Ryan Ellis

Ellis played minor hockey throughout Ontario, beginning with a club from Belmont, Ontario, at age four.[1] Playing for teams from Mississauga, he won a silver and gold medals at the peewee and bantam provincials, respectively.[1] Joining the Cambridge Hawks at the midget level, he won an Ontario Alliance championship with the club in 2007.[2]

Ellis was selected in the second round, 22nd overall, by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2007 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft.[3] Establishing himself as a top defenceman in the League during his rookie campaign, he scored 15 goals and 63 points over 63 games.[4] His points total and +30 plus-minus rating led all OHL rookie defencemen.[5][6] In the 2008 playoffs, Ellis added five points in five games[4] as the Spitfires were eliminated by the Sarnia Sting. He was named to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and OHL All-Rookie Teams,[4] along with Spitfires teammate Taylor Hall.[7] Ellis was further recognized for his academic performance, maintaining an 81 percent average in university preparation courses at St. Anne Catholic High School in Belle River, earning him the League's Bobby Smith Trophy as scholastic player of the year.[8] He received the award over fellow nominee Steven Stamkos of the Sting, who had won it the previous year.[8]

Ellis was named OHL Defenceman of the Month for October 2008 the following season.[9] He earned the distinction twice more over the course of the campaign in February and March 2009.[3][10] On November 3, he was chosen as OHL Player of the Week, having scored seven points in the previous two games.[11] Ellis his second such distinction on April 20, 2009, registering two goals and five assists in three games.[12] During the season, he represented the OHL in the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.[13] He also competed for the Western Conference at the 2009 OHL All-Star Classic and participated in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game.[3][14]

Improving to 22 goals, 67 assists and 89 points in 57 games in 2008–09, Ellis led all OHL defencemen and finished second in team scoring to Taylor Hall.[15][16] He ranked first in the league in assists, seventh in points and second in plus-minus rating (+52).[3][17] As a result, Ellis was named to the OHL First All-Star Team and awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy, beating fellow nominees P. K. Subban and Cameron Gaunce as the League's top defenceman.[3][4] The distinction made him a finalist for CHL Defenceman of the Year, but he lost to Jonathon Blum of the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Vancouver Giants.[18] Ellis was additionally voted the smartest player, hardest shot and best offensive defenceman in the Western Conference in an annual poll of OHL coaches.[3][19] Ellis later cited the smartest player selection as his most rewarding recognition to that date.[19]

Windsor entered the 2009 OHL playoffs as the top-ranked team in the OHL West. Ellis added 31 points in 20 games, tying for third in post-season scoring[20] while helping the Spitfires to a J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions. Earning a berth in the 2009 Memorial Cup, the Spitfires went on to win the national major junior championship over the Kelowna Rockets. Ellis recorded four points in six games to be named to the Tournament All-Star Team.[4]

Ellis with the Spitfires in April 2010

Going into the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he was listed by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the 16th best prospect (fifth among defencemen) in North America.[21] He was selected in the first round, 11th overall, by the Nashville Predators. Standing at 5 feet and 9 inches (1.75 metres), he was considered small for a defenceman.[14] Addressing this supposed weakness, Hall of Fame defenceman Bobby Orr said of him, "he's not very big, but you'll see...he's a heck of a hockey player."[14] Ellis has publicly discredited any size concerns, alluding to his ability to play physically in spite of it.[19] He has been compared to Detroit Red Wings defenceman Brian Rafalski for his success as a small, offensive defenceman.[19]

Ellis subsequently attended his first NHL training camp with Nashville in September 2009, but was returned to Windsor after suffering a wrist injury.[4][22] As a result, he missed ten games with the Spitfires, making his season debut in early-November.[23] Struggling offensively upon recovering, he focused on improving his defensive and physical play.[24] Finishing the season with 61 points over 48 games in 2009–10, he ranked fourth among League defencemen in point-scoring[25] and was named to the OHL Second All-Star Team.[4] Windsor defended both their OHL and Memorial Cup championships in the ensuing post-season. Ellis scored 33 points over 19 games in the OHL playoffs, tying with Jeff Skinner for second in OHL scoring, behind Taylor Hall.[26] Windsor beat the Barrie Colts in the OHL Finals before defeating the Brandon Wheat Kings 9–1 in the Memorial Cup Final. Ellis recorded three assists in the national championship game.[27]

Attending his second Predators training camp, he was again returned to junior for the 2010–11 season.[27] Upon his return to Windsor, he was named team captain.[27] After recording five goals and 17 points in November 2010, he was named OHL Defenceman of the Month.[28] During the month, he surpassed Joel Quenneville as the Spitfires' all-time leading scorer among defencemen. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the London Knights on November 10 for his record-setting 230th career point with Windsor.[29] Ellis was honoured in a pre-game ceremony on November 26 for the feat; the game that night against the Oshawa Generals was billed as "Ryan Ellis Night."[29] Also in November, Ellis served as captain for Team OHL in the 2010 Subway Super Series against Russia.[29] Several months later, he recorded his 300th career OHL point on February 25, 2011. Registering three assists in a 4–2 win against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, he became the third defenceman in OHL history to reach the mark, following Denis Potvin (330 points, 1968–73) and Rick Corriveau (329 points, 1987–92).[30] He completed the season with 313 points all-time. His single-season total of 100 points (24 goals and 76 assists) established a career-high while leading all OHL defencemen by a 21-point margin.[31] It was the first time in over 17 years that an OHL defenceman scored 100 points in a season. Among all OHL skaters, he ranked fifth overall.[32] After winning his second Max Kaminsky Trophy and first Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding defenceman and player, respectively, he was further distinguished as CHL Defenceman and Player of the Year. Ellis beat out Simon Després and Stefan Elliott for the former recognition, while being voted over Sean Couturier and Darcy Kuemper for the latter. It was the first time a player won both awards since Bryan Fogarty did so 22 years prior.[18]

On January 7, 2012, Ellis scored his first NHL goal with the Predators in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on goaltender Justin Peters.[33]

On August 14, 2018, The Predators re-signed Ellis to an eight-year, $50 million dollar contract extension with a $6.25 million dollar salary starting in the 2019–20 season.