The centerman, who will turn 26 on July 13, joins the club after splitting the past season with HK Dulka Michalovce of the Slovakian league, where he scored seven points (1G, 6A) in 11 appearances, before then moving to German side, Heilbronner Falken of the DEL 2, adding four more points (1G, 4A) in five matches.
Born in Mississauga, Ontario, the 6-foot-tall Canadian, has been playing professional hockey since 2020, plying his trade in the Alps Hockey League with Sterzing/Vipiteno, before a busy season of icing around the ECHL with Rapid City Rush, Indy Fuel and Norfolk Admirals.
His 2021-2022 campaign also included a one-game loan to Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League, the affiliate club of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.
Prior to turning pro, the 185lbs, center also played at the University of Guelph for two seasons, competing in the USports league, where he recorded 52 points (20G, 32A) in 40 games.
In the 2019-2020 season, Valentini was also named to the USports (OUA West) Second All-Star Team after helping his side win the (OUA West) Championship.
Ryan also spent four seasons playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of Canada’s top junior leagues, where he posted 29 goals and 49 assists in 130 appearances, as he iced with London Knights and Sudbury Wolves.
In the 2015-2016 season, his first full year in Sudbury and as an alternate captain, the Canadian posted his career best 50 points, with 18 goals and 32 assists in 66 matches.
LEFEBVRE ON VALENTINI
After adding Valentini to his roster, Stars Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre, said: “We are excited to have Ryan join us, he pushes the pace of the game, he brings a lot of speed and especially with the puck in the transition phase into the offensive zone.
“His points total is tremendous and we need some skill up front and he definitely brings that.
“Well he brings two things with his experience, he has got experience in several leagues across Europe and he is a point per game player in the ECHL, so with his skillset he should transition beautifully into the Elite League.
“Size, skill and speed is the championship mix and we are looking for that in a number of our players but he is definitely a player that brings that, we want some speed through the middle of the ice, he is great on face-offs as well and he is going to bring a lot of skill to the team.”
Listen to the full interview below!
VALENTINI ON BECOMING A STAR
Hear all Ryan had to say about joining Dundee when he caught up with Stars TV’s Stephen Swann!
In his 12-year-career so far, Ryan has featured in 373 matches, recorded 126 goals, 197 assists and collected 124 penalty minutes, while also playing in 29 playoff games, where he tallied 25 points (13G, 12A) and 4 penalty minutes.
Valentini has shared a dressing room with a few former Stars in his career, such as; Reilly O’Connor at the University of Guelph and Carter Folk in Norfolk.
Ryan is our 10th signing of the summer and joins Drydn Dow, Lucas Brine, Kris Inglis, Jonathan McBean, Craig Moore, Craig Garrigan, Johnny Walker, Josh Brittain and Chris McKay on the roster for next season.
Valentini will wear #9 for the Stars and you can sponsor his equipment for this season right now, click HERE.
To see Ryan’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.
Banner image: Sudbury Star.
Featured image: Guelph Gryphons.
