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Justin Richards (ice hockey)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Justin Richards
Richards with the Cleveland Monsters in 2023
Born (1998-03-17) March 17, 1998 (age 26)
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
DEL team
Former teams
Düsseldorfer EG
New York Rangers
Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2021–present

Justin Todd Richards[1] (born March 17, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey forward for Düsseldorfer EG of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

Playing career

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Richards played college ice hockey at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.[2] On April 2, 2020, Richards signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).[3] He spent the majority of the 2020–21 season with Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Rangers' AHL affiliate.[2][4] Richards made his NHL debut for the Rangers on May 8, 2021, against the Boston Bruins.[5][4] Richards recorded his first NHL point in that game assisting on a goal by K'Andre Miller.[5]

As a free agent from the Rangers following the 2021–22 season, Richards continued his professional career in the AHL, signing a one-year deal with the Cleveland Monsters, the primary affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, on 29 August 2022.[6] In the 2022–23 season, Richards emerged as an offensive leader with the Monsters, collecting 17 points through his first 23 games. He was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 19, 2022.[7] Richards made his Blue Jackets debut on April 1, 2023 against the Florida Panthers.

At the conclusion of his contract with the Blue Jackets, Richards was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2023.[8]

Following his fourth professional season in North America, Richards as a free agent from the Sabres opted to pursue a career abroad in signing a one-year contract with German club, Düsseldorfer EG of the DEL, on August 6, 2024.[9]

Personal life

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Richards is the son of former ice hockey player, Todd Richards, and is the nephew of Travis Richards.[10]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Ohio Blue Jackets T1EHL 32 11 28 39 18 4 4 6 10 2
2016–17 Lincoln Stars USHL 59 10 20 30 63
2017–18 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCHC 44 0 9 9 6
2018–19 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCHC 42 12 20 32 18
2019–20 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCHC 34 14 11 25 14
2020–21 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 20 4 7 11 10
2020–21 New York Rangers NHL 1 0 1 1 0
2021–22 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 67 6 8 14 23
2022–23 Cleveland Monsters AHL 61 10 29 39 54
2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 2 0 1 1 0
2023–24 Rochester Americans AHL 58 7 9 16 28 5 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 3 0 2 2 0

References

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  1. ^ "Justin Richards - Men's Hockey".
  2. ^ a b "Justin Richards". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "Rangers Agree to Terms with Free Agent Forward Justin Richards". NHL.com. April 2, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Rangers' Justin Richards: Making NHL debut". CBS Sports. May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "NY Rangers v. Boston Bruins". Yahoo!. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "Monsters sign forward Justin Richards". Cleveland Monsters. August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "CBJ sign C Justin Richards to one-year, two-way contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  8. ^ "Sabres sign Richards, Cooley to 1-year deals". Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "DEG sign forward Justin Richards" (in German). Düsseldorfer EG. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "Richards, son of former NHL coach, agrees to contract with Rangers". NHL.com. April 2, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
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