with a single first-place vote.

On March 19, 2010, Kesler signed a six-year, $30 million contract extension with the Canucks, the Canucks in the midst of another career year. The contract was designed to pay Kesler $5 million a year, and it came a month and a half after general manager Mike Gillis declared that he had suspended employment discussions with all the Canucks' pending free agents until the 2009-10 season. According to reports, the Canucks were attempting to sign him at $4.5 million a year, while Kesler was asking for $5.5 million. Kesler had made remarks the previous season, following Burrows' announcement that more players will have to sign contracts below market value in order to build a winning team. His handler later prompted him to refute the assertion that Kesler would not desire full market value in contract negotiations. Kesler was also contacted by National Hockey League Players' Association director of affairs Glenn Healy, who barred Kesler from making similar remarks in the future.

Kesler set a new personal record in points for the third straight season (75 goals and 50 assists). Kesler was moved to his natural center position and joined by wingers Mikael Samuelsson and Mason Raymond after Mats Sundin's retirement and Pavol Demitra being kept out of the lineup due to injuries. Henrik Sedin's 26 power play points ranked second on the team to Henrik Sedin in second place. He earned many of his points by governing the puck along the half-boards while playing on the second power play unit. He also had a record-breaking 19:37 minutes of ice time per game, ranking second overall among team forwards to Henrik Sedin. Kesler scored a goal and nine assists in 12 games in the upcoming 2010 playoffs. In the second round, Vancouver was eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks for the second year in a row. He helped the Canucks beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. An MRI revealed no significant injuries. Following the loss to not having played his best during the playoffs, he admitted.

He was a Selke Trophy finalist for the second season in a row, opposite the Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk and the Pittsburgh Penguins' Jordan Staal. With 83 points, he came in second in the league to Datsyuk in takeaways, while blocking 73 shots and receiving 95 hits. With 655 voting points, he was ranked as the first runner-up, behind Datsyuk's 688.

Roberto Luongo, a goaltender for his team captaincy in the off-season, has resigned from his role as captain of the United States. Kesler, the Canucks' manager, had waited until the start of the 2010-11 season to announce his replacement, alongside Henrik Sedin. Henrik was eventually appointed captain before the season-opener, but Kesler retained his alternate captaincy.

The 2010–11 season brought more attention to Kesler's offensive work. He started the season on the Sedins' power play unit as part of the Canucks coaching staff's attempt to "load up" their first power play unit. He went from being the primary puck-controller on the second team to the front of the net, screening the goalie and tipping pucks in. Manny Malhotra's off-season acquisition of defensive specialist Manny Malhotra relieved Kesler from a substantial portion of his defensive duties, including playing against opposing team's top forwards in a shutdown role. In a 4–2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on November 24, 2010, Kesler scored his 100th goal in his career in the NHL. In a 3–2 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 15, he scored all three of the Canucks' goals for his first NHL career hat-trick. In a 6–1 victory, he notched his second hat-trick against the Edmonton Oilers. Kesler was named to his first NHL All-Star Game on January 11, 2011; he and Daniel and Henrik Sedin were among the three Canucks teammates. Kesler was chosen to replace as an alternate captain alongside Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green, who represents Eric Staal's crew. As Team Staal was defeated by Team Lidstrom 11–10, he went without a point. Kesler was named with the team's Most Exciting Player Award ahead of the Canucks' final home game of the regular season on April 7, 2011. As the Canucks defeated 5–0, he was playing the Minnesota Wild for his third hat-trick of the season, reaching the 40-goal plateau.

Kesler finished the regular season with a career-high 41 goals; he had 32 assists in 73 games, third among Canuck scorers. He aided the Canucks in winning their first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history. The Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators in the second round after opening the playoffs with a seven-game first-round victory over the Blackhawks. Kesler played in 11 of the Canucks' 14 goals in the series, putting them over the Predators in six games. He was one point behind Pavel Bure's franchise record of most points in a playoff series (Bure had 12 points against the St. Louis Blues in 1995). Kesler, who was playing for the San Jose Sharks in the third round, appeared to hurt either his left leg or groin while attacking backfield Dan Boyle in the series's pivotal fifth game. He returned to score the game-tying goal after being off the bench for several shifts, tipping a Henrik Sedin shot with 13.2 seconds remaining in regulation. In double-overtime, the Canucks defeated the Toucans, advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Kesler needed cortisone shots to keep playing for the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a torn labrum on the field (his injury was not disclosed until the off-season, though). He was considered by many in the media to be the best candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best candidate for the title. As a result, Kesler's results in the Finals dropped. The Canucks lost the series in seven games after being in Boston. He failed to gain a point in the remaining six games after contributing to the game-winning goal in Game 1, while still maintaining a –7 rating. He ranked third among Canucks scorers (behind the Sedins) and tied for sixth among NHL players overall with 19 points (7 goals and 12 assists) over 25 games.

Kesler was named the Selke Trophy a week after the Canucks' Game 7 loss, after finishing as a runner-up for the previous two years. In comparison to runners-up Jonathan Toews' 476 and Pavel Datsyuk's 348, he gained 1,179 votes. Kesler was also ranked eighth in Hart Memorial Trophy voting as the league's Most Valuable Player. Kesler underwent arthroscopic surgery for the torn labrum in his hip later in the offseason. He had started a program to recover from the injury unrelated to his labrum tear in 2007, but a specialist recommended him to have surgery in late-July 2011. The Canucks announced on August 2 that Kesler had successfully undergone the procedure, but that they would not be able to play until mid-October. After missing the first five games of the 2011-12 season, he returned to the lineup against the New York Rangers on October 18. Kesler's lowest scoring total in four years was 49 points, despite being appreciating in 77 contests. The Canucks were a good regular season team, winning their second straight Presidents' Trophy, second on a team basis. However, the team would falter in the playoffs due to exhaustion, losing in the first round to the eventual champions Los Angeles Kings in five games. In the series, Kesler had three assists.

Kesler had been suffering from a shoulder injury since February 2012, according to reports during the off-season. In May, he recovered from a torn labrum injury after undergoing surgery. He had been expected to recover by mid-November but his recovery was delayed for several months due to an additional wrist injury which required surgery in late-June. As a result, he made his 2012-13 season debut on February 15, 2013, the Dallas Stars' 4–3 loss. Kesler missed 12 games due to the NHL lockout, which postponed the first four months of the season. However, Kesler was back on the injured reserve after seven games with a fractured foot. In his first game against Dallas, he sustained the injury but the X-rays came back negative. The fracture was discovered after suffering with the pain for several games.

Kesler was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in June 24, 2014, as part of a third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, in exchange for Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa, and a first- and third-round pick. Kesler signed a six-year contract extension worth $41.25 million on July 15, 2015. Kesler was named as the Ducks' alternate captain in October 2015. Kesler came 3rd in Selke Trophy voting and earned his 5th place vote in the Hart Memorial Trophy competition in the 2015-16 NHL season. Kesler's next season will help lead the Ducks to a Western Conference Final while finishing 2nd in the Selke trophy competition and his second all-star appearance. On March 5, 2019, he played his 1000th NHL Game against the Arizona Coyotes for his 1000th appearance. He was the 333rd player in NHL history to play 1000 games, and Anaheim's 11th.

Kesler underwent hip resurfacing surgery in May 2019 and missed the entire 2019-20 season. Kesler was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in the fall of 2019. He appeared on both the 2020–21 and the 2021–22 seasons. Kesler said he would not play in the NHL again at the 2021-22 season.

The remainder of Kesler's NHL contract, as well as John Moore, was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights and John Moore as part of a deal that saw Evgenii Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick in the 2023 or 2024 draft go to Anaheim. Despite this, the trade entered into dispute as a result of Dadonov's no-trade clause. The NHL officially ended the trade on March 23.

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