Sunday, April 24, 2011

IceHogs Year in Review: Ryan Stanton

                          Position: Defenseman          Shoots: Left
                          Height: 6'2"                       Birthday: July 20, 1989
                          Weight: 205                      Hometown: St. Albert, Alberta

2010-11 Stats
GP   G   A   PTS   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   SOG   S%
73      3   14   17     +9     76       0       0       98     3.1 

For being undrafted, Ryan Stanton has come a long way. The Hawks signed him to a 3 year entry level contract on March 12, 2010 and after Prospect Camp in July and Training Camp in September, he found himself a part of the Hogs' blue line.

He started out pretty shaky. He made some terrible turnovers and found himself as a scratch for a couple of games. As the year wore on, around January, Stanton really started to pick his game up. He showed more confidence with the puck, gained the trust of the coaching staff, and was provided with solid minutes game in and game out. After he scored his first goal on February 23rd against the Chicago Wolves, he started playing even better and his new found confidence was evident in the way he made plays.

Down the stretch, the former Moose Jaw Warrior turned into a very reliable defenseman and his final numbers on the year back that up and show how far he's come. His +/- rating of +9 ended up being third best on the team. During the team awards at the end of the year, he was named the team's Most Improved Player. It was a very deserving award. On April 14th, he was recalled by the Blackhawks to be one of their Black Aces for the playoffs.
Stanton will more than likely be back on the Hogs' blue line next season and he'll only improve even more.

Stanton talking to Jeremy Morin [19] during warmups on November 27th vs Peoria.

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