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Ryan Gunderson

From Alfawiki
Ryan Gunderson
Born (1985-08-16) August 16, 1985 (age 41)
United States
OccupationProfessional ice hockey defenseman
Years active2007–present
Known forPlaying for HC Fribourg-Gottéron in the National League (NL)

Ryan Gunderson (born August 16, 1985) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for HC Fribourg-Gottéron in the National League (NL).

Amateur

Gunderson completed his high school education at Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, graduating in 2003. During his time there, he established a single-season record for points in the regular season with 94, comprising 26 goals and 68 assists. He also led his team to victory in the Flyers Cup Championship and achieved a state runner-up position. Subsequently, he spent four years competing at the University of Vermont, where he holds the record for the most games played (148). In 2024, Holy Ghost Prep honored him by inducting him into their Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional

Following his collegiate career, Gunderson signed with the ECHL's Columbia Inferno in March 2007, contributing three assists over 12 games. Later that year, he joined the Trenton Devils, the New Jersey Devils’ ECHL affiliate, where he amassed 46 points (4 goals, 42 assists) during his rookie campaign. Leading all rookie defensemen in scoring and ranking second among all ECHL defensemen in assists, he earned a spot on the ECHL All Rookie Team and participated in the All-Star Game. In the 2008–09 season, he set franchise records for assists (53) and total points (58) by a defenseman and was selected for the All-ECHL First Team.

In April 2008, Gunderson signed a professional tryout contract with the AHL’s Lowell Devils, appearing in three contests. After spending three seasons competing in North American minor leagues, he transitioned to Sweden’s Örebro HK of HockeyAllsvenskan for the 2010–11 season. Although Örebro extended his contract through 2012, Gunderson opted to sign with top-tier Swedish club Brynäs IF of the Elitserien beforehand. Over three seasons with Brynäs IF, he accumulated 111 points (26 goals and 85 assists) and played a key role in securing the league championship during the 2011–12 season.

In 2014, Gunderson moved to Jokerit competing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), where he recorded 35 points (6 goals, 29 assists), including playoff contributions. He subsequently joined HC Dinamo Minsk within the KHL, tallying 27 points (5 goals and 22 assists). Returning to Brynäs IF for the 2016–17 campaign as assistant captain, Gunderson helped guide the team to the SHL Playoff Finals.

After six years with Brynäs IF, Gunderson signed a one-year deal with Swiss National League outfit HC Fribourg-Gottéron on March 27, 2019.

International play

On January 1, 2018, Gunderson was selected to represent Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He participated in all five games during the tournament as the United States finished in seventh place.

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2001–02 New Jersey Jr. Titans 18U AAA AYHL 17 5 14 19 10 — — — — —
2002–03 Mercer Chiefs U18 AAA AYHL 16 8 27 35 2 — — — — —
2003–04 University of Vermont ECAC 33 1 16 17 8 — — — — —
2004–05 University of Vermont ECAC 38 0 14 14 12 — — — — —
2005–06 University of Vermont HE 38 2 13 15 20 — — — — —
2006–07 University of Vermont HE 39 1 14 15 8 — — — —
2006–07 Columbia Inferno ECHL 12 0 3 3 6 — — — —
2007–08 ECHL season Trenton Devils ECHL 72 4 42 46 33 — — — —
2007–08 AHL season Lowell Devils AHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — —
2008–09 ECHL season Trenton Devils ECHL 72 5 53 58 20 7 0 3 3
2009–10 AHL season Houston Aeros AHL 74 5 20 25 24
2010–11 HockeyAllsvenskan season Örebro HK Allsv 52 11 28 39 12
2011–12 Elitserien season Brynäs IF SEL 55 9 25 34 6 17 3 2 5 - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2012–13 Elitserien season Brynäs IF SEL 55 9 27 36 16 4 1 0 1 - |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2013–14 SHL season Brynäs IF SHL 54 8 33 41 14 — — — — - |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2014–15 KHL season Jokerit KHL 58 7 29 36 16 10 0 6 6 - |-2015–16 KHL season Dinamo Minsk KHL 60 5 22 27 4 — — — — - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2016–17 SHL season Brynäs IF SHL 52 4 23 27 8 20 0 10 10 - |-2017–18 SHL season Brynäs IF SHL 43 4 25 29 6 8 1 2 3 - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2018–19 SHL season Brynäs IF SHL 52 8 30 38 18 — — — — - |-2019–20 NL season HC Fribourg–Gottéron NL 50 8 27 35 16 — — — — - bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2020–21 NL season HC Fribourg–Gottéron NL 51 9 36 45 8 5 0 1 1 4 |- |-2021–22 NL season HC Fribourg–Gottéron NL 50 4 25 29 12 9 1 7 8 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2022–23 NL season HC Fribourg–Gottéron NL 52 8 30 38 4 2 0 0 0 0 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | SHL totals !311 !42 !163 !205 !68 !49 !5 !14 !19 !10 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | KHL totals !118 !12 !51 !63 !20 !10 !0 !6 !6 !2 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NL totals !203 !29 !118 !147 !40 !16 !1 !8 !9 !4 |

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International

Year Team Tournament Placement GP G A Pts PIM
2018 United States Olympic Games 7th place 5 0 0 0 0
Senior career totals 5 0 0 0 0

Awards and honors

Award Season
ECHL
All-Rookie Team selection 2008
First All-Star Team designation 2009
SHL
Le Mat Trophy (with Brynäs IF) 2012
KHL
Participant, KHL All-Star Game 2015