Ryan Graves shoots for more
Dedication pays off for former Charlottetown Islanders' defenceman Ryan Graves
Ryan Graves exemplifies patience and persistence.
The 25-year-old from Yarmouth, N.S., and a former Charlottetown Islanders' defenceman spent nearly four full seasons in the minors and even contemplated changing careers at one point. However, he is now a key part of the Colorado Avalanche’s present and future.
“When you spend three and a half years in the American Hockey League, you start to wonder if it’s ever going to happen for you,” Graves said. “I had some good years in Hartford (AHL’s Wolf Pack), and guys were called up over me. The last year there, you start to really doubt yourself, and you wonder if it’s ever going to pan out or maybe you should start thinking about doing something different.”
Graces gives a lot of credit for his good year to the coaching staff with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, especially Greg Cronin, who helped him shape his game and realize what his strengths were.
He also gave Graves different things to concentrate on and helped him to grow his game.
“You hear it a lot, but there’s such a small margin between the guys in the AHL and the guys that can make it in the NHL, so he helped me close the gap and make the jump. So, it was partially just getting a chance but also just great timing and continuing to improve. I honestly feel very fortunate for that timing and how it worked out for me.”
Graves appeared in 26 games with the Avs as a callup in 2018-19 and went into the off-season feeling more optimistic about his career. Still, he set modest goals for 2019-20. All he wanted was a chance to pick up where he left off the season before.
As it turned out, Graves not only made the team again, he led the entire NHL in plus-minus (plus-40) and was averaging around 24 minutes per game in March when the NHL shut down. The six-foot-five defensive defenceman even chipped in 26 points in 69 games, numbers he describes as “just a plus for (the team) and for me as well”.
“A lot of people say you just need a chance, and I felt like I was very fortunate to get that with Colorado, where it didn’t really happen with New York,” said Graves, who was traded to the Avalanche by the Rangers midway through the 2017-18 season.
“Things were just kind of bouncing my way this year, but at the same time I put a lot of work into it. I’ve always worked hard, but did I think at the start of the year it would go the way it did? Definitely no. But I’ve always been the kind of person that sets new goals and I always try to shoot higher."
At the start of the year, his goal was just to make the team, which was a challenge since there were a lot of defencemen with NHL experience or who were in similar situations to his. Then, after making the team, the goal was to play on a regular basis. From there, it was to play more and keep trying to take steps forward.
Graves’ season struck everyone in the Avalanche as such an inspiring overachievement that management selected him as the organization’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. The award is handed out annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
“It was unexpected,” Graves said. “Obviously there are some guys that are nominated that have been through some
“Things were just kind of bouncing my way this year, but at the same time I put a lot of work into it.” Ryan Graves
things that are pretty incomparable to what I’ve been through. But still, I’m proud of it. It’s an honour and it is nice. I’ve got a lot of people texting me and reaching out so it’s pretty cool.”
Graves has been back in the Maritimes ever since the NHL season went into hiatus. He left Denver for Prince Edward Island as soon as the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) crisis hit full force and will remain there until the league releases its full plan to return to play.
At the beginning, no one knew if the league would be off for a couple of weeks or for the year.
The pandemic meant a big change of pace for hockey players, but Graves is now looking forward to getting back to training camp.
“I think everyone will be in decent enough shape and guys will also be healthy, which is the plus side of it. It’s been a few weird months, but the rinks are open here now and the gyms are open, so I’ve been getting back into the swing of things. I’m really looking forward to getting back and I really hope they can figure it out so we can play.”
Although he grew up in Yarmouth, Graves has been spending his off-seasons on the Island ever since he was drafted ninth overall by the QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket back in 2011.
He also played for the Vald’Or Foreurs and Quebec Remparts during his four years in the Quebec league.
His main connection to P.E.I. is from his days in major junior. His mother has
some brothers and sisters living here, which initially made the transition here easy. Drafted here at 16, he moved to P.E.I. the summer prior to starting his first season to train, lived with a family that he really liked and took a liking to the off-season routine he settled into.
“I was with a good group. The initial transition was definitely planned for the Rocket, now the Islanders, but then I went to high school here, I met my girlfriend here and I have a group of friends here that I’ve been hanging around with since high school so it’s kind of become a second home for me. And then obviously with the amount of hockey players here and the set-up we can have with our training group, it’s been good for me. I’ve really enjoyed it here and who can complain about a P.E.I. summer.”
And with zero coronavirus cases on the Island for the better part of the past month and a half, Graves appreciates his good fortune of being in one of the safest environments in North America.
“We’ve been pretty cautious over here, which has been great,” he said.
“They’ve really handled it the right way, and I think a lot of Islanders took it very seriously. A lot of snowbirds were coming home from Florida and things like that, so everyone was taking their 14 days when they got back, just to make sure they didn’t spread it.
Graves even did a little more than 14 days of selfisolation when he returned home – just to be sure.
“There were no cases on the Island when I came home, and I didn’t want to be the one to bring it here, in case I had it.”