Ryan Whitney (February 19, 1983, Scituate, Massachusetts) is an American defenseman currently playing for the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins.
Whitney enrolled at Thayer Academy in the fall of 1998. Almost immediately he logged significant minutes on the blueline. Head coach Jack Foley often paired the 15 year old freshman with senior Brooks Orpik. The two are currently teammates in the NHL. Whitney's size and skill drew the attention of the U.S. National Team Development Program. He resisted USA Hockey's overtures initially, but eventually left Thayer for the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based program for his senior year. After his senior season, Whitney accepted a full scholarship to play for Jack Parker's Boston University Terriers.
After his freshman season at BU, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Whitney in the 1st round (5th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He struggled during his sophomore campaign. He had the worst +/- rating (-1) on the team (minimum 30 games played) and was benched for a short time at midseason.
In his junior year, Whitney posting career highs in games (38), goals (9) and also in points (25), a category where he led the team. He left BU following that season.
During the 2004-05 NHL lockout (the 2004-2005 season), Whitney played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins under the head coach Michel Therrien, who is now coaching Whitney in Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Whitney scored 41 points (6 goals) in 80 games and 9 points in 11 playoff games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Whitney was recalled to the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 31, 2005 to replace an injured Dick Tarnstrom, and remained on the team until the season ended. Whitney currently contributes on the Penguins power play. He wears the number 19 jersey for the Penguins.
