Zach Redmond

**Zach Redmond** (born Zachary Thomas Redmond on July 26, 1988 in Traverse City, Michigan) is a American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League.

He previously played in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres.

Redmond was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 7th round (184th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

Following his collegiate career with Ferris State University, Redmond was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Atlanta Thrashers on April 6, 2011. Following the Thrashers' relocation, his NHL rights were then transferred to the Winnipeg Jets.

On February 7, 2013, Redmond scored his first career NHL goal, a short-handed marker against James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On February 21, 2013, he was rushed to a hospital in the Raleigh, North Carolina area to repair a laceration to his right femoral artery and vein in his mid-thigh region after he was seriously cut during the team's morning skate.

Redmond was expected to miss the remainder of the 2012–13 season, but on April 4, 2013, he resumed skating with his teammates and revealed that his recovery was well ahead of schedule, with doctors & trainers describing the pace of his recovery as "miraculous."

Redmond was expected to be ready for training camp in September 2013 and did not rule out the possibility of an earlier return if the Jets were to enjoy a deep 2013 Stanley Cup playoff run.

Redmond marked his return to hockey in the following 2013–14 season, with the Jets' American Hockey League affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps. After two games with the IceCaps, he was then recalled to Winnipeg on November 3, 2013.

By season's end, Redmond was recalled four times by the Jets, appearing in only ten games with three points. Having played primarily in the AHL, he was instrumental in helping St. John's reach their first Calder Cup Finals.

Falling short of the NHL games-played requirement throughout his entry-level contract, partly due to the serious leg injury he sustained the previous season, he attained free-agent status.

On July 1, 2014, Redmond was subsequently signed to a two-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. He made the Avalanche roster to begin the 2014–15 season and later made his Avalanche debut, recording an assist in a 7–3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on October 24, 2014.

Redmond scored his first Avalanche goal in his fifth game with the team in a 4–3 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers on November 9, 2014. He further cemented a position on the blueline when he scored a career-high two goals, including the game-winner, in the final minutes against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 22, 2014.

In his first full season in the NHL, Redmond finished third amongst Avalanche defenseman in scoring, with five goals and 20 points in 59 games. At the end of his contract with the Avalanche, he left as a free agent to sign a two-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2016.

Approaching the final year of his contract with the Canadiens and unable to make the NHL roster to open the 2017–18 season, he was traded by Montreal to the Buffalo Sabres for Nicolas Deslauriers on October 4, 2017. He was immediately reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Having recorded three points in his first four games with the Americans, Redmond was recalled by the injury-struck Sabres on October 21, 2017. Near the end of the 2017–18 regular season, on April 5, 2018, he was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team.

On June 13, 2018, Redmond opted to continue his tenure with the Americans, agreeing as an impending free agent to a two-year AHL contract.

## International Play

At the end of his first season with the Avalanche, Redmond was selected to represent the United States for the first time at the international stage in the 2015 World Championships in Prague.

Redmond made his debut for Team USA in a 4–2 round robin win against Russia on May 4, 2015. He would finish the Tournament with one assist in five games to help claim a Bronze medal against hosts Czech Republic on May 17, 2015.

## Accolades

 Clark Cup Champion

## Personal Life

Redmond was born a triplet, along with his brother Alex and his sister Meghan. When he was 15 years old, he suffered from a transient ischemic attack stroke; as a result, he had to relearn how to walk & talk, but he later returned to continue his junior hockey career.