500th career NHL point. In addition to his NHL career, van Riemsdyk has represented the United States at a number of international tournaments, including the 2014 Winter Olympics. Early life Van Riemsdyk was born on May 4, 1989, in Middletown, New Jersey, to parents Frans and Allison van Riemsdyk. His family, particularly his father, were strong supporters of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Van Riemsdyk began playing ice hockey around the age of five, practicing at a rink in Old Bridge, New Jersey. From there, he spent three years playing minor ice hockey with the American Eagles of the Monmouth County Youth Hockey Association, followed by six years with the Brick Hockey Club in Brick Township, New Jersey. During his tenure with the Brick Stars, both James and his brother Trevor took the club to a national championship. His hockey career continued at Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) in Lincroft, New Jersey, where he made the varsity team as a freshman in high school. He continued to play with Brick, serving as the team captain for the 2004–05 Midget AA season and leading the team to the Atlantic District Championship. That same year, van Riemsdyk was part of the New Jersey Parochial championship-winning team at CBA. In 2013, the Ocean Ice Palace in New Jersey, where van Riemsdyk had skated throughout his childhood, retired his No. 21 jersey. Following the 2004–05 hockey season, van Riemsdyk left CBA to join the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In his two seasons with the NTDP, van Riemsdyk scored 65 goals and 124 points, tying for fifth- and seventh-highest in program history at the time, respectively. While playing for Team USA, van Riemsdyk became friends with future Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane. Playing career Amateur Heading into the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked van Riemsdyk as the third-best North American skater out of all available prospects, behind Kane and Kyle Turris. Kane was the first overall draft pick that year, taken by the Blackhawks, while the Philadelphia Flyers drafted van Riemsdyk second overall. Rather than immediately enter the professional leagues, van Riemsdyk chose to honor his commitment to the University of New Hampshire, where he was roommates with Capitals draft pick Phil DeSimone. As a freshman at New Hampshire during the 2007–08 NCAA season, van Riemsdyk was third on