MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Ethan Ryan enters his third and final junior hockey season with the Metro Jets in 2021-22 aiming to be a leader for the younger players, especially the goaltenders.
A 2001 birth year from Howell, Mich., Ryan has seen marked improvement over his first two seasons with the USPHL club and looks for that to continue this fall at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.
“I’ve played with this program for two seasons now and developed my game so much,” said Ryan. “So much of that credit goes to our goalie coach, Randy Wilson, and the rest of the coaching staff. They have lots of knowledge of the game and know how to develop players, on and off the ice.”
During the 2019-20 season, Ryan went 7-3-2 with a 2.85 GAA and a .888 save percentage with two shutouts for the MJDP team. Last season, he finished 4-12-0 with a 4.74 GAA and a .895 save percentage as an older player on the very young MHC squad.
He has also earned a playoff win with the MJDP in 2020.
“We are excited for Ethan heading into this season,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “He has experience and has developed a lot over the last two seasons. He has the ability to stand on his head and steal games. Ethan comes to the rink every day and will out-work and out-battle you. He has already garnered college offers and just like other players in our program, more will come.”
“Working with him for the past two years has been very rewarding as he has matured as a young man and definitely increased and improved his positional understanding as a goalie,” Wilson added. “I have no doubt that with his competitive nature and work ethic, this coming season should produce some more interest from college hockey programs.”
Now back with the Jets, as well as training this summer with Wilson, Ryan is chomping at the bit to get the new season going.
“I think my maturity as a goalie and staying focused on stopping the puck will be a benefit to the team this year,” Ryan said. “I also want to be a good example of what the program can give to the newer players.”
