Brendan Ranford Explained

Team:Free agent
Former Teams:Dallas Stars
Eisbären Berlin
Mora IK
HC Slovan Bratislava
Bietigheim Steelers
Löwen Frankfurt
Position:Left wing
Height Ft:5
Height In:10
Weight Lb:182
Shoots:Left
Birth Date:3 May 1992
Birth Place:Lahr, Germany
Draft:209th overall
Draft Team:Philadelphia Flyers
Draft Year:2010
Career Start:2013

Brendan Ranford (born May 3, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He is currently a free agent.

He was selected 209th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He is the nephew of former National Hockey League goaltender Bill Ranford.

Playing career

Junior

As a youth, Ranford played in the 2004 and 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from North Vancouver.[1]

Ranford first played junior hockey in his native Edmonton with the Edmonton Canadians in the Alberta Midget Hockey League before he was drafted 15th overall in the 2007 WHL draft by the Kamloops Blazers. Ranford played major junior hockey for parts of six seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Kamloops Blazers (2007–08 to 2012–13), registering 137 goals and 220 assists for 357 points, while earning 298 penalty minutes, in 348 WHL regular-season games. He was recognized for his outstanding play when he was named to the 2010–11 Second All-Star Team.[2] Ranford spent the entirety of his major junior career with the Blazers over six seasons, culminating in being selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Professional

Unsigned from the Flyers and at the beginning of his professional career, Ranford signed a try-out contract with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League on May 24, 2013, a team owned by Tom Gaglardi who also owned the Blazers.[3] After a successful training camp with Texas, Ranford was signed to a one-year AHL contract to begin his rookie professional season in 2013–14 season. Ranford enjoyed a successful debut season with the Stars, scoring 33 points in 65 games. During the 2014 Calder Cup playoffs Ranford topped all rookies by scoring 16 points as he led his team to capture their first ever Calder Cup.[4]

On July 2, 2014, Ranford was signed as a free agent by NHL affiliate, the Dallas Stars to a three-year entry-level contract.[5]

During the 2016–17 season, in the midst of his fourth year with the Texas Stars, Ranford was traded along with Branden Troock to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Justin Peters and Justin Hache on February 1, 2017.[6] Assigned directly to the Tucson Roadrunners, Ranford struggled to show his offensive upside going scoreless in 10 games before he was traded for a second time in a month at the NHL trade deadline. He was dealt by the Coyotes to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Joe Whitney on March 1, 2017.[7] He immediately regained his scoring touch with the Rampage, playing out the season to record 17 points in 21 games.

As a free agent from the Avalanche, Ranford still opted to continue within the organization in agreeing to a one-year AHL contract with the Rampage on August 1, 2017.[8]

After a second season with the Rampage, Ranford opted to leave North America as a free agent, agreeing to a one-year contract with German outfit, Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) on June 28, 2018.[9]

Ranford continued his career in Europe after his lone season in Berlin, signing as a free agent mid-way into the 2019–20 season with Swedish club, Mora IK of the Allsvenskan on November 20, 2019.[10] He continued his European journeyman career by signing a one-year deal with Slovakian club, HC Slovan Bratislava for the 2020–21 season.[11]

In the 2022–23 season, Ranford joined newly promoted Löwen Frankfurt and formed a top scoring line role alongside Carter Rowney and Dominik Bokk. In Frankfurt's first season in the top tier Ranford contributed with 12 goals and 46 points through 40 regular season games. Following their defeat in the playoff qualifiers to Düsseldorfer EG, Ranford left Frankfurt at the conclusion of his contract on March 19, 2023.[12]

Family

His uncle is the former NHL goaltender Bill Ranford.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
2007–08Kamloops BlazersWHL30000
2008–09Kamloops BlazersWHL661314274640332
2009–10Kamloops BlazersWHL722936658342354
2010–11Kamloops BlazersWHL6833538668
2011–12Kamloops BlazersWHL694052927311 5 9 14 8
2012–13Kamloops BlazersWHL702265872815 5 15 20 0
2013–14Texas StarsAHL651221331421 8 8 16 12
2014–15Texas StarsAHL73183351223 0 1 1 0
2014–15Dallas StarsNHL10000
2015–16Texas StarsAHL76194059494 1 3 4 4
2016–17Texas StarsAHL36611174
2016–17Tucson RoadrunnersAHL100004
2016–17San Antonio RampageAHL21413178
2017–18San Antonio RampageAHL574151926
2018–19Eisbären BerlinDEL51131528488 2 3 5 6
2019–20Mora IKAllsv2911122314
2020–21HC Slovan BratislavaSlovak29122032843140
2021–22Bietigheim SteelersDEL5513364916
2022–23Löwen FrankfurtDEL401234462220000
2023–24HC Slovan BratislavaSlovak361321341242240
NHL totals10000

International

Awards and honours

AwardYear
WHL
(West) Second All-Star Team2011[14]
AHL
Calder Cup (Texas Stars)2014

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA. 2018. Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2019-02-16. March 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf. dead.
  2. Web site: Ranford named CHL sportsman of the year . . 2011-04-15 . 2011-04-15.
  3. Web site: Texas Stars sign Brendan Ranford to PTO . . 2013-05-24 . 2013-05-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130609003703/http://www.texasstarshockey.com/articles/texas-stars-sign-brendan-ranford-to-pto-for-2013-14-season . June 9, 2013 . mdy-all .
  4. Web site: Texas Stars win first Calder Cup championship . frozenfutures.com . 2014-06-18 . 2014-06-18.
  5. Web site: Dallas Stars sign Left Wing Brendan Ranford . . 2014-07-02 . 2014-07-02.
  6. Web site: Stars acquire Peters and Hache . . 2017-02-01 . 2017-02-01.
  7. Web site: Avalanche acquire Brendan Ranford from Arizona . . 2017-03-01 . 2017-03-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170302025832/http://www.sarampage.com/news/avalanche-acquires-brendan-ranford-from-arizona/ . March 2, 2017 . dead .
  8. Web site: Rampage sign Ranford, Shaw to AHL contracts . . 2017-08-01 . 2017-08-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170809002523/http://www.sarampage.com/news/rampage-sign-forwards-brendan-ranford-and-brady-shaw-to-ahl-contracts/ . August 9, 2017 . dead .
  9. Web site: . Striker duo joins Berlin . 2018-06-28 . 2018-06-28 . German.
  10. Web site: AHL merited forward Ranfords signs with Mora . . November 20, 2019 . November 20, 2019 . Swedish.
  11. Web site: Ofenzívu Slovana posilní kanadská dvojica útočníkov. Slovak. hcslovan.sk.
  12. Web site: Six more Lions remain, Head coach and 13 players depart . . March 19, 2023 . March 19, 2023 . German .
  13. Web site: Ranford ties to NHL run strong . . 2015-04-13 . 2015-04-13.
  14. Web site: WHL East All-Stars and awards finalists . . 2011-04-01 . 2011-04-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110426120739/http://www.whl.ca/article/whl-east-all-stars-and-awards-finalists . April 26, 2011 . mdy-all .