Ryan Craig

Ryan F. Craig (born January 6, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. Prior to retirement, he was the captain of the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League (AHL). Craig was drafted 255th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ryan Craig
Born	January 6, 1982 Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	221 lb (100 kg; 15 st 11 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Tampa Bay Lightning Pittsburgh Penguins Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL Draft	255th overall, 2002 Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career	2003–2017

Playing career

With the Lightning in 2009.

As a youth, Craig played in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Abbotsford, British Columbia.[1]

Craig started his junior ice hockey career with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League and made his debut by appearing in one game in the 1997–98 season as a 16-year-old. In the 2000–01 season, Craig led Brandon in scoring and was named the team MVP the following year. Serving as a captain in his final two seasons in the WHL, Craig tied for the lead in scoring in the 2002–03 season, and ranked sixth in the WHL in goals, first in game-winning goals (11) and tied for eighth in power play goals.

After spending his first seven professional seasons within the Lightning organization, on July 3, 2010, Craig signed as a free agent to a two-way, 1-year $500,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. On June 13, 2011, Craig re-signed with the Penguins for one year.[2]

After captaining the Penguins' AHL affiliate, the Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins, for two seasons, Craig left the Penguins' organization. Unable to earn an NHL deal, he signed a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Falcons on July 19, 2012.[3]

Craig was selected as the Falcons' captain in his first season with the club, in 2012–13. He scored 20 goals and 47 points in 75 games to help Springfield reach the second round of the post-season. On July 5, 2013, Craig was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Falcons' NHL affiliate, the Columbus Blue Jackets.[4]

On June 29, 2015, Craig continued his affiliation with the Blue Jackets, by signing a two-year contract with their new AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters.[5] In his first season with the Monsters in 2015–16, Craig led the team as Captain in capturing their first Calder Cup championship.

He was announced as an assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights expansion team on June 9, 2017 and simultaneously retired from his playing career.[6]

Personal life

Craig is married to Jaydee, who grew up in Souris, Manitoba. They have a son and two daughters.[7][8]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL		54	11	12	23	46		5	0	0	0	4
1999–00	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL		65	17	19	36	40		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL		70	38	33	71	49		6	3	0	3	7
2001–02	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL		52	29	35	64	52		19	11	10	21	13
2002–03	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL		60	42	32	74	69		17	5	8	13	29
2003–04	Pensacola Ice Pilots	ECHL		5	3	5	8	0		2	0	1	1	0
2003–04	Hershey Bears	AHL		61	4	8	12	24		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Springfield Falcons	AHL		80	27	14	41	50		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Springfield Falcons	AHL		28	12	10	22	14		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		48	15	13	28	6		5	0	0	0	10
2006–07	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		72	14	13	27	55		6	0	0	0	12
2007–08	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		2	1	2	3	2		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		7	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		54	2	4	6	60		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		73	23	22	45	64		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		3	0	0	0	5		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		71	19	29	48	84		12	3	4	7	12
2010–11	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		6	0	0	0	22		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		68	11	19	30	70		12	1	3	4	2
2012–13	Springfield Falcons	AHL		75	20	27	47	71		8	2	2	4	7
2013–14	Springfield Falcons	AHL		55	18	15	33	52		5	4	1	5	4
2013–14	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		6	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Springfield Falcons	AHL		67	17	20	37	60		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Lake Erie Monsters	AHL		60	9	11	20	38		17	3	10	13	8
2016–17	Cleveland Monsters	AHL		71	11	11	22	25		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				198	32	31	63	148		11	0	0	0	22

Awards and honours

Awards	Year
WHL
East First All-Star Team	2002–03
Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy	2002–03
CHL Humanitarian of the Year Award	2002–03
AHL
Calder Cup (Lake Erie Monsters)	2016	[9]

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
2. "Penguins sign Ryan Craig". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 3, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
3. "Falcons Veteran Center, Former Falcon Captain Craig Returns to Springfield". Our Sports Central. July 19, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
4. "Blue Jackets sign Ryan Craig, Jeremy Smith and Cody Bass to two-way contracts". Columbus Blue Jackets. July 5, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
5. "Craig, Vogelhuber, Ambroz and Yevenko signed for 2015-16". Lake Erie Monsters. June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
6. "Vegas Golden Knights Name Ryan Craig Assistant Coach". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
7. "Lightning news and notes". Tampa Bay Lightning. April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
8. "Parrish propels Admirals to fourth straight victory". Norfolk Admirals. January 27, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
9. Brown, Tony (June 12, 2016). "Bjorkstrand's OT goal clinches Monsters' first-ever Calder Cup championship". Columbus Blue Jackets. Retrieved June 12, 2016.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database