Giants’ Ronning signs with New York Rangers
Having honed his game with the best of the West, Vancouver Giants forward Ty Ronning is now looking to become the beast of the East.
In the midst of a record-breaking campaign, Ronning took a step towards realizing his professional hockey dreams Monday, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Rangers.
Drafted by the Rangers in the seventh round, 201st overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft, Ronning has done nothing but make the Rangers look good for the late-round selection since.
This year, Ronning sits third in the Western Hockey League for goals with 55, becoming the first player in the Giants’ history to surpass the 50-goal plateau. In 64 games, he’s set a personal career-high with 77 points (55G-22A) and a plus-11 rating. He’s tallied 15 goals on the power play, two while short-handed and eight game-winning goals.
The Giants’ previous record for most goals in a single season belonged to alumni Evander Kane, who scored 48 goals in the 2008-09 season. His 15 power-play goals are also the fourth-most in a single season by a Giants player, one behind Kevin Connauton for third with 16 and two behind Adam Courchaine’s 17 for second. Kane holds the record with 23 power play goals in the 2008-09 campaign.
Ronning’s stats have helped propel the Giants to clinch their first playoff appearance since the 2013-14 season, also keeping them in the hunt for the B.C. Division title down the stretch. This year, Ronning has tallied 15 multi-goal games, including three hat trick performances. He has 23 multi-point games to his credit this year with seven games left in the season.
A 5-foot-9, 172-pound product of Burnaby, B.C., Ronning has excelled with the Giants since being selected in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft. In 279 career WHL regular season games, Ronning has 211 points (121G-90A), including 27 power-play goals, two short-handed goals and 19 game-winning goals.
He sits five goals behind Courchaine for second place on the Giants’ list of all-time goal scorers and is tied with Giants’ alumni Gilbert Brule for the most career game-winning goals in Giants’ history.
The Giants are back in action Wednesday, March 7 (7:05 p.m. PST) when the Giants begin a five-game road trip against the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with forward Ty Ronning on an entry-level contract. pic.twitter.com/qKiXtgpD4W
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 5, 2018
Thank you to my family, teammates, coaches, and friends for always pushing me to be a better player — and person. Thank you all for believing in me and supporting my career! Hard work pays off but this is just the beginning. Can’t wait to take a bite out of the big apple! 🍎 pic.twitter.com/XPXfURq9sq
— Ty Ronning (@TyRonning7) March 5, 2018