A Hockey Nomad Found A Home:

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A hockey nomad found a home

by don klepp Added 2009-07-08

Ryan Santana’s hockey career has taken him from warm Los Angeles to cold-weather hockey outposts in Chicago, Green Bay, Des Moines, and Fairbanks, Alaska. Finally, he landed in Vernon and he couldn’t be happier.

For one thing, he’s enjoyed the weather in Vernon: “The climate here is the nicest I’ve experienced. It’s cold and windy in Chicago, and pretty darn cold at times in the mid-west. And Fairbanks is in Alaska, so you know what that means.”

He adds, “I’ve had an awesome time in Vernon, and not just because we won everything. What a great bunch of guys, on and off the ice. We hung out together and had a lot of fun. These guys are hilarious, especially Royser (Kory Roy). He’s hysterical, a real character. I think I might miss him the most. He’s a hard worker, too; even when he’s not in the lineup, he gives everything he has in practice and in the gym. That’s the way the whole team is, 100 percent effort all the time.”

Ryan was first introduced to hockey at age three when his uncle took him to an L.A. Kings game. Hooked, the three-year old got on roller skates and almost immediately on ice skates. Before age 6, he was playing hockey with older kids who needed someone to fill out their roster. His talent and desire for the game in evidence, he made bantam and midget teams that went to the national finals. In his third and final year of midget hockey, he went to Chicago to play for Team Illinois, a nationally ranked squad that played at the well-known MAC tournament in Calgary.

In Calgary, he was approached by Viper GM Troy Mick, who offered a Viper tryout. Later, the Vipers’ Bernie Pimm kept in contact, but Ryan opted to play for Green Bay of the USHL because he was enrolled in grade 12. After a year in Green Bay, he was traded to Des Moines and then at last year’s trading deadline he was moved to the NAHL team in Fairbanks where he billeted with Hunter Bishop’s parents. With their encouragement, he came to the Vipers.

With the Vipers, the affable 20-year old took a while to find his best fit. He played wing on the Jones line, with mixed results. One of Ryan’s best attributes is his puck control, so he needed to play centre. Originally touted as a potential high scorer, his dogged determination and checking skills started to come to the fore. As the year progressed, his value became more and more apparent as his line brought energy and stretches of offensive-zone dominance. Even when the line didn’t score, Ryan and his wingers often changed the momentum in a game. In at least two of the RBC Cup games, the line of Santana, Cole Ikkala, and Rob Short was perhaps the best Viper trio, and they produced the all-important overtime winner in the Victoria game.

In order to play in the RBC Cup, Ryan had to bounce back from a serious shoulder injury suffered in the Salmon Arm series. He missed 11 games, including the first two games of the Doyle Cup. However, he returned, well-rested and energized, to play an important role in the two games played in Grande Prairie and his spirited play at the RBC Cup won him the Most Gentlemanly Player award at that tournament.

So, what’s next for Ryan Santana? First, he plans to rest for “a couple of days,” and then he’ll “get right back at it, training and playing pickup hockey.” In the summer, he plays “two or three times a week with some former WHL guys and [his] former coaches who play at a pretty high level. He adds that he and Kyle Bigos “play with another group about once a week, where we get a chance to work on our one-on-one skills.”

At the time that Ryan was interviewed for this article, he was being courted by the Boston University Terriers, the reigning NCAA champion. After jumping through a series of hoops in order to establish his academic eligibility, Ryan has been able to acknowledge that the Terriers have committed to Ryan for this coming year. BU wants Ryan as a third-line energy player and penalty killer, roles that he fulfilled admirably for the Vipers. Everyone in Viper land wishes him well and hopes that another Ryan Santana can be discovered for next season.