Ryan Gunderson (BIF)
Gunderson is an American import player using his specialist skills at the top end of his career. The point scoring back is a master of creating goal opportunities from the blue line, forcing the keeper to save and allowing forwards to capitalise on rebounds and spills.
His stats would make many forwards jealous, currently registering 0.63 Points Per Game in his five years with Brynäs IF in the SHL. He can boast similar PPG from the KHL, ECHL and HockeyAllsvenskan. In this league he has twice won highest scoring defenseman, won the Le Mat Trophy once and was part of the Brynäs team that lost in overtime in game 7 of the final in 2016/7.
The 33 year old played university hockey for Vermont in the NCAA immediately was picked up by Trenton Devils in the ECHL where he scored 107 points in just 156 games, including an incredible 98 assists. Not surprisingly, this got him noticed and lead to his only season in the AHL for Houston Aeros where he couldn't repeat his success.
The American says when interviewed recently that he knew he would not play in the NHL and wanted to move to Europe. So in 2010/11 he played in Sweden's second division taking the prize for top scoring defenseman and creating a 0.75 PPG. He then settled with Brynäs where he has been ever since, apart from a two year stint in the KHL.
Gunderson's game however is not just about assists- he has an incredible ability to stay out of the penalty box. In five seasons at Brynäs he has sat out for just 50 minutes, that is only five minor penalties a year! Pretty impressive for the player who clocks the most ice time in the club, a huge 23:59 minutes per game in playoffs in 2017/8.
In 2018, the Brynäs player was rewarded, like his Swedish back colleague, Simon Bertilsson, with a surprise call up the national squad for the Pyeongchang Olympic Games. Although he did not score in his five games, the other aspects of his game shone through and he collected no PIMs and clocked the second highest ice time in the team behind Växjö Lakers tough man, Noah Welch. Whilst Welch has now retired, Gunderson has a year left on his contract and I expect him to continue for a few more years yet, vying for the top scoring defenseman spot each season.
@ABritOnThinIce1
