Justin Richards

April 2020 – After completing his junior collegiate campaign with the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, Justin Richards officially became a second-generation professional hockey player. The son of Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach, Todd Richards made significant strides on both sides of the puck in his second and third years playing in the NCHC.  For the second consecutive season, Richards was named the conferences Best Defensive Forward, an honor previously held (only once) by both Nic Dowd and Sean Kuraly. The 5-11 right-winger, who also takes faceoffs, adds some depth to the Rangers forward corps and could eventually become a much needed reliable asset in the teams’ bottom-six and penalty-killing units. Brayden Olafson