Justin Todd Richards[1] (born March 17, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey forward for Düsseldorfer EG of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
| Justin Richards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Richards with the Cleveland Monsters in 2023 | |||
| Born |
March 17, 1998 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 | ||
Playing career
editRichards 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
editRichards is the son of former ice hockey player, Todd Richards, and is the nephew of Travis Richards.[10]
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit- ^ "Justin Richards - Men's Hockey".
- ^ a b "Justin Richards". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Rangers Agree to Terms with Free Agent Forward Justin Richards". NHL.com. April 2, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ a b "Rangers' Justin Richards: Making NHL debut". CBS Sports. May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "NY Rangers v. Boston Bruins". Yahoo!. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Monsters sign forward Justin Richards". Cleveland Monsters. August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "CBJ sign C Justin Richards to one-year, two-way contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ "Sabres sign Richards, Cooley to 1-year deals". Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "DEG sign forward Justin Richards" (in German). Düsseldorfer EG. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ "Richards, son of former NHL coach, agrees to contract with Rangers". NHL.com. April 2, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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