Mike Van Ryn

Mike Van Ryn
Born	Michael Theodore Van Ryn (1979-05-14) May 14, 1979 Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player, coach
Years active	1997–2010 (player), 2010–present (coach)
Known for	NHL defenceman for St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs; assistant coach for Toronto Maple Leafs

Michael Theodore Van Ryn (born May 14, 1979) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. During his tenure in the National Hockey League, he played for the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and the Maple Leafs.

University of Michigan Wolverines (1997–1999)

Van Ryn competed with the University of Michigan Wolverines during the 1997–98 season, registering four goals and 18 points across 38 games. He played a role in securing the National Championship by helping the team defeat Boston College 3–2 in overtime.

In the following season, 1998–99, Van Ryn led all defensemen on his team by scoring 10 goals and accumulating 23 points in 37 games.

Sarnia Sting (1999–2000)

After being selected in the eighth round, 133rd overall, of the 1996 OHL Priority Selection, Van Ryn joined the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League for the 1999–2000 campaign.

He made his debut on September 24, 1999, and earned his first point two days afterward. On October 15, he netted his initial OHL goal and contributed two assists for a personal best of three points in one game. Over 61 games, he tallied six goals and 41 points, ranking fifth in team scoring. In seven playoff appearances, he added five assists.

New Jersey Devils (1998–2000)

Selected 26th overall in the first round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Van Ryn later signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent in June 2000 after successfully contesting NHL regulations concerning drafted college players’ rights. This decision allowed him to participate in one major junior season following college before entering free agency, leading to a three-year contract with St. Louis after his stint with Sarnia.

St. Louis Blues (2000–2003)

Van Ryn made his NHL debut on October 5, 2000, with the St. Louis Blues, logging 13:43 minutes but not recording any points during a 4-1 defeat to the Phoenix Coyotes. This appearance was his only NHL game during the 2000–01 season.

That year, he played 37 games for the Worcester IceCats of the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring three goals and totaling 13 points. In seven playoff contests, he contributed one goal and one assist.

Beginning the 2001–02 with Worcester, Van Ryn appeared in 24 games with two goals and nine points before being promoted to St. Louis in December. He remained with the Blues for the remainder of that season.

On January 1, he recorded his first NHL point by assisting on a goal scored by Doug Weight. His first NHL goal came on January 23 against goaltender Martin Biron of the Buffalo Sabres. On March 17, he achieved his first multi-point game by scoring a goal and adding an assist. Throughout 48 games that season, Van Ryn amassed two goals and ten points. He participated in nine playoff games but did not score as St. Louis was eliminated in the second round by the Detroit Red Wings.

During the 2002–03 season, Van Ryn experienced offensive difficulties with St. Louis, failing to score and recording only three assists over 20 games before being reassigned to Worcester. In 33 games there, he scored two goals and gathered ten points.

On March 11, 2003, Van Ryn was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Valeri Bure and a fifth-round selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Florida Panthers (2003–2008)

Van Ryn concluded the 2002–03 campaign with Florida's AHL team, the San Antonio Rampage, contributing three assists over 11 games and remaining scoreless in three playoff contests.

Throughout the entire 2003–04 season, Van Ryn played exclusively for the Panthers. He made his NHL debut on October 9 and notched his initial points—a pair of assists—on October 13. His first goal for Florida was netted on October 15 against Sean Burke of the Phoenix Coyotes. On April 4, he achieved a personal best by assisting on three goals in a single game. He led all Panthers defensemen with 13 goals and 37 points and ranked third in overall team scoring. Despite his efforts, the Panthers did not qualify for the playoffs.

The 2004–05 NHL season was canceled due to a league-wide lockout.

When play resumed in 2005-06, Van Ryn recorded three assists on October 15 and repeated that feat with another three-assist performance on February 28 during an 8–2 triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He registered his first game with multiple goals on April 18. Matching his previous career-best, he finished with 37 points across 80 games, though Florida again failed to reach postseason competition.

In the 2006–07 season, Van Ryn’s offensive output declined to four goals and 29 points over 78 contests; the Panthers once again missed playoff qualification.

His scoring difficulties persisted during 2007–08, as he appeared in only 20 games, tallying two assists before wrist surgery prematurely ended his campaign.

On September 2, 2008, Van Ryn was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Bryan McCabe and a fourth-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Toronto Maple Leafs (2008–2010)

Van Ryn made his Maple Leafs debut on October 9, 2008, contributing to a 3–2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. He earned his first point for Toronto with an assist on October 11 during a 6–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and scored his inaugural goal for the team on October 23 against Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins in a 4–2 win.

His time with Toronto was hampered by injuries, restricting him to just 27 games where he recorded three goals and totaled 11 points. On October 22, 2009, Van Ryn underwent a successful osteotomy procedure on his left knee, which allowed him to resume normal daily activities. Nevertheless, the Maple Leafs announced on June 30, 2010, that he would be sidelined for the entirety of the 2010–11 season.

Niagara IceDogs (2010–2011)

Van Ryn launched his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL, working alongside head coach Marty Williamson. The IceDogs finished third in the Eastern Conference posting a record of 45–17–2–4 (96 points) and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals before being eliminated by the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.

After one season in this role, Van Ryn moved into professional coaching with the Houston Aeros of the AHL.

Houston Aeros (2011–2013)

Van Ryn took on assistant coaching duties with the Houston Aeros under head coach John Torchetti, who was previously acquainted with him from their time together at the Florida Panthers. The Aeros served as the AHL affiliate for the Minnesota Wild.

During the 2011–12 season, Houston compiled a record of 35–25–5–11 (86 points), finishing fourth in the West Division and earning a playoff berth before falling to the Oklahoma City Barons in the opening round. The following year saw improvement as they finished with a 40–26–5–5 record (90 points), again placing fourth in their division but were ousted in five games by the Grand Rapids Griffins during their first-round playoff series.

Kitchener Rangers (2013–2016)

In 2013, Van Ryn became an associate coach for the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL, serving under head coach Troy Smith. The team, undergoing a rebuilding phase, faced difficulties during the 2013–14 campaign, finishing with a 22–41–2–3 record and failing to qualify for the postseason.

The following year, in 2014–15, Kitchener showed progress by achieving a 32-26-3-7 record, securing sixth place in their conference; however, they were eliminated in the opening playoff round by the London Knights. Subsequently, Van Ryn succeeded Smith as head coach.

Van Ryn's inaugural game as head coach occurred on September 25, 2015, resulting in a 5–4 overtime defeat. His initial victory came on October 1 versus the North Bay Battalion. The Rangers commenced the season impressively with a 13–0–3 streak before suffering their first regulation defeat on November 7. They concluded the regular season with a strong 44–17–5–2 record, ranking fourth in the conference. During the playoffs, Kitchener overcame the Windsor Spitfires but were swept by the London Knights in the second round.

After completing one season as head coach, Van Ryn stepped down on May 9, 2016.

Arizona Coyotes (2016–2018)

Van Ryn joined the Arizona Coyotes organization in 2016 as a player development coach. The following year, he was elevated to head coach of their AHL affiliate team, the Tucson Roadrunners. Under his leadership, Tucson secured first place in the Pacific Division during his debut season. He departed after the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs to explore coaching opportunities at the NHL level.

St. Louis Blues (2018–2023)

On May 30, 2018, Van Ryn was appointed assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues, taking over from Darryl Sydor. He played a role in guiding the team to their 2019 Stanley Cup championship. After five seasons with the Blues, Van Ryn was relieved of his duties in April 2023.

Toronto Maple Leafs (2023–present)

Following his departure from St. Louis, Van Ryn was hired as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the 2023–24 season.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995–96	London Nationals	WOHL		44	9	14	23	24		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	London Nationals	WOHL		46	14	31	45	32		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	University of Michigan	CCHA		38	4	14	18	44		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	University of Michigan	CCHA		37	10	13	23	52		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	Sarnia Sting	OHL		61	6	35	41	34		7	0	5	5	4
2000–01	Worcester IceCats	AHL		37	3	10	13	12		7	1	1	2	2
2000–01	St. Louis Blues	NHL		1	0	0	0	0
2001–02 AHL season | Worcester IceCats | AHL |24 |2 |7 |9 |17 | — | — | — | — | — |-	2001–02 NHL season | St. Louis Blues | NHL |48 |2 |8 |10 |18 |9 |0 |0 |0 |0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2002–03 NHL season | St. Louis Blues | NHL |20 |0 |3 |3 |8 | — | — | — | — | — |-		2002–03 AHL season | Worcester IceCats | AHL |33 |2 |8 |10 |16 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	2002–03 San Antonio Rampage AHL 11 0 3 3 20 3 0 0 0 0 |-	2003–04 NHL season Florida Panthers NHL 79 13 24 37 52 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2005–06 NHL season Florida Panthers NHL 80 8 29 37 90 — — — — — |- 2006–07 NHL season Florida Panthers NHL 78 4 25 29 64 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2007–08 NHL season Florida Panthers NHL 20 0 2 2 14 — — — — — |- 2008–09 NHL season Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 27 3 8 11 14 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"	NHL totals !353 !30 !99 !129 !260 !9 !0 !0 !0 !0

International

Year	Team	Tournament		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998	Canada	WJC		7	0	0	0	4
1999	Canada	WJC		7	0	1	1	4
Junior career totals				14	0	1	1	4

Coaching record

Team	Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Standing	Playoff Outcome
Kitchener Rangers	2015–16	68	44	17	5	2	95	3rd place Midwest Division	Won conference quarter-finals (4-1 vs. Windsor Spitfires); eliminated in conference semi-finals (0-4 vs. London Knights)
Tucson Roadrunners	2017–18	68	42	20	—	5	90	1st place Pacific Division	Advanced past division semi-finals (3-1 vs. San Jose Barracuda); lost division finals (1-4 vs. Texas Stars)
OHL Career Totals		68	44	17	5	2	95	—	4-5 (.444)
AHL Career Totals		68	42	20	—	5	90	1 Division Championship	4-5 (.444)

Awards and honours

Award	Year
Selected to the All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie Team	1997–98
Named to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association All-Tournament Team	1999