Ryan Kesler Ryan James Kesler ( born August 31 , 1984 ) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . He serves as an alternate captain for the Canucks during home games . Selected in the first round , 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft , Kesler has spent his entire seven - year NHL career with the Canucks . He is best known for being a two - way forward , winning the Selke Trophy in 2011 after having finished as a finalist the previous two years , as well as for his agitating style of play . Kesler played junior hockey with the U . S . National Team Development Program from which he then accepted a scholarship to play college hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association ( CCHA ) . In one season with the Buckeyes , he was an honourable mention for the CCHA All - Rookie Team and was named CCHA Rookie of the Week three times and CCHA Rookie of the Month once . In addition to the U . S . National Team Development Program and the Ohio State Buckeyes , Kesler has also suited up for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) , where he was named to an AHL All - Star Game . Kesler has represented the United States at five International Ice Hockey Federation - sanctioned events , winning one World U18 Championship gold medal , one World Junior Championships gold medal , and the 2010 Winter Olympics silver medal . He also participated in the 2001 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge where he won a gold medal . Early life . Kesler was born on August 31 , 1984 , in Livonia , Michigan , to Linda and Mike Kesler . He is the youngest of three children , after brother Todd and sister Jenny . His father , Mike , played college hockey at Colorado College and was a supervisor with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association for 37 years . He introduced his children to the ice at a very young age . Ryan recalls skating at around the age of 4 . Mike also coaches a Junior B hockey team and runs a hockey school in Livonia , which Kesler attended as a child every summer from the age of six to seventeen . In April 2007 , Mike was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer and had seven inches of his small intestine removed to rid the cancer . Kesler played minor hockey in Detroit for teams such as Compuware , Honeybaked , and Little Caesars of the Midwest Elite Hockey League ( MWEHL ) . Around the age of thirteen , Kesler was cut from every AAA team he tried out for . As a result , he played for his dad ' s Livonia Hockey Association bantam team , which he coached . Kesler credits his brother , who is nine years older than him , for getting him into hockey . During his minor career , he established a lasting friendship with Chris Conner , who went on to be drafted by the Dallas Stars . Despite growing up in Michigan , he was a Minnesota North Stars fan . As a young hockey player , Kesler looked up to North Stars center and fellow Livonia native Mike Modano as a role model . He has also listed Joe Sakic of the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche as a favorite player during his childhood . Playing career . U . S . National Team Development Program . In June 2000 , Kesler was drafted in the fifth round , 89th overall by the Brampton Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) Priority Selection . Despite being drafted by a Canadian OHL team , Kesler chose to play in the U . S . National Team Development Program ( USNTDP ) because of its close proximity to his Livonia home . This allowed Kesler to continue his high school education without leaving Winston Churchill High School . He entered the USNTDP for the 2000 – 01 season . Over his two seasons with the USNTDP , Kesler recorded 99 points in 131 games . Ohio State University . After two seasons with the USNTDP , Kesler accepted a scholarship to play college hockey at Ohio State University for the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association ( CCHA ) . He chose Ohio State over the University of Wisconsin – Madison and its Wisconsin Badgers ice hockey program of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association ( WCHA ) because Ohio State was closer to Kesler ' s home in Livonia . As a freshman , Kesler scored eleven goals and twenty assists to finish fourth in team scoring behind junior and Hobey Baker Award finalist R . J . Umberger . Over the course of his freshman year , Kesler helped the Buckeyes to a third place finish in the CCHA ' s regular season standings . At the 2003 CCHA Tournament , Kesler scored two goals as the Buckeye ' s finished in fourth place , losing to Northern Michigan 4 – 1 in the third place game . Despite this finish , Ohio State secured an at - large bid to the 2003 NCAA Men ' s Division I Ice Hockey Tournament , the third appearance at the NCAA Men ' s Ice Hockey Championship in Ohio State ' s history . At the tournament , Ohio State suffered a 1 – 0 loss to Boston College in the opening round of the East Regional at the Dunkin ' Donuts Center in Providence , Rhode Island , ending both the team ' s and Kesler ' s season . Kesler ' s play as a freshman earned him an honourable mention for the CCHA All - Rookie Team . He was also named CCHA Rookie of the Week three times , CCHA Rookie of the Month once , and was awarded Ohio State ' s George Burke Most Valuable Freshman award . Following the season , Kesler entered the 2003 NHL Entry Draft ranked sixteenth overall among North American skaters . On June 21 , 2003 , he was drafted 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks . Manitoba Moose . Upon being drafted , Kesler considered returning to Ohio State for his sophomore season or joining the Brampton Battalion , who still held his OHL rights . However , less than two months after being drafted , Kesler signed a three - year , $ 2 . 475 - million entry level contract with the Canucks , complemented by an $ 850 , 000 signing bonus . After attending Canucks training camp and playing in five preseason games , Kesler was cut by the Canucks and sent to their American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Manitoba Moose . Kesler began his first professional season with the Moose , but was recalled by the Canucks in November and made his NHL debut on November 24 , 2003 in a 2 – 1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs , recording one shot on goal and 12 : 12 of ice time . He scored his first career NHL goal on November 29 against Calgary Flames goaltender Jamie McLennan in a 4 – 4 tie . For the remainder of the season , Kesler split time between the Canucks and the Moose , finishing his season with five points in 28 Canucks games and eleven points in 33 Moose games . The 2004 – 05 NHL lockout , which cancelled the full 2004 – 05 NHL season , forced Kesler to spend the entire season with the Moose . With Manitoba , Kesler emerged as one of the Canucks ' top prospects . Mid - way through the season , Kesler was named to the PlanetUSA All - Star team for the 2005 AHL All - Star Game where he helped PlanetUSA defeat Team Canada for the first time in five years . Kesler finished third in team scoring with thirty goals and 57 points to be named the Moose ' s Most Valuable Player . Kesler added an additional nine points in fourteen playoff games as the Moose advanced to the Western Conference finals before being swept by the Chicago Wolves . Vancouver Canucks . When the NHL lockout ended and play resumed for the 2005 – 06 NHL season , Kesler joined the Canucks for his first full season with the team , playing in all 82 games and finishing the season with 23 points . Following the 2005 – 06 NHL season , Kesler became a restricted free agent and was qualified by the Canucks at $ 564 , 000 ; however , on September 12 , 2006 , Kesler signed a one - year , $ 1 . 9 - million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers . The offer sheet was the first in the NHL since the Tampa Bay Lightning extended one to Brett Hauer in July 1999 . The move was highly controversial with many NHL general managers criticizing how Kesler ' s inflated salary would affect future free agent signings . The Canucks had one week to either match the offer or receive a second round draft pick from the Flyers in 2007 as compensation . Two days after the offer sheet signing , the Canucks matched the Flyers ' offer , re - signing Kesler to a one - year , $ 1 . 9 - million contract . After playing 48 games in the 2006 – 07 NHL season , Kesler suffered a torn " acetabular labrum " and missed the remainder of the regular season , finishing the season with sixteen points . Kesler returned to the Canucks lineup for the first game of their quarterfinal playoff series versus the Dallas Stars . While blocking a shot in the fourth overtime of the game , Kesler suffered a displaced index finger . Despite finishing the game , Kesler was forced to undergo surgery to repair the damage and missed the remainder of the playoffs . Despite his limited play , the Canucks re - signed Kesler to a three - year , $ 5 . 25 - million contract extension on May 24 , 2007 . Early into his fourth season with the Canucks , Kesler was cross - checked in the face by Philadelphia Flyers forward Jesse Boulerice . The cross - check was an immediate response to Kesler hitting Flyers defenceman Randy Jones and resulted in Kesler leaving the game with a sore jaw . Boulerice was subsequently suspended for 25 games , matching the then largest suspension in the NHL ' s history . Later in the season , Kesler was involved in another violent on - ice incident when Anaheim Ducks defenceman Chris Pronger used his skate blade to stomp on Kesler ' s calf . Although the NHL originally announced that Pronger would not receive a suspension on the play , he later received an eight - game suspension when new video emerged of the incident . Over the course of the season , Kesler established himself as a solid two - way centre , scoring a career high 21 goals and 37 points and playing a regular shutdown role against opposing teams ' top players and on the penalty kill with linemate Alexandre Burrows . With the departures of Markus Näslund , Brendan Morrison , and Trevor Linden following the 2007 – 08 season , the Canucks were left without any captains for the 2008 – 09 NHL season . On September 30 , 2008 , Kesler was announced as a Canucks alternate captain with Willie Mitchell and Mattias Öhlund , while Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was named captain . While he , at first , continued to play on the third line in a largely defensive role with Burrows , head coach Alain Vigneault eventually split the duo in the midst of a poor January for the team . As a result , Kesler was placed on the second line with free agent acquisitions Pavol Demitra and Mats Sundin . Playing in a more offensive role , he set personal statistical bests for the 2008 – 09 season , with 26 goals , 33 assists and 59 points . As a result , he was awarded the Cyclone Taylor Award as team MVP . Kesler gained more league - wide recognition as a Selke Trophy finalist along with Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers , finishing as the second runner - up with one first - place vote . In the midst of another career year , Kesler signed a six - year , $ 30 million contract extension with the Canucks on March 19 , 2010 . The deal will pay Kesler $ 5 million per season . The signing came a month and a half after general manager Mike Gillis announced he had suspended contract negotiations with all the Canucks ' pending free agents until after the 2009 – 10 season . The Canucks were reportedly looking to sign him at $ 4 . 5 million per year , while Kesler was asking for $ 5 . 5 million . Kesler had made remarks the previous season in March 2009 , after Burrows had recently signed a four - year , $ 2 million per season extension , that more players need to sign contracts below market value in order to develop a winning team . His comments later prompted his agent to refute the idea Kesler would not negotiate a new contract with the Canucks at full market value . Kesler was also contacted by NHL Players Association director of affairs Glenn Healy , discouraging him to make similar remarks in the future . Kesler completed the 2009 – 10 campaign with a new personal best in points for the third consecutive season with 75 ( 25 goals and 50 assists ) . With the retirement of Sundin and Demitra being held out of the lineup with injuries , he was moved to his natural center position and joined by wingers Mikael Samuelsson and Mason Raymond . His 26 power play points ranked second on the team to Henrik Sedin . Playing on the second power play unit , he earned many of his points controlling the puck along the half - boards . He also averaged a career - high 19 : 37 minutes of ice time per game , which ranked second among team forwards to Henrik Sedin . In the subsequent 2010 playoffs , Kesler notched a goal and nine assists in 12 games . After helping the Canucks eliminate the Los Angeles Kings in the first round , he played with a sore shoulder in the second round , as Vancouver were eliminated by the Blackhawks for the second consecutive year . An MRI did not reveal any serious injury . He admitted following the defeat to not having playing his best during the playoffs . Following the campaign , he was a Selke Tropy finalist for the second consecutive season , opposite Pavel Datsyuk and Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins . He ranked second in the league to Datsyuk in takeaways with 83 , while blocking 73 shots and recording 95 hits . He lost the award as the first runner - up with 655 voting points , compared to Datsyuk ' s 688 . Also in the off - season , Luongo resigned his team captaincy . As Canucks management waited until the beginning of the 2010 – 11 season to announce his replacement , Kesler was seen by media and fans as a strong candidate , alongside Henrik Sedin . Henrik was eventually named captain prior to the season - opener and Kesler retained his alternate captaincy . The 2010 – 11 season marked an expanded focus on Kesler ' s offensive role . He began the season playing on the power play with the Sedins , as part of an effort by the Canucks coaching staff to " load up " their first power play unit . Switching from being the primary puck - controller on the second unit , he moved to the front of the net , screening the goalie and tipping pucks in . The off - season acquisition of defensive specialist Manny Malhotra also liberated Kesler from a large portion of his defensive duties , such as playing against opposing team ' s top forwards in a shutdown role . Two months into the campaign , Kesler notched his 100th career NHL goal in a 4 – 2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on November 24 , 2010 . He later earned his first NHL career hat - trick , scoring all three of the Canucks ' goals in a 3 – 2 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 15 . Nearly a month later , he recorded a second hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers in a 6 – 1 win . On January 11 , 2011 , Kesler was named to his first NHL All - Star Game ; he was one of three Canucks along with Daniel and Henrik Sedin . Kesler was chosen to be an alternate captain alongside Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green representing Eric Staal ' s team ; he went without a point as Team Staal was defeated by Team Nicklas Lidstrom 11 – 10 . Prior to the Canucks ' final home game of the regular season on April 7 , 2011 , Kesler was presented with the team ' s Most Exciting Player Award , as voted by the fans . Playing the Minnesota Wild that night , he went on to record his third hat trick of the season , reaching the 40 - goal plateau , as the Canucks won 5 – 0 . Kesler finished the regular season with a career - high 41 goals ; he added 32 assists for 73 points over 82 games , third among Canucks scorers . His efforts helped the Canucks to the franchise ' s first Presidents ' Trophy . After opening the playoffs with a seven - game , first - round victory over the Blackhawks , the Canucks faced the Nashville Predators in the second round . Kesler recorded a point in 11 of the Canucks ' 14 goals in the series , leading them past the Predators in six games . He was one point short of Pavel Bure ' s franchise record of most points in a playoff series ( Bure had 12 points in a seven - game series against the Blues in 1995 ) . Playing the San Jose Sharks in the third round , Kesler appeared to injure either his left leg or groin while pursuing opposing defenceman Dan Boyle in the series ' deciding fifth game . After leaving the bench for several shifts , he returned to score the game - tying goal , tipping a Henrik Sedin shot with 13 . 2 seconds remaining in regulation . The Canucks went on to win in double - overtime , advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals . Having suffered a torn labrum on the play , Kesler required cortisone shots to continue playing for the remainder of the playoffs ( his injury was not revealed until the off - season , however ) . Prior to the Finals , he was believed by many in the media to be a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP . Consequently , Kesler ' s performance diminished in the Finals . Playing the Boston Bruins , the Canucks lost the series in seven games . After recording an assist on the game - winning goal in Game 1 , he failed to register a point in the remaining six games , while also recording a - 7 rating . With 19 points ( 7 goals and 12 assists ) over 25 games , he ranked third among Canucks scorers ( behind the Sedins ) and tied for sixth among NHL players overall . A week after the Canucks ' Game 7 loss , Kesler was awarded the Selke Trophy after finishing as a runner - up the previous two years . He received 1 , 179 voting points in comparison to runners - up Jonathan Toews ' 476 and Pavel Datsyuk ' s 348 . Kesler was also ranked eighth in Hart Memorial Trophy voting as the league ' s most valuable player . Later in the off - season , Kesler underwent arthroscopic surgery for the torn labrum in his hip . Unrelated to his labrum tear in 2007 , he had adopted a program to recuperate from the injury naturally until a specialist advised him to have surgery in late - July 2011 . The Canucks announced on August 2 that Kesler had successfully undergone the procedure , while it was also reported he would not be ready to play until mid - October . On schedule , he returned to the lineup on October 18 against the New York Rangers after missing the first five games of the 2011 – 12 season . International play . Throughout his career , Kesler has represented the United States at various international ice hockey tournaments . He first competed internationally at the 2001 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge in New Glasgow and Truro , Nova Scotia where he helped the American team to a gold medal victory over Team Canada Pacific , finishing the tournament with one goal and five assists in six games . Kesler participated in his first International Ice Hockey Federation - sanctioned event at the 2002 IIHF World U18 Championships in Piešťany and Trnava , Slovakia . He finished the tournament with seven points in eight games , including two goals in a 10 – 3 defeat over Canada in the final round . The Americans won their first U18 title , with Kesler being awarded the Best Player Award for the tournament . Later that year , Kesler was named to the United States national junior team for the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Halifax and Sydney , Nova Scotia . He finished the tournament second in team scoring behind Zach Parise with seven points in seven games as the United States lost 3 – 2 to Finland in the bronze medal game . During the tournament , Kesler was twice named the United States ' player of the game — in their quarterfinal game versus the Czech Republic and in the bronze medal game versus Finland . In December 2003 , Kesler was released by the Vancouver Canucks to play in the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , Kesler ' s second World Junior tournament . Kesler scored two goals as the Americans went a perfect 4 – 0 to win Pool A and advance to the semifinals . There they defeated Finland 2 – 1 , the team that had defeated them in the previous year ' s bronze medal game , to advance to the gold medal game versus Canada . In the gold medal game , Kesler scored the game - tying goal 6 : 58 into the third period to even the score at 3 – 3 . After Canadian goaltender Marc - André Fleury cleared the puck off of teammate Braydon Coburn and into his own net , the Americans took the lead 4 – 3 and went on to win their first IIHF World U20 Championship in the tournament ' s history . Kesler ' s play in the tournament was praised as he often took critical faceoff s and played on the Americans ' most offensive line despite suffering a facial injury early in the tournament . Although having never played for the American national men ' s team , Kesler was named to the orientation camp for the American team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy held from September 5 – 8 , 2005 in Colorado Springs , Colorado at World Arena . Kesler , one of the youngest players at the camp , did not make the final roster for the Games . Rather , Kesler made his national men ' s team debut three months after the Olympics at the 2006 Men ' s World Ice Hockey Championships in Riga , Latvia . Kesler finished the tournament with one point in seven games , assisting on a Yan Stastny goal in the United States ' 3 – 0 victory versus Denmark . He was named the United States ' player of the game in their 6 – 0 quarter - final loss against Sweden . Having developed into a top defensive forward in recent seasons , Kesler was an early candidate to be selected to the American team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver , the city in which he plays his NHL hockey . The United States played Canada in the final game of the preliminary round to determine top spot in the pool . With United States up by a goal in the final minute , Kesler dove past opposing forward Corey Perry to score an empty - netter and secure the 5 – 3 win . In a rematch between the two teams in the gold medal game , Kesler scored in the second period on a deflection from Patrick Kane , ultimately losing by a score of 3 – 2 in overtime on Sidney Crosby ' s game - winning goal . Playing style . Kesler is known as a two - way forward , capable of contributing both offensively and defensively . In his first few years in the NHL , he established his role as a shutdown forward , playing on the penalty kill and against opposing teams ' top players . He also earned a reputation as an agitator , trash - talking and engaging opponents physically in between play . During the 2008 – 09 season , Kesler began adding a more offensive component to his game and was moved up to the Canucks ' second line from third . With an increased points total , he earned league recognition with his first Selke Trophy nomination as the NHL ' s best defensive forward . He has since continued to improve his offensive skills while remaining defensively responsible . Among his most prevalent skills are his speed and wrist shot , the latter of which has improved alongside his recent years of increased offensive production . He is also proficient at taking faceoff s . On the penalty kill , he is an efficient shot blocker , using his body to get in the way of pucks . While competing on the powerplay , he often uses his size and strength to maintain position in front of the opposing net to either screen the goaltender or deflect shots . Kesler ' s success as a player has been attributed to his competitiveness and desire to outwork opposing players . Kesler has recognized , however , that his competitive drive has often caused him to lose his composure . In the 2010 off - season , Canucks management encouraged him to play with more focus , maintaining his emotions and decreasing physical and verbal confrontation with opposing players . During the subsequent 2010 – 11 campaign , he gained media attention for changing his play accordingly while enjoying the best season of his career . Kesler has also credited the change with his role as a father , wanting to set a mature example for his children when they watch him play . Personal life . Kesler and his wife Andrea have two children , a daughter named Makayla Rylan and a son named Ryker , born on December 19 , 2010 . During the hockey season , they live with their three dogs in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano . In the off - season , they return to Kesler ' s hometown , Livonia , Michigan . He keeps a Ford Mustang at his parents ' home in Livonia , which he enjoys racing . Endorsements . In March 2010 , Kesler was announced as the cover athlete for the 2K Sports video game " NHL 2K1 " , released several months later in August . He had previously worked with 2K Sports , doing motion capture for " NHL 2K10 " . In November 2010 , Kesler released his own line of sportswear and casual clothing . In partnership with Vancouver - based Firstar Sports , the line was branded " RK17 " . A promotional photograph of Kesler modeling athletic underwear received considerable media attention in Vancouver and resulted in him being named in a feature entitled " Most Beautiful People of B . C . " by a local publication . External links . C