Former Bulldog Zach Redmond To Represent United States At Upcoming World Championships
Big Rapids, Mich. - Former Ferris State University hockey defenseman Zach Redmond (Traverse City, Mich.) has received one his highest honors to date as the current Colorado Avalanche standout has been chosen to represent the United States in the upcoming World Championships.
Redmond has been added to the USA roster for the 2015 United States Men's National Team that will compete in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships set for May 1-17 in Ostrava and Prague, Czech Republic. He will be representing the U.S. for the first time.
The former FSU captain spent the 2014-15 season in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche, where he played 59 games and finished third on the team in points (5-15--20) among defensemen. Redmond joined the Avalanche as a free agent on July 1, 2014, after spending two seasons in the Winnipeg Jets organization.
With the addition of Redmond, Team USA's roster now has nine forwards, seven defensemen, and one goaltender.
The USA will open the world championships with an exhibition game versus Austria on April 28 before playing their first official contest against Finland on May 1. Overall, the United States will play seven games inside CEZ Arena in Ostrava before the quarterfinal-round begins on May 14. The semifinals are May 16 and the medal round game on May 17 with both at O2 Arena in Prague.
Redmond, who spent most of the previous three seasons prior to this past campaign with the American Hockey League's (AHL) St. John's IceCaps in the Winnipeg Jets' system, signed with the Avalanche on a two-year, $1.5 million contract last summer.
A Traverse City native, Redmond made his NHL debut in 2012-13 when he appeared in eight games with the Jets and recorded four points on a goal and three assists before suffering a significant and life-threatening leg injury which ended his NHL season.
After the injury, Redmond capped one of professional hockey's most miraculous comebacks when he returned to play in two games with the IceCaps at the end of the year before being recalled by the NHL club. The following season, Redmond was also named to the 2013 Dunkin' Donuts AHL All-Star Classic for his efforts with the IceCaps.
Before turning pro, Redmond played four seasons at Ferris State from 2007-11 and served as the Bulldogs' team captain as a senior in 2010-11. A 2010-11 All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) First-Team performer, Redmond registered a team second-highest 20 points on a career season-best seven goals with 13 assists in 26 contests for the Bulldogs in the 2010-11 season.
Redmond concluded his four seasons (2007-11) as a Bulldog with 90 points on 22 goals and 68 assists in 141 contests. The 2009-10 second-team All-CCHA skater chalked up 12 power-play goals, seven game-winning tallies, one short-handed lamplighter, 217 blocked shots, and a plus 22 efficiency rating.
A 2008 seventh-round NHL Entry Draft pick (184th overall) by the Atlanta Thrashers, Redmond originally inked a contract with Atlanta and began his career skating for their top affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, of the AHL before moving to the IceCaps.