University of Minnesota Duluth junior center Justin Richards, the reigning two-time National Collegiate Hockey Conference Defensive Forward of the Year, has signed an entry level contract with the National Hockey League's New York Rangers and thus will forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility. 

Richards, an assistant team captain out of Columbus, Ohio, concluded the 2019-20 season with a career-high 14 goals (to rank second among Bulldogs) and 11 assists for 25 points while going a +14. A fixture on UMD special teams, he tied for the NCAA lead in shorthanded goals with three (the most by a Bulldog in eight years and two shorties shy of the program single-season record) and also struck three times on the power play. A  2018-19 All-NCHC second team pick and its Defensive Forward of the Year award recipient the past two seasons, Richards took shifts in all 120 games since joining the Bulldog program and had 66 points (26 goals and 40 assists) and a +40 plus-minus rating to show for it.

Richards is the 21st Bulldog since 2007 -- and second this spring -- to leave UMD early for the professional ranks, joining forwards Mason Raymond (with Vancouver in 2007),  Rob Bordson (Anaheim in 2010), Mike Connolly (San Jose in 2011), J.T. Brown (Tampa Bay in 2012), Caleb Herbert (Washington in 2014), Adam Johnson (Pittsburgh in 2017), Joey Anderson (New Jersey in 2018), Mikey Anderson (Los Angeles in 2019) and Riley Tufte (Dallas in 2019), defensemen Matt Niskanen (Dallas in 2007), Jason Garrison (Florida in 2008), Evan Oberg (Vancouver in 2009), Dylan Olsen (Chicago in 2010), Justin Faulk (Carolina in 2011), Chris Casto (Boston in 2013), Neal Pionk (New York Rangers in 2017) and Scott Perunovich (St. Louis Blues in 2020) and goaltenders Alex Stalock (San Jose in 2009), Kasimir Kaskisuo (Toronto in 2016) and Hunter Miska (Phoenix in 2017).