From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Born	May 4, 1989 (1989-05-04) (age 20), Middletown, NJ, USA
Height Weight	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 211 lb (96 kg; 15 st 1 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Philadelphia Flyers
Ntl. team	United States
NHL Draft	2nd overall, 2007 Philadelphia Flyers
Career	2009 – present

James van Riemsdyk (born May 4, 1989 in Middletown, NJ, United States) (also known as JVR) is an American professional ice hockey left winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Van Riemsdyk attended Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey before transferring out after his sophomore year to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play for the U.S. National Team Development Program. He also scored against star goaltender Liam Emberson in high school.

Van Riemsdyk was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft behind number one pick and fellow American Patrick Kane, marking the first time in NHL history that two Americans were drafted 1st and 2nd overall in the same draft.

On April 1, 2009, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that van Riemsdyk would forgo his last two years of college eligibility at the University of New Hampshire to sign a entry level NHL contract starting in the 2009-10 season; he spent the remainder of the 2008-09 season playing for the Philadelphia Phantoms on an amateur tryout contract.^[1]

It was during the 2009-10 preseason that van Riemsdyk began making an impact. Initially expected to spend the year in the AHL or at best gain a place midway through the season, van Riemsdyk seized the attention in the Flyers' annual rookie game against the Capitals with 4 goals and an assist in the Flyers' 7-3 rout of the Capitals' rookies. As he moved into the preseason, van Riemsdyk proved himself one of the most consistent members of the Flyers outfit, once again seizing the attention with two goals against the Detroit Red Wings in a 5-2 Flyers victory.

JVR was included in the Flyers' starting 2009-10 roster to play on a third line with prolific sophomore Claude Giroux. He scored his first NHL point in his first game, recording an assist on a powerplay goal by Mike Richards in a 2-0 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. His next game saw a return to his roots in New Jersey, where he contributed two more assists against the New Jersey Devils. He suffered a minor concussion shortly after that due to a hit by the Capitals' defenseman Milan Jurcina in the Flyers' home opener and missed two games, but would return quickly. He scored his first goal on October 24, 2009 against Tomas Vokoun of the Florida Panthers.

James van Riemsdyk had an impressive month of November for a rookie, scoring four goals and five assists. Three of the four goals were game-winning goals. Due to this excellent pace, JVR was named the NHL's rookie of the month in November 2009.^[2]

International play

Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Competitor for the  United States
World Junior Championships
Bronze	2007 Sweden
IIHF U18 Championships
Silver	2007 Finland
Gold	2006 Sweden

JVR's first international experience came in the 2007 World Under-18 Championships (U18) in which he played a limited role in winning the gold medal with the United States. In 2006–07, he scored 33 goals and 30 assists for the US Under-18 National Team, and represented the United States at the 2007 World Junior Championships (WJC) in Sweden. He followed up his inaugural WJC by winning the scoring title at the 2007 U18 with 5 goals and 7 assists.^[3] He was rightfully named to the tournament all-star team, named the top forward, and garnered MVP honours, as the United States won silver, losing against the Russians in the final.

He had a great showing at the 2008 WJC where he led the entire tourney in scoring with five goals and six assists. Despite his efforts, USA did not medal, finishing fourth. However, as a small consolation, he was named to the WJC all-star team in 2008. He continued his strong international play with six goals and four assists at the 2009 WJC as the US finished fifth in his final international tournament to date.

Awards

• Named to the IIHF U18 Championships all-star team in 2007.
• Named top forward of the IIHF U18 Championships in 2007.
• Named MVP of the IIHF U18 Championships in 2007.
• Named to the World Junior all-star team in 2008.
• Named NHL rookie of the month in November 2009 in the 2009-2010 NHL season.

Career statistics

International statistics

References

External links

• James van Riemsdyk's NHL player profile
• James van Riemsdyk's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Profile @ HockeysFuture
• Prospect Profile at Flyers.com