RICHARDS RETURNS TO ONE OF MANY HOCKEY STOPS THIS WEEK
Nov 14, 2023
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
Rochester Americans forward Justin Richards will face his former team come Thursday and Saturday night when the Amerks visit the Cleveland Monsters. The fourth-year pro spent last season in a Monsters jersey, scoring 10 goals on his way to a 39-point campaign in 61 games.
“Absolutely,” said Richards when asked about there being added motivation when facing his former team. “I still have some friends on the team, but once that puck drops, none of them are my friends.”
One season in professional hockey can feel like a pit stop as the journey progresses. Look no further than a guy like Amerks goaltender, Dustin Tokarski, who has worn the jersey of 16 different AHL/NHL teams over the years. For Richards, however, his one season in Cleveland was special. It brought the 25-year-old forward closer to his hockey roots.
Despite being billed from Orlando, Florida, Richards grew up in several cities, thanks to the always traveling Todd Richards; Stanley Cup-winning coach and more importantly, Justin’s dad.
Todd has spent two-plus decades behind various NHL benches and before that enjoyed a 13-year playing career, most notably with Orlando in the IHL. Where Todd went, so, too, did Justin.
“I moved around all over the place,” said the younger Richards. “I lived in Orlando for two years, then went to Switzerland for a year, then Milwaukee for four years, Wilkes-Barre for two, San Jose for one, Minnesota for two, and then Columbus for about five or six.”
The Amerks are Richards’s fifth different pro team he’s played for since making his debut with Hartford during the 2020-21 season. Safe to say moving around isn’t new to the second-generation talent.
“I’m used to it,” laughed Richards. “I’m used to moving around and having to meet new people, but I love meeting new people. Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve loved. I’m just trying to get the most out of it.”
Of the many roads traveled, Richards spent the bulk of his venture in the Buckeye State. He skated four years with the Ohio Blue Jackets AAA team in Columbus, about 140 miles southwest of Cleveland. The two cities often battled for supremacy in claiming who was the youth hockey powerhouse of Ohio. Richards did his part, helping his 16U and 18U team with over point-per-game seasons in back-to-back years.
“In Ohio, when I first got there, they didn’t have many options for hockey. There was high school, but the exposure wasn’t there at the time. Playing AAA hockey was good, but I was in high school and I had to miss out on a lot of different social experiences in high school because I was always gone traveling for hockey, but it obviously worked out. I’m forever grateful.”
Richards enjoyed playing AAA hockey with Carson Meyer, whom he later reunited with as teammates on Cleveland’s 2022-23 roster.
Meyer remains in Cleveland. Richards will oppose him this time around.
“It’s a little bit of a homecoming in a sense that I felt last year was my first good year in pro hockey,” said Richards. “Any team you’re on, you’re making friendships with the guys in the locker room for life. Leaving any team is difficult.”
Despite the challenge of coming to a new team, Richards has found his footing in an Amerks jersey. He’s come up with two goals and two assists to post four points through 11 games. Both his goals have come shorthanded, making Richards one of just four players in the AHL with multiple shorthanded goals.
“I love it here,” said Richards. “It’s a great city and a great organization. The coaches have been great, and all of my teammates have been very nice to me and very welcoming. We have a great lineup here.”
Richards has embraced each situation he’s entered. A new city, a new team, a new group of players. This time, however, his opponent will look familiar. It’s the first time Richards faces a team from his past. Despite knowing the faces, the mindset doesn’t change. It’s business as usual for the now-Rochester American.
“Thursday and Saturday we’re trying to go 2-0. As close as I am with some of them, I still want to beat them really bad.”