Unique Oilers Forward Celebrates Big Milestone

EDMONTON -- It feels good to achieve something special.

The Edmonton Oilers have a few players who are used to hitting incredible milestones regularly. Leon Draisaitl hit 900 career points recently, and Connor McDavid hit 1000 earlier in the year.

However, an underappreciated veteran on the Oilers is celebrating a milestone with their game against the Ottawa Senators tonight.

Derek Ryan has played 600 NHL games. That might not seem like much, but when the average hockey career is around four seasons, or 328 games playing 82 games a year.

The cherry on top of this accomplishment is that Ryan is seven days away from celebrating his 38th birthday.

Ryan has been vital to the Oilers' success so far this season. Although he has only scored four points in 29 games, his value extends far beyond his point production.

Of all the regular centers on the team, Ryan has the highest faceoff winning percentage, 62.3 percent. Draisaitl is the second highest (56.2), followed by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (55.6).

With 204 faceoffs taken, Ryan ranks fourth on the Oilers in that statistic. Only McDavid (331), Adam Henrique (375), and Draisaitl (593) have taken more faceoffs than him.

Despite his limited ice time, Ryan is important to a team looking to win its first Stanley Cup in over thirty years. Achieving a milestone is just icing on the cake.

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