WHL Scholarship recipient Ryan plays 500th game of NHL career

Derek Ryan’s path to the NHL may not have been the conventional one, but the native of Spokane, Wash., has proven it means just as much after he played his 500th career NHL regular season game Thursday night as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

Ryan, 36, began his long journey to the NHL when he laced up with his hometown Spokane Chiefs, playing 216 games and amassing 167 points (67G-100A) over the course of three Western Hockey League seasons from 2004 to 2007.

After a brief three-game stint with the Kalamazoo Wings of the now-defunct United Hockey League, Ryan made the decision to access his WHL Scholarship and attend the University of Alberta where he pursued and obtained an undergraduate degree in human physiology with the longer-term goal of becoming a pharmacist.

“It was really hard to turn down that guarantee of four years of schooling,” Ryan told WHL.ca back in March 2020. “Once I had that in front of me, I really didn’t have much of a choice, because I thought it was so obvious I had to take that.

“It’s not an easy decision and there’s no right answer for every player, but for me it was a no-brainer.”

During his time at the University of Alberta, Ryan continued to pursue his hockey goals as a member of the Golden Bears men’s hockey team, playing 109 games while registering 146 points (58G-88A) over four Canada West seasons. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound forward helped the storied Golden Bears to four consecutive Canada West men’s hockey championships as well as a U Sports University Cup in 2008.

On three occasions, Ryan was named a U Sports All-Star – twice named to the first team and once to the second team. He was a U Sports All-Canadian on two occasions and was named U Sports MVP after leading all of Canadian men’s university hockey in scoring during the 2010-11 campaign with 47 points (17G-30A) in 28 regular season outings.

“My dad and I always look back and joke a little bit about that being one of the best decisions I ever made was to go play hockey at the U of A,” Ryan told WHL.ca in October 2020. “There’s just a great comradery up there, a great culture, a great program, and definitely never regret that decision. I was able to pursue an education, I got my bachelor’s degree up there and played some top-notch hockey at the same time.”

Upon graduating from the University of Alberta, Ryan went overseas where he played four seasons in Europe, including stops in Hungary, Austria and Sweden.

Finally, the NHL came calling on June 15, 2015, when the Carolina Hurricanes offered Ryan a one-year, two-way contract. The 2015-16 season saw Ryan captain the Hurricanes’ American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte Checkers, where he put up 55 points (23G-32A) in 70 games during his first season back in North America since 2011. The former Chief found his way into six NHL games with the Hurricanes that season, collecting two goals and officially beginning his journey to 500 career NHL games.

At the conclusion of the 2016-17 NHL season, Ryan was named a finalist for the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game of hockey.

Fast forward to Thursday, April 13, and Ryan reached that illustrious plateau, having spent three seasons with the Hurricanes, three seasons with the Calgary Flames, and now two seasons with the Oilers.

Over his NHL career to date, Ryan has skated in 153 games as a member of the Hurricanes, another 192 games as a Flame, and now 155 games as an Oiler.

For the second time in his career, Ryan’s commitment to the game has seen him named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, this time as the Oilers nominee for the 2022-23 season.

FIVE HUN(DR)ED

Tonight also marks 5⃣0⃣0⃣ career @NHL games for Derek Ryan! @LegacyHCYeg | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/v2o4xLkrpb

— x – Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 14, 2023

“My journey to the NHL is the epitome of [dedication],” Ryan told Oilers TV on April 10 after being named the team’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. “I think it’s an inspirational story for a lot of people, especially young kids. I was told I was too small, wasn’t good enough in my [NHL] draft year, overlooked. I went to the U of A, way off the radar at that point. Got a job in Europe and just continued to grow my game. I wasn’t worried about making it to the NHL, I wasn’t worried about making it big, I was just worried about making small progress year after year, getting better and building my game.

“I just stuck with it. Obviously a lot of hard work in there, a lot of luck, too, and a lot of blessings. It’s a great story of perseverance and I’m very fortunate to be where I am right now.”

While most players aspire to hear their name called at the NHL Draft and eventually make their way straight to pro hockey, that isn’t always the simple or easy road to the NHL. Ryan’s perseverance and dedication is proof that there are alternate routes to hockey’s top league, and you can have great success along the road.

“I get to tell my story a lot of times in church or with youth groups and hockey camps in the summer,” Ryan said. “It hits a special note with youth. It gives me a great appreciation for where I am now. A lot of guys come into the league at a young age and I’m sure they appreciate the NHL, because it’s every hockey player’s dream, but I have a special angle on all of it because I have stepped on every rung of the ladder.

“My message to [my kids] and to all kids is to not let people tell what you can and can’t become. You work hard, you stick with it… and you have to will it yourself. If you do that, you can become anything.”

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The 2022-23 campaign serves as the 30th year of the WHL Scholarship program. Established on a league-wide basis in 1993-94, over 7,500 WHL Scholarships have been accessed, representing an investment of over $34 million by WHL Clubs. This season, WHL Clubs will contribute in excess of $2 million to WHL graduates utilizing the WHL Scholarship. 

Administered by the WHL Office, WHL Scholarships are solely funded by the WHL member Clubs. Every player who plays in the WHL is eligible to receive the WHL Scholarship. For every season a player plays in the WHL, they receive a guaranteed, full-year of WHL Scholarship, including tuition, textbooks and compulsory fees to a post-secondary institution of their choice. The WHL Scholarship is a fully-guaranteed academic scholarship with no requirement to play university hockey to qualify. The WHL graduate can apply the funding to any post-secondary or career-enhancing program of his choice, including trades schools or professional career training programs.

In addition to the WHL Scholarship players receive upon graduation from the WHL, all current WHL players are encouraged to enroll in post-secondary courses and these courses are also fully funded by WHL Clubs. On average, 150 current WHL players take post-secondary courses while playing in the WHL. The financial assistance received for post-secondary studies while playing does not impact on the WHL Scholarship benefits a WHL player is entitled to upon graduating from the League. The WHL and Athabasca University have partnered to offer, through an online distance education platform, fully-accredited university courses to any WHL player interested in further pursuing post-secondary studies while playing in the WHL.