Looking for stats?



Former DU Pioneer John Ryder Returns Home to Join Eagles

August 6, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL) - Colorado Eagles News Release

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles announced Tuesday that they have signed defenseman John Ryder for the 2013-14 season. The 6-foot, 200-pound blueliner spent five seasons at the University of Denver, where he was named to the NCAA all-academic team on four separate occasions. The Colorado Springs, Colorado native skated in 142 games with the Pioneers, posting 22 points and finishing his collegiate career with a cumulative plus-29 rating. Ryder was also a part of the 2007-08 DU team that would go on to capture the WCHA tournament championship.

Ryder spent his rookie season with the Idaho Steelheads during the 2012-13 campaign. An injury shortened his participation to just 28 games with the Steelheads, but he would finish with five points and a plus-7 rating in the regular season, before participating in 17 additional games with Idaho in the post-season.

"John had a tremendous career with DU and we were always impressed with his performance during his time in the ECHL," said Eagles president and general manager Chris Stewart. "We expect him to be a very reliable player on the back-end and he will also be a guy that will bring a very physical brand of hockey to the ice every single night."

Ryder made his pro debut with the Steelheads last season after signing a one-year contract with the Texas Stars, the Steelheads' AHL affiliate.

"Playing at the Budweiser Events Center as a member of the visiting team, the atmosphere was always so incredible," said Ryder. "The Eagles have always had really good teams, so it was never fun to have to play against them. Now that I'm with them, hopefully it will be even less fun for other teams to have to play us," added Ryder.

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from August 6, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Colorado Eagles Stories