Ryan Zuhlsdorf

Hometown:

Edina Minnesota

Team:

Tampa Bay Lightning

Currently Playing In:

Junior

Birthday:

1997-07-01
Position:

D

Eligible for draft:

2015
Shoots:

Left
Drafted:

2015
Height:

6-0
Acquired:

5th round (150th overall), 2015
Weight:

194 lbs.
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History

2012-13: Ryan Zuhlsdorf played for the Edina bantam AA team in Minnesota. He was chosen to represent Minnesota at the USA Hockey Select 16 Development Camp. Zuhlsdorf was selected by Sioux City in the sixth round (79th overall) in the 2013 USHL Futures Draft. 

2013-14: Zuhlsdorf skated in the Upper Midwest Elite High School League in the fall and played for the varsity team at Minnesota AA high school state champion Edina as a 10th grader. He scored 1 goal with 15 assists and 8 penalty minutes in 30 high school games. After a 5-1 win over Bloomington Jefferson in the Section 2AA championship game, the Hornets rolled through the state tournament, defeating Lakeville North, 8-2, in the state final. Zuhlsdorf scored 2 goals with 5 assists and 14 penalty minutes in 21 games playing in the UMEHSL. In April, he made a verbal commitment to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota in 2016-17. Zuhlsdorf participated in the USA Hockey Select 17 Festival in Amherst, NY in July 2014. 

2014-15: Zuhlsdorf made his debut in the USHL as a 16-year-old, skating for Western Conference regular season champion Sioux City. He played for the USA U19 team at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge. The second-leading scorer amongst Musketeers’ defensemen, he score 3 goals with 19 assists and was +25 with 58 penalty minutes in 56 regular season games. The eventual Clark Cup champion Sioux Falls Stampede, fourth in the conference in the regular season, upset Sioux City in a first-round playoff series. Zuhlsdorf was -4 with 2 penalty minutes in five playoff games. In four games at the WJAC he had 2 assists and 2 penalty minutes. The USA defeated Denmark, 3-2, in overtime in the gold medal game. Zuhlsdorf was ranked 202nd amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round (150th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft. 

Talent Analysis

Zuhlsdorf doesn’t possess high-end skill, but is a solid all-around defender who is a long-term project. He’s behind an impressive stable of defensive prospects in the Lightning organization and projects, at best, as a third-pairing defenseman.

Future

Zuhlsdorf will get a chance to impress on a bigger stage in the 2016-17 season as he will suit up for the University of Minnesota. This season, however, he’ll return to the Sioux City Muskateers of the USHL where he is expected to be captain and likely the team’s top-scoring defender.

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