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Coming in at #24: RYAN MACINNIS
Voting
24th out of 34 eligible players
Writers’ Vote: Not Ranked (27th)
Readers’ Vote: 22nd
Highest Placement: 6th (1 votes)
Most Common Placement: 22nd (3 votes)
Biography
Birthdate: February 14, 1996
Birthplace: St. Louis, MO
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 185 lbs
Position: Center
Acquired: Traded to Columbus by Arizona on July 18, 2018 for D Jacob Graves and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft
2018-19 Season
Only two players suited up for the Cleveland Monsters more times than Ryan MacInnis in 2018-19. MacInnis played 71 games during the regular season, scoring four goals with 20 assists and tallying 39 penalty minutes. He also played in all eight playoff games, notching a goal in two assists. Apparently that output was enough for the Columbus Blue Jackets organization to sign him to a one-year qualifying offer ($874,125 in the NHL and $70,000 in the American Hockey League) on July 16, a year after trading for him from Arizona.
Posting 24 points in 71 games isn’t the best of outputs (for comparison, Sonny Milano scored the same amount of points in 44 fewer games). The son of Hall of Famer Al MacInnis, Ryan MacInnis is a big center who can protect the crease and has a tendency to disappear for stretches.
MacInnis found some success centering a line of Vitaly Abramov and Nikita Korostelev for a stretch in February, but the trade of Abramov at the deadline put an end to that soon after.
From our Monsters writer Elaine Shircliff: “[MacInnis] had a strong start to last season but began to trickle off towards the end of November. There are a lot of forwards in the Blue Jackets organization. So, it’s a bit surprising they didn’t let this one walk.”
2019-20 Forecast
The 23-year-old MacInnis will likely spend another season firmly planted in Cleveland. Last season did mark his best in three seasons of pro hockey (including two for the Tucson Roadrunners), but with the logjam of forwards Columbus has at its disposal, it’s hard to see his path to Nationwide Arena anytime soon.
Still, MacInnis has youth and familiarity on his side. With a new coach in Mike Eaves, MacInnis can grow with the Monsters in 2019-20, work on his development for the future, and perhaps sign another deal with the Blue Jackets organization.