Former Bulldog Zach Redmond & United States Open Play In 2015 Hockey World Championships

Big Rapids, Mich. - Former Ferris State University hockey defenseman Zach Redmond (Traverse City, Mich.) and the United States officially opened action in the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships on Friday (May 1) in the Czech Republic.

The USA squad topped Finland 5-1 in its opening game of the World Championships at CEZ Arena in Ostrava before a sellout crowd of 8,812 fans. The contest was the first of seven outings for the USA prior to the start of quarterfinal-round play on May 14. The United States next hits the ice on Saturday (May 2) against Norway at 2:15 p.m. (ET).

While Redmond did not see action in the opener, he did play a key role in the team's lone exhibition contest earlier this week on Tuesday (April 28) versus Austria. In the pre-tournament game at Eissportzentrum Kargran Arena in Vienna, Redmond registered an assist on the final goal as the USA skated to a 4-1 victory.

Redmond is representing the United States for the first time as the Americans compete in the world championships May 1-17 in Ostrava and Prague in the Czech Repbulic. The former FSU captain spent the 2014-15 season in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche, where he played 59 games and finished third on the team in points (5-15--20) among defensemen. Redmond joined the Avalanche as a free agent on July 1, 2014, after spending two seasons in the Winnipeg Jets organization. 

Overall, the United States will play seven games inside CEZ Arena in Ostrava before the quarterfinal-round begins on May 14. The semifinals are May 16 and the medal round game on May 17 with both at O2 Arena in Prague.

Redmond, who spent most of the previous three seasons prior to this past campaign with the American Hockey League's (AHL) St. John's IceCaps in the Winnipeg Jets' system, signed with the Avalanche on a two-year, $1.5 million contract last summer.

The defenseman previuosly appeared in 10 games for the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL level in 2013-14, tallying three points on a goal and two assists. He spent most of that season with the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, where he had 25 points on six goals and 19 assists in 40 regular-season games and 14 points with two goals and 12 helpers in 21 playoff contests as the IceCaps reached the AHL Calder Cup Finals.

A Traverse City native, Redmond made his NHL debut in 2012-13 when he appeared in eight games with the Jets and recorded four points on a goal and three assists before suffering a significant and life-threatening leg injury which ended his NHL season.

After the injury, Redmond capped one of professional hockey's most miraculous comebacks when he returned to play in two games with the IceCaps at the end of the year before being recalled by the NHL club. The following season, Redmond was also named to the 2013 Dunkin' Donuts AHL All-Star Classic for his efforts with the IceCaps. 

Before turning pro, Redmond played four seasons at Ferris State from 2007-11 and served as the Bulldogs' team captain as a senior in 2010-11.  A 2010-11 All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) First-Team performer, Redmond registered a team second-highest 20 points on a career season-best seven goals with 13 assists in 26 contests for the Bulldogs in the 2010-11 season.

Redmond concluded his four seasons (2007-11) as a Bulldog with 90 points on 22 goals and 68 assists in 141 contests.  The 2009-10 second-team All-CCHA skater chalked up 12 power-play goals, seven game-winning tallies, one short-handed lamplighter, 217 blocked shots, and a plus 22 efficiency rating.

A 2008 seventh-round NHL Entry Draft pick (184th overall) by the Atlanta Thrashers, Redmond originally inked a contract with Atlanta and began his career skating for their top affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, of the AHL before moving to the IceCaps.

Below is the United States' complete schedule for the World Championships:

Team USA 2015 IIHF Men's World Championship Schedule
May 1-17 • Ostrava, Czech Republic

*Eissportzentrum Kagran in Vienna, Austria; CEZ Arena in Ostrava, Czech Republic; O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.