27 Ryan Graves
2020-2021 Twenty-fifth Season
Adidas. Set 1. Neck tagging 58
Worn during the team's 25th Anniversary season, this set 1 jersey shows light overall wear, with a few light scuffs and burns on the lower arms. There is some light damage visible along the top edge of the anniversary patch. The jersey is accompanied by the Avalanche COA and the registration tag is sewn into the rear jersey hem. It sports the Avalanche 25th Anniversary patch on the right chest, and is autographed (from the team) on the rear numbers.
[ click on individual thumbnails to see larger images ]
Collar tagging
Set patch
Branding
25th Anniversary patch
Fight strap
Ryan Graves was childhood friends with Nathan MacKinnon, another Nova Scotia native, and the two would play youth ice hockey against each other on local teams and together on regional teams.
Graves had a reputation in the Nova Scotia youth hockey circuit for clumsiness, caused primarily by his comparatively tall physique. His strength and shot-blocking abilities, however, drew praise from coaches in the Yarmouth County Minor Hockey Association. During the 2010-11 minor ice hockey season, Graves played for the South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs, for whom he scored five goals and recorded seven assists. In addition to being named the team's top rookie, he was given the Scott Dee Memorial Award for the best rookie defenceman in the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League. That same year, he made one appearance with the Yarmouth Mariners of the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
The Prince Edward Island Rocket of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) selected Graves in the first round, ninth overall, of the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft.
After improving his offensive output in the following 2012–13 season, Graves gained the eye of NHL scouts, and was later selected in the fourth round, 110th overall, by the New York Rangers in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
In the 2015–16 season, Graves was assigned to the Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. He made his professional debut on opening night against the St. John's IceCaps on October 10, 2015. As a hulking defenceman with good mobility, Graves was a staple on the blueline for the Wolf Pack and represented the club at the 2016 AHL All-Star Game, winning the hardest shot contest with a 103.4 m/ph slapshot. Graves finished the season, leading the blueline with 9 goals in his 21 points in 74 games.
Graves was dealt by the New York Rangers at the trade deadline to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Chris Bigras on February 26, 2018. He was immediately assigned to the Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.
On July 17, he was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Avalanche. In the 2018–19 season, Graves scored his first NHL goal on January 4, 2019, against the team that drafted him, the New York Rangers. On July 8, Graves was re-signed to a one-year contract. During the 2019–20 season, primarily playing alongside eventual Calder Memorial Trophy winner Cale Makar, Graves in a top-pairing role scored career highs in both goals and points, and lead the NHL in the plus–minus statistic at +40. On October 12, 2020, Graves signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract with the Avalanche.
In the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Graves made his 100th NHL appearance in a 3–2 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks on January 22, 2021. Used in a top-four role, Graves was relied upon as the mainstay of the Avalanche penalty kill, finishing third in the league in short-handed time on ice. He registered 2 goals and 15 points in appearing in 54 of 56 regular season games.
On July 15, 2021, due to impending expansion draft considerations, Graves was traded by Avalanche to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Mikhail Maltsev and a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Wikipedia
Defense - Shoots L
Born: May 21, 1995 - Yarmouth, NS, CAN
6-5, 220 lbs.
Drafted 4th round, 110th pick overall by NY Rangers 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Traded to the Colorado Avalanche February 16, 2018 for D Chris Bigras. Traded to the New Jersey Devils July 15, 2021 for Mikhail Maltsev and Colorado's 2021 2nd round pick.