Peter Ratchuk

Peter Ratchuk (born September 10, 1977 in Buffalo, New York) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing with Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League A in Switzerland. Peter is the older brother of Mike Ratchuk, a defenseman who has played most of his career in American minor leagues.
==Playing career==
Ratchuk was drafted in the first round, 25th overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He grew up playing for the Cazenovia Chiefs. After his freshman year with Bowling Green State University, Ratchuk moved to the QMJHL with Hull Olympiques before turning pro. 
Ratchuk was signed as a free agent by the Florida Panthers prior to the 1998–99 season. He played 32 games with the Panthers over two seasons, 1998–99 and 2000–01. He scored one goal and one assist.
After that, he was picked up by his hometown team, the Buffalo Sabres. During the 2002 preseason, he was sent down to that team's farm club, the Rochester Americans, for the 2002–03 season, then left to play in Germany. This resulted in a rather amusing error in ESPN's hockey recaps—in Sabres game recaps, Ratchuk's name would often be used mistakenly to refer to Dmitri Kalinin, a then current Sabres defenceman. Both Ratchuk and Kalinin wore #45, and ESPN never dissociated Ratchuk from the Sabres in their database when he left the league, resulting in the error,
After playing three seasons in Germany's DEL, Ratchuk returned to North America in 2006–07 signing with the Minnesota Wild on June 6, 2006. Ratchuk split the season between the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Ratchuk then returned to the DEL with the DEG Metro Stars and after his second season with the Stars he was released on April 20, 2009. On June 21, 2009 Peter signed with fellow DEL team Hamburg Freezers for the 2009–10. 
On April 29, 2010, after failing to make the playoffs with the Freezers, Ratchuk left for the Austrian Hockey League's Klagenfurt AC. He played the majority of the 2010-11 season with Klagenfurt posting 19 points in 39 games before leaving for the Swiss National League A, to join Rapperswil-Jona Lakers on January 30, 2011, to end the year.
==Career statistics==
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1996–97 	Bowling Green State U. 	CCHA 		35 	9 	12 	21 	14 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1997–98 	Hull Olympiques 	QMJHL 		60 	23 	31 	54 	34 		11 	3 	6 	9 	8
1998–99 	Beast of New Haven 	AHL 		53 	7 	20 	27 	44 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1998–99 	Florida Panthers 	NHL 		24 	1 	1 	2 	10 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1999–00 	Louisville Panthers 	AHL 		76 	9 	17 	26 	64 		4 	1 	2 	3 	0
2000–01 	Louisville Panthers 	AHL 		64 	5 	13 	18 	85 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Florida Panthers 	NHL 		8 	0 	0 	0 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2001–02 	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL 		75 	16 	23 	39 	55 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Rochester Americans 	AHL 		70 	11 	21 	32 	64 		3 	0 	1 	1 	6
2003–04 	Frankfurt Lions 	DEL 		52 	21 	22 	43 	80 		15 	1 	5 	6 	16
2004–05 	Frankfurt Lions 	DEL 		51 	10 	26 	36 	102 		11 	2 	3 	5 	14
2005–06 	Adler Mannheim 	DEL 		52 	12 	24 	36 	88 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Houston Aeros 	AHL 		50 	5 	16 	21 	74 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL 		22 	2 	5 	7 	22 		10 	0 	1 	1 	8
2007–08 	DEG Metro Stars 	DEL 		54 	10 	26 	36 	111 		13 	1 	4 	5 	10
2008–09 	DEG Metro Stars 	DEL 		47 	5 	16 	21 	54 		16 	0 	4 	4 	24
2009–10 	Hamburg Freezers 	DEL 		56 	9 	23 	32 	48 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2010–11 	EC KAC 	EBEL 		39 	6 	13 	19 	24 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2010–11 	Rapperswil-Jona Lakers 	NLA 		1 	0 	0 	0 	4 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		32 	1 	1 	2 	10 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
DEL totals	DEL totals 	DEL totals		312 	67 	137 	204 	473 		55 	4 	16 	20 	64
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1977
Category:Adler Mannheim players
Category:American ice hockey players
Category:Beast of New Haven players
Category:Bowling Green Falcons players
Category:Colorado Avalanche draft picks
Category:DEG Metro Stars players
Category:Florida Panthers players
Category:Frankfurt Lions players
Category:Hamburg Freezers players
Category:Houston Aeros (AHL) players
Category:Hull Olympiques alumni
Category:Klagenfurter AC players
Category:Louisville Panthers players
Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks
Category:Rapperswil-Jona Lakers players
Category:Rochester Americans players
Category:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players