Ryan Fitzgerald (ice hockey)

Ryan Thomas Fitzgerald (born October 19, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the American Hockey League (AHL). He was selected by the Boston Bruins with the last pick in the 4th round (120th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Ryan Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald with the Providence Bruins in 2017
Born (1994-10-19) October 19, 1994
Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
AHL team
Former teams		 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Providence Bruins
NHL Draft 120th overall, 2013
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2017–present

Early life

Fitzgerald was born in Boca Raton, Florida, when his father Tom was a member of the Florida Panthers. As a result of his father's career, he grew up in Florida and Nashville, before his family settled in North Reading, Massachusetts.

Playing career

Amateur

Fitzgerald played for Malden Catholic High School of MIAA Catholic Conference and the Valley Jr. Warriors of the Eastern Junior Hockey League before committing to play for Boston College Eagles in the Hockey East conference of the NCAA.[1] He was the 2012 MVP of the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game.

Collegiate

Fitzgerald joined the Eagles in the 2013-14 season and made an impact immediately as a rookie, being named the conference's rookie of the month for November, in just his second month of collegiate play. Playing alongside Hobey Baker winner Johnny Gaudreau, Fitzgerald finished the season fifth on the team in scoring with 29 points as the Eagles made a deep NCAA tournament run, coming up just short of the title game after falling to eventual champions Union in the Frozen Four.

Fitzgerald's sophomore campaign was consistent, as he led the team in goals scored (17) and finished fourth on the team scoring (25), despite an early exit from postseason play.

Fitzgerald's junior year was a breakout year as he led the team in both goals scored (24) and overall scoring (47), helping the team to another deep NCAA tournament run. However, the Eagles would fall short of the championship yet again, after being defeated by the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the Frozen Four. For his efforts during the season, Fitzgerald was named a Hockey East 1st-Team All-Star as well as an NCAA 2nd-Team All-American.

For his senior year, Fitzgerald was named an assistant captain of the Eagles, but dipped in his point production as the Eagles had an off year in terms of postseason success. Fitzgerald scored 12 goals and 31 points on the year as the Eagles reached the Hockey East tournament Championship, but fell to the UMass Lowell River Hawks and failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Fitzgerald ended his NCAA career with 66 goals and 132 points.

Professional

With the completion of his collegiate career, Fitzgerald was signed to a two-year entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins on March 24, 2017. He immediately joined AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on an amateur try-out basis to play out the remaining 2016–17 season.[2]

After parts of four seasons within the Bruins organization, playing exclusively with AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, Fitzgerald left as a free agent. Unable to garner NHL interest, Fitzgerald agreed to a one-year AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, affiliate to the Philadelphia Flyers, for the 2020–21 season on January 18, 2021.[3]

Personal life

Fitzgerald's father is Tom Fitzgerald, a former player in the NHL and the current general manager of the New Jersey Devils. His younger brother, Casey, is a defenseman and is currently a junior playing for the Eagles. He is also cousins with former Eagles and current NHL players Jimmy and Kevin Hayes as well as NHL players Brady, Matthew and Keith Tkachuk.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 Malden Catholic High USHS 24 17 30 47 10 — — — — —
2010–11 Malden Catholic High USHS 24 28 44 72 28 — — — — —
2011–12 Malden Catholic High USHS 19 31 20 51 12 — — — — —
2012–13 Valley Jr. Warriors EJHL 26 14 16 30 50 6 3 3 6 8
2012–13 U.S. National Development Team USDP 5 1 0 1 8 — — — — —
2013–14 Boston College HE 40 13 16 29 22 — — — — —
2014–15 Boston College HE 38 17 8 25 54 — — — — —
2015–16 Boston College HE 40 24 23 47 47 — — — — —
2016–17 Boston College HE 34 12 19 31 56 — — — — —
2016–17 Providence Bruins AHL 8 0 2 2 2 13 1 4 5 6
2017–18 Providence Bruins AHL 65 21 16 37 45 3 2 0 2 4
2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 61 9 28 37 26 4 0 1 1 0
2019–20 Providence Bruins AHL 61 13 14 27 18 — — — — —
AHL totals 195 43 60 103 91 20 3 5 8 10

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 United States WJAC 4 4 0 4 22
Junior totals 4 4 0 4 22

Awards and honors
Award Year Ref
EJHL
CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game MVP 2012
Rookie of the Year 2013
College
HE Rookie of the Month (November) 2013 [4]
ACHA Second All-American Team 2016 [5]
HE First All-Star Team 2016 [6]
HE All-Tournament Team 2017

References
  1. "Ryan Fitzgerald - 2016-17 Men's Hockey". bceagles.com. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  2. "B's ink Fitzgerald, Johansson to entry-level deals". Boston Bruins. 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  3. "Four more join Phantoms". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. "Fitzgerald claims rookie of the Month honors". Hockey East. 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  5. "ACHA All-Americans announced". Hockey East. 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  6. "Hockey East announces award winners". Hockey East. 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
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