Ryan Kesler

Ryan James Kesler (born August 31, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey center.

Kesler was born on August 31, 1984, in Livonia, Michigan, to Linda and Mike Kesler.

He is the youngest of three children, after brother Todd and sister Jenny.

His father, Mike, played college ice hockey at Colorado College and was a supervisor with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association for 37 years.

He introduced his children to the ice at a very young age; Ryan recalls skating at around age four.

Mike also coaches a Junior B ice hockey team and runs an ice hockey school in Livonia, which Kesler attended as a child every summer from the age of six to seventeen.

He played in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Little Caesars team.

Around age 13, Kesler was cut from every AAA team he tried out for.

Consequently, he played for his dad's Livonia Hockey Association bantam team, which he coached.

Kesler credits his brother, who is nine years older than him, for getting him into hockey.

During his minor career, he established a lasting friendship with Chris Conner, who went on to be drafted by the Dallas Stars.

Despite growing up in Michigan, he was a Minnesota North Stars fan.

As a young hockey player, Kesler looked up to North Stars center and fellow Livonia native Mike Modano as a role model.

He has also listed Joe Sakic of the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche as a favorite player during his childhood.

In June 2000, Kesler was drafted in the fifth round, 89th overall, by the Brampton Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.

Despite being drafted by a Canadian OHL team, Kesler chose to play in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) because of its close proximity to Livonia.

This allowed Kesler to continue his high school education without leaving Winston Churchill High School.

He entered the USNTDP for the 2000–01 season.

Over his two seasons with the USNTDP, Kesler recorded 99 points in 131 games.

After two seasons with the USNTDP, Kesler accepted a scholarship to play college ice hockey at Ohio State University for the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

He chose Ohio State over the University of Wisconsin–Madison and its Wisconsin Badgers ice hockey program of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) because Ohio State was closer to Kesler's home in Livonia.

As a freshman, Kesler scored 11 goals and 20 assists to finish fourth in team scoring behind junior and Hobey Baker Award finalist R. J. Umberger.

Over the course of his freshman year, Kesler helped the Buckeyes to a third-place finish in the CCHA's regular season standings.

Selected in the first round, 23rd overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Kesler spent the first 10 years of his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Canucks after which he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2014 with whom he spent the rest of his career.

At the 2003 CCHA Tournament, Kesler scored two goals as the Buckeye's finished in fourth place, losing to Northern Michigan 4–1 in the third-place game.

Despite this finish, Ohio State secured an at-large bid to the 2003 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament, the third appearance at the NCAA men's ice hockey championship in Ohio State's history.

At the tournament, Ohio State suffered a 1–0 loss to Boston College in the opening round of the East Regional at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, ending both the team's and Kesler's season.

Kesler's play as a freshman earned him an honorable mention for the CCHA All-Rookie Team.

He was also named CCHA Rookie of the Week three times, CCHA Rookie of the Month once, and was awarded Ohio State's George Burke Most Valuable Freshman award.

Following the season, Kesler entered the 2003 NHL Entry Draft ranked 16th overall among North American skaters.

On June 21, 2003, he was drafted 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks.

Upon being drafted, Kesler considered returning to Ohio State for his sophomore season or joining the Brampton Battalion, who still held his OHL rights.

However, on August 18, 2003, less than two months after being drafted, Kesler signed a three-year, $2.475-million entry-level contract with the Canucks, complemented by an $850,000 signing bonus.

In addition to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and the Ohio State Buckeyes, Kesler has also suited up for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he was named to the 2005 AHL All-Star Game.

Kesler has represented the United States at seven International Ice Hockey Federation-sanctioned events, winning one World U18 Championship gold medal, one World Junior Championship gold medal, one Winter Olympics silver medal, and one World U-17 Hockey Challenge gold medal.

In April 2007, Mike was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer and had seven inches of his small intestine removed in order to be 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 (MWEHL).

He is best known for being a two-way forward and his agitating style of play, winning the Selke Trophy in 2011.

Kesler played junior ice hockey with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from which he then accepted a scholarship to play college ice hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

In one season with the Buckeyes, he was an honorable mention for the CCHA All-Rookie Team and was named CCHA Rookie of the Week three times and CCHA Rookie of the Month once.