Fans of Seattle Thunderbirds player Ryan Gropp know that the left side forward is player number 12. Gropp, who shoots left, was born on September 16, 1996 and is 6’2.5 tall. He weighs in at 189 pounds. Gropp was born in Kamloops, British Columbia and was the sixth draft pick during the 2010-2011 season, which was when the Thunderbirds signed him on as a player.

Throughout the regular season, Gropp has scored 104 points during his 130 games played. He has scored 50 goals and 54 assists, with 68 PIM. During playoff games, he has accumulated 12 points, with two goals, ten assists and 8 PIM during the 15 games he played in 2014 and 2015.

Gropp’s career began during the 2010-2011 season. He played with the Kamloops Blazers Bantam A1-T1 team, demonstrating skill and leadership in earning 128 points in just 58 games. During his most recent season in 2014-2015, Gropp played in 67 games, scoring 30 goals and 28 assists for a total of 58 points. Gropp had 44 penalty minutes.

For the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Gropp has been chosen by the New York Rangers in the second round of picks, coming up 41^st pick in the overall draft. He spent much of his 2015 summer training with the Rangers’ training camp. Gropp had several three-goal streaks throughout the season, with a seven-goal streak in October. He also scored one of the fastest goals of the Thunderbirds’ season, played in all six of the playoff games during the 2014-2015 season and was selected to play with Team Canada at the U-18 World Championships in Finland the previous season.

He says that he expects big things out of the thunderbirds during the upcoming season. “Anything short of the playoffs is not good enough for us.” He says that his team consists of a “good group of guys” and that they are ready for a bright season. Gropp has also expressed his excitement over being selected by the New York Rangers, a team that he calls a “first-class organization.”

Nine Thunderbirds were able to play in the NHL training camps this year, with five drafted into the league. Gropp says that the camp experience was a positive one, during which he was able to learn a lot from the professional players.

He considers himself a more seasoned player and holds himself up to a high leadership standard. He compliments both his teammates and coaching staff, saying that his three years with the Thunderbirds have been “awesome.”

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia