Islanders’ Defenseman Ryan Pulock Appears in 500th Career Game

New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock became the 36th player in franchise history to play 500 career games with the team in tonight’s (Nov. 7) matchup against the Ottawa Senators. He is one of nine active players to accomplish this feat with the team and one of seven current Islanders.

Pulock, 30, was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Islanders in the 2013 NHL Draft. He played four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. Captain his final two seasons, he ended his junior hockey career with 23 goals and 63 points in his 2013-14 campaign, the highest in each category throughout his career with Brandon. He also won All-Star honors each of his last three seasons.

Pulock joined the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL) after Brandon was eliminated from the 2014 WHL playoffs. He had one assist in three games with the team. He spent the entire 2014-15 season in Bridgeport where he earned recognition on the AHL All-Rookie Team. He made his NHL debut against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 28, 2016. He scored his first NHL point, a goal, against the Nashville Predators a few weeks later on March 17, 2016.

To date, Pulock has 48 goals and 195 points in 499 career regular season NHL games. He posted career high in goals (10) in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons and career highs in assists (28) and points (37) in the 2018-19 season. He is currently in year three of an eight-year, $49.2 million contract extension he signed on Oct. 14, 2021. He has been a staple of the Islanders’ defense, power play, and penalty kill across his NHL career.