Ryan Reaves facts for kids
Ryan Reaves, born on January 20, 1987, is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a right winger for the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ryan has also played for several other NHL teams, including the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. His father, Willard Reaves, was a professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL).
Quick facts for kids Ryan Reaves |
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Reaves with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018
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| Born | January 20, 1987 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Vegas Golden Knights New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Toronto Maple Leafs |
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| NHL Draft | 156th overall, 2005 St. Louis Blues |
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| Playing career | 2007–present | ||
Playing Career
Youth Hockey Days
Ryan started playing hockey when he was five years old. He also played football from age eight. When he was young, Ryan played in a big hockey tournament called the 2000 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.
He had to stop playing football after a hockey injury. This injury happened before he was chosen in the Western Hockey League (WHL) draft. Even after being drafted by the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2002, Ryan kept playing for his school hockey team. He helped them win a championship in 2004.
Ryan joined the Wheat Kings for his first full season in 2004–05. Before the next season, he was named an alternate captain.
Professional Hockey
Starting with the St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues picked Ryan 156th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. In 2007, he signed a three-year contract with the Blues. He first played for their minor league teams, the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) and the Alaska Aces (ECHL).
Ryan made his NHL debut with the Blues on October 11, 2010. He scored his first NHL goal on January 12, 2011, against the Anaheim Ducks. In the 2015–16 season, Ryan had a knee injury that shortened his playing time.
Moving to the Pittsburgh Penguins
After playing seven seasons with the Blues, Ryan was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 23, 2017. He played 58 games for the Penguins in the 2017–18 season. During his time there, he helped make the team's lower lines stronger.
Time with the Vegas Golden Knights
Ryan was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on February 23, 2018. He scored the winning goal against the Winnipeg Jets that sent the Golden Knights to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. He also scored in Game 1 of the Finals.
On July 1, 2018, Ryan signed a two-year contract with the Golden Knights. He had his best season in 2018–19, scoring nine goals and 20 points. In 2020, he signed another two-year contract extension. In May 2021, Ryan was suspended for five playoff games due to a dangerous play against Colorado Avalanche player Ryan Graves.
Playing for the New York Rangers
On July 29, 2021, the Golden Knights traded Ryan to the New York Rangers. He signed a one-year contract extension with the Rangers on July 31.
Joining the Minnesota Wild
After playing 12 games with the Rangers without scoring, Ryan was traded to the Minnesota Wild on November 23, 2022. This trade happened during the 2022–23 season.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs
After looking at offers from different teams, Ryan signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, 2023.
Current Team: San Jose Sharks
On July 10, 2025, Ryan was traded to the San Jose Sharks. He joined the Sharks in exchange for player Henry Thrun.
Playing Style
Ryan Reaves is known in the NHL as an enforcer. This means he is a player who is known for being tough, protecting his teammates, and making it hard for the other team to play. He is also good at playing aggressively to get the puck back.
Because of his tough playing style, Ryan has sometimes had issues with the NHL's Department of Player Safety. He has been suspended four times during his NHL career for a total of eleven games. He has also been fined three other times for rule violations. For example, he was suspended for a dangerous play in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. He was also suspended for a dangerous hit to the head in the 2020 playoffs and for another dangerous hit in 2016. On November 16, 2024, he was suspended for 5 games for an illegal check to the head of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
Personal Life
Ryan's father, Willard Reaves, was a professional football player. He played in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. Ryan was born in Winnipeg when his father played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Ryan's brother, Jordan Reaves, also plays football for the Edmonton Elks. Ryan also has an older sister named Regina.
Ryan is married to Alanna, and they have two children, Kane and Kamilla. Ryan is a citizen of both America and Canada.
Ryan has said that he is a descendant of Bass Reeves. Bass Reeves was a former slave who became one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals. A TV series about Bass Reeves' life, called Lawmen: Bass Reeves, came out in 2023.
Career Statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | St. John's-Ravenscourt School | HS-MB | 19 | 20 | 12 | 32 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 64 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 79 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 43 | ||
| 2005–06 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 68 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 91 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 69 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 76 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 19 | ||
| 2007–08 | Alaska Aces | ECHL | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | ||
| 2007–08 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 31 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 57 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 130 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 76 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 167 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 50 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 146 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 28 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 60 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 124 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Orlando Solar Bears | ECHL | 13 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 43 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 79 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 63 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 126 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 81 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 116 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 64 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 68 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 2016–17 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 80 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 104 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2017–18 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 58 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 | ||
| 2018–19 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 80 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 74 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | ||
| 2019–20 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 71 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 2020–21 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 2021–22 | New York Rangers | NHL | 69 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 43 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 2022–23 | New York Rangers | NHL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 61 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
| 2023–24 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 49 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 49 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 35 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 912 | 63 | 74 | 137 | 1,100 | 113 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 116 | ||||
