Ryan Hartman Bio
Ryan Keyes Hartman (born September 20, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, 30th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Hartman has built a career as a physical, agitator-style winger. He is the first player in NHL history to be born in the state of South Carolina, a distinction that traces back to his early childhood on Hilton Head Island before his family relocated to the Chicago suburbs.
Early Life and Background
Hartman was born on September 20, 1994, on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and was raised by Craig and Kim Hartman in West Dundee, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. Growing up in the Chicago area, he became a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, the NHL franchise he would eventually join as a first-round draft pick. He attended William Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois, balancing his high-school studies with an already demanding hockey schedule.
Hartman began ice skating at the age of three and progressed through several Chicago-area minor hockey programs, most notably the Chicago Mission. With the Mission, he won several state championships and formed friendships with future NHL players Nick Schmaltz and Vinnie Hinostroza, teammates who would later share his path to professional hockey. When he was 15, Hartman joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, and his family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to support his development. His father built an outdoor ice rink in the backyard of their Michigan home, and Hartman used the rink to sharpen his shooting technique. During the 2011–12 NTDP season, he was second on the team with 38 points in 55 games.
Path to Professional Hockey
As a 17-year-old preparing for the 2012–13 season, Hartman originally committed to playing college hockey for the Miami RedHawks of NCAA Division I, but later de-committed to play major-junior hockey for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. Joining the Whalers for the 2012–13 OHL season, he was invited to the CHL Top Prospects Game and was selected to play for the gold-medal-winning United States squad at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. His performance in Plymouth and on the international stage cemented his status as a top NHL prospect.
Hartman also represented the United States at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championship, recording six points in six games and earning gold. He returned to the World Juniors in 2014, posting four points in five games. Rated as a first-round talent, Hartman fulfilled expectations when the Chicago Blackhawks selected him 30th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. On November 18, 2013, the Blackhawks signed him to a three-year entry-level contract, beginning his professional career.
Ryan Hartman Career
Early Career (2014–2018)
Hartman made his NHL debut on February 13, 2015, against the New Jersey Devils, beginning his time with the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He opened the 2016–17 season with the Blackhawks, who sought to harness his physical play style after trading away Andrew Shaw in the offseason. That season, he scored his first NHL goal against Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues during the league’s season opener on October 12, 2016, and later netted his first career hat trick against the Nashville Predators on January 8, 2017. Hartman finished 2016–17 with 19 goals and 12 assists.
During the 2017–18 season, Hartman recorded eight goals and 17 assists in 57 appearances, primarily skating as a bottom-six forward. On February 26, 2018, he was traded, along with a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Victor Ejdsell, a first-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. In 21 regular-season games with Nashville, he tallied three goals and three assists. Hartman was suspended for one game during the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs after delivering an illegal check to Carl Soderberg.
Minnesota Wild Era (2019–Present)
Following a brief stop with the Philadelphia Flyers after the 2019 trade deadline, Hartman was dealt to the Dallas Stars in June 2019, only to become an unrestricted free agent. On July 1, 2019, he signed a two-year, $3.8 million contract with the Minnesota Wild, the team that has defined his most productive years. On April 22, 2021, Hartman signed a three-year, $5.1 million contract extension with the Wild, and on October 7, 2023, he signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension that runs through the 2025–26 season.
Hartman’s Minnesota tenure has been marked by physicality, secondary scoring, and a series of notable disciplinary incidents. In late December 2023, he was accused of intentionally attempting to injure a player during a back-to-back series against the Winnipeg Jets, resulting in a $4,427.08 fine, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. On April 1, 2024, he received a three-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing his stick from the bench while berating the referees. On February 1, 2025, in a game against the Ottawa Senators, Hartman was assessed a major match penalty for “Attempt to Injure” after driving Senators forward Tim Stützle’s head into the ice, an incident that earned him a 10-game suspension on February 3, 2025, his fourth suspension since 2023.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hartman is recognized around the league as an agitator and physical winger whose value comes from forechecking, board work, and the willingness to disrupt opponents in every zone. He plays with a high-energy, edge-of-the-line style and is trusted by coaches to take key faceoffs and provide secondary scoring. His combination of speed, sniping touch, and confrontational play has made him a polarizing but consistently employed middle-six forward.
Notable Events and Milestones
Hartman’s NHL milestones include his first goal against the St. Louis Blues on October 12, 2016, his first career hat trick against the Nashville Predators on January 8, 2017, and the back-to-back gold medals he won with the United States at the 2012 World U18 Championship and the 2013 World Junior Championship. He also made history as the first NHL player born in South Carolina, a unique footnote in league history.
Ryan Hartman Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Hartman was raised by Craig and Kim Hartman, who supported his hockey development by relocating from South Carolina to the Chicago suburbs and, later, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, when he joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. His father built an outdoor skating rink at the family home to give him a dedicated place to refine his shot. Hartman has a younger brother, Tanner, who, as of the 2024–25 NCAA season, plays college hockey for the Brown Bears in the ECAC.
2025 Season Performance
The 2024–25 season has been a turbulent one for Hartman and the Minnesota Wild. On February 1, 2025, his 10-game suspension for driving Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stützle’s head into the ice sidelined him for a significant stretch of the schedule, marking his fourth suspension since 2023. The league’s ruling underscored the escalating concern over his on-ice conduct and the toll it has taken on his availability.
When in the lineup, Hartman continued to provide the physical presence and bottom-six scoring the Wild value from him, contributing on the forecheck and penalty kill. Minnesota remained in the Western Conference playoff picture across the campaign, with Hartman expected to play a complementary, energy-driven role as the Wild pushed toward a postseason berth.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2025 and beyond, Hartman is signed through the 2025–26 season on his current $12 million contract extension, giving the Wild roster stability. His challenge will be balancing the abrasive style that has defined his career with the discipline his team and the league now require. If he can channel that intensity more consistently, he has the opportunity to play a meaningful role in the Wild’s playoff push and cement his legacy as one of the more unique American-born players of his generation.