Prior to playing professional hockey, Rycroft played two seasons with
Nanaimo Clippers in the
British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and three collegiate seasons at the
University of Denver. Having gone undrafted in any
NHL Entry Draft, on May 15, 2000, Rycroft signed an NHL contract with the
St. Louis Blues as a free agent. In the
2001–02 season, he made his NHL debut with the Blues. During the
2004–05 NHL lockout, Rycroft played for the
Diables Rouges de Briançon in the
Ligue Magnus. On July 12, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the
Colorado Avalanche to a two-year contract. After playing the
2006–07 season with the Avalanche, Rycroft was assigned to the club's
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, to start the
2007–08 season. On January 22, 2008, Rycroft was traded to the
Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for
Darcy Campbell and
Philippe Dupuis. He was immediately assigned to the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate,
Syracuse Crunch, and ultimately never played a game for Columbus. On July 17, 2008, Rycroft signed with
Dinamo Minsk of the newly-formed
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), but was later released without having played a game for the team. Rycroft is currently a TV color commentator for
Altitude Sports and Entertainment, the local affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. ==Career statistics==