Ryan Edward Gaston Strome (born July 11, 1993) is a Canadian ice hockey player who is a centre for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fifth overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft by the New York Islanders and began playing with the team during their 2013–14 season. Previously, Strome played in the major junior level as a member of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) before being traded to the Niagara IceDogs during his first season in the league. He is the brother of Washington Capitals forward Dylan Strome and Hershey Bears forward Matthew Strome.
Contents
Playing career
Amateur
Strome played his minor hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) during the 2008–09 season. At the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) 2009 Priority Selection, he was selected eighth overall by the Barrie Colts. During the 2009–10 season, he was traded to the Niagara IceDogs. The IceDogs qualified for the playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round, while the Colts would go on to the OHL Championship Finals. They were eliminated in four (4) games. During the following season, Strome compiled 106 points in just 65 games. He was named "OHL Player of the Month" in January 2011 and selected to the Second All-Star Team at years end.
Professional
After his second season with the IceDogs, Strome became eligible for the National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. He was selected in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2011 draft by the New York Islanders. He was also selected by the Kontinental Hockey League's Amur Khabarovsk in their 2011 draft. After being drafted, Strome spent another season with the IceDogs before joining the Islanders' American Hockey League (AHL) minor league affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the 2012–13 season. Halfway through the following season, on December 11, 2013, he was called up to the Islanders after the team had put Pierre-Marc Bouchard on waivers to make room on their roster. Before his call-up, he was leading the AHL in points through the first 23 games of the season. Strome scored his first NHL goal on January 6, 2014, against Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars.
On June 22, 2017, Strome was traded by the Islanders to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Jordan Eberle. Following the trade, Oilers coach Todd McLellan praised Strome's versatility and ability to play many roles on the ice. Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, Strome was expected to play on Connor McDavid's right wing or be the second- or third-line center. As the month of October continued, Strome often played on the right wing of the second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic. By the end of October, Strome had tallied four goals and seven assists for 11 points through his first 24 games. He also spent some time on a new line with Leon Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula. While playing on this line, Strome tallied the Oilers 10,000th goal in team history during their 5–3 win over the San Jose Sharks on December 18. His production eventually slowed down and he became a mainstay on the Oilers third line between Jujhar Khaira and Michael Cammalleri. By January 19, Strome had accumulated seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points through 46 games. However, due to an injury to Nugent-Hopkins, Strome began to earn more time on the Oiler's power-play unit. After going pointless through 11 games, Strome accumulated five assists in three games and became a mainstay on the Oiler's top power-play unit. Later in February, he also snapped a 21-game goalless drought by scoring the game-winning goal in a 4–2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. This subsequently sparked a six-game point streak. He also saw increased time on the Oiler's penalty killing unit, which ranked amongst the league's best while on the road. Despite his efforts, the Oilers were eliminated from playoff contention on March 22, 2018. Strome finished the season recording 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points through 82 games. As a restricted free agent in the off-season, Strome agreed to two-year, $6.2 million extension with the Oilers on July 6, 2018.
Personal life
Strome has two brothers who also play hockey, Dylan and Matthew. Dylan currently plays in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals organization. The youngest brother Matthew was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017, and currently plays on the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears. The Strome family had been dubbed as the future Sutters and Staals, families where multiple siblings have gone on to successful ice hockey careers. The Strome brothers grew up in the Lorne Park area of Mississauga.