Ryan Doolin's hockey journey has taken him to many places near and far from New England. But this is the first stop where money has been an issue, but just not in the way you would think.
His higher-profile hockey career started locally enough, first at Boston College High. But the one-hour, one-way commute to practice and home games proved too much, so after a year there he returned to his hometown Hanover (Mass.) High to play in the Boston Advantage system, on the 16-U team, for a couple of seasons.
From there, a good friend who was a student at Westminster asked if he was interested in going to prep school in Simbsury, Conn., so Doolin soon found himself playing for the Martlets, where he scored 19 goals and added 24 assists for 43 points over 49 games.
"I always wanted to play prep school hockey," Doolin said. "And I took a look at the school and I fell in love with it, and was there for two years. It was an amazing school, great hockey."
Supplementing that each fall was time with Mid Fairfield, where Doolin helped the Rangers win the national 18-U title, providing Doolin with "some of the best hockey memories of my life."
A season in the USHL with the Chicago Steel and Lincoln Stars followed, in 2018-19. Which all served to set the table for him to be playing this season with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League, where he's the team's leading scorer, with 18 goals, 27 assists and 45 points in 50 games.
His whirlwind hockey career has taken him now to a different country and far away from Boston in many ways.
"This year being my last year of junior, I wanted to go somewhere where I had a lot of opportunities, and felt the BCHL would be best for me in terms of preparing myself for college," said Doolin, who turns 21 on Feb. 6. "And I spoke with my coach, Joe Martin, in Port Alberni and decided this would be the best opportunity for me, and I came out here. It was a great decision and the team’s great, the guys are great, I love the area and I really can’t complain."
The Bulldogs are run by coach and general manager Joe Martin, who was successful for eight years running the Merritt Centennials. He also previously coached the Canada West team at the Canada Winter Games. Martin's focus on developing players is what locked the deal down for Doolin.
"Basically, when I spoke with Joe Martin, he expressed to me his experience with developing guys and getting them ready for college," said the 6-2, 190, right shooting forward. "He was in Merritt for the last handful of years and ... he’s had a ton of success as a coach and they’ve also developed a ton of guys into great college players.
"And the assistant here, Brandon Shaw, was also with him in Merritt and he was huge on skill development. We have skills days every Monday, where ... you can work on your individual skill level (and) what you need to work on, whatever your weaknesses are. So for each individual player, he draws up a handful of drills to work on your weaknesses. For me, I’m working on skating pretty much every Monday, and he’s really hands-on with that and does a great job for each individual player on our team."
The adjustment for Doolin seems to have gone seamlessly, especially when you consider his points total, his 0.90 points per game average and 10 points (2-8) on the power play. Having teammates from New England and New York -- teams are allowed six imports in the BCHL -- has also helped ease the transition.
"Everyone is very welcoming," he said. "Obviously, there’s a bit of a difference living completely across the continent for our guys from New York and Massachusetts. (The locals are) 100 percent welcoming and they love having Americans there, really are interested in the cultural differences."
This is where the money issue comes in. Aside from certain language nuances, such as "sock tape" or "socko" for "clear tape," ("I was baffled"), he also had to get used to the "plastic" money. (Canadian currency is made out of synthetic polymer to complicate counterfeiting.)
But otherwise things have been pretty smooth. Seeing bigger crowds come out to the games was also different for Doolin, and in a good way. Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, has a population of about 18,000, the region having about 30,000.
"We have an amazing group of fans at every home game and even some of the closer away games, and they’re so supportive and they want us to succeed," he said.
On the ice, the adjustment was a bit bigger.
"I would just say the BCHL is definitely an offensive league," he said. "You see a lot more offensive defensemen in terms of  joining the rush. The main thing is really off the rush, there’s for the most part four guys going instead of that typical three that you see. There’s a lot of defensemen jumping up in the rush, so you have to get back if you’re on the defending team, you’ve got to get back early. Just the rate of play from prep school to junior in general is just a lot faster and pucks move a lot quicker."
Martin likes what he sees in one of his top players, who is doing what he was brought in to do: score.
"He’s been very consistent," said Martin, who's been coaching juniors for 12 years. "He’s a reliable, 200-foot player. From prep, he’s a scorer; the progress in his game has been 200 feet. The line he plays on has got three 20-year-olds; they’ve been dominant all season since we put them together. Ryan’s a natural scorer who’s getting better at his own end and being physical, so he’s adding other elements this year that really make him a strong player."
Martin said the transition to the BCHL isn't as stark as one might think for players coming from the prep school system.
"I feel the kids that played at those really good schools, really good prep programs, the similarity is that you’re always around your teammates," said Martin, originally from Kingston, Ontario, which is roughly halfway between Toronto and Montreal. "You’re living with your teammates, or you’re living at the dorm, you’re with your classmates, your team all the time. It’s similar, just a smaller sample size, you’re always with your group here.
"Biggest difference for them is their relationship with the staff. I mean it’s a good relationship, but when you put the skates on for practice, it’s not just a skatearound for us. We have expectations and goals we’re trying to get to every day. And then some guys, it doesn’t happen often, but a kid might miss a game. Maybe he’s not adapting or needs a night off or they take a night off. That’s the biggest change: performance on demand is different with these guys."
Over the years, Martin has crossed paths in the BCHL with players from Avon Old Farms, Gunnery and Northwood, among others. On the ice, the biggest adjustment for prep players is obvious for Martin, but not necessarily unique.
"Defense. And not just (for) defensemen," said Martin, midway through his first year in Port Alberni. "There’s an allure to play in the BCHL because it’s more offensive than other junior A leagues. But you have to be able to play defense still.
"Our job is to move players on to the next level and it’s hard for a college team to take a player if they can’t trust them defensively. That’s the biggest thing, is teaching the habits away from the puck. It’s the most time-consuming.
"And it’s not just kids in (the New England) area, it’s kids from lots of areas, or most areas. But there’s some programs out there that do a great job developing the whole player, and it saves us some time. But that’s the biggest thing I think is for players is to be a well-rounded player, not just an offensive player."
Doolin is bringing the offense and using his time on the big line to refine his game, with the hopes of attracting Division 1 interest. He said he's gotten some nibbles, but NCAA teams tend to wait until they see how you finish before they commit. In the meantime, he's taking a full course load at North Island College and pushing his game forward.
"I think I’m an offensive forward, a bigger player that uses his size to his advantage in the offensive zone below the dots," he said. "I think I’m pretty good around the net and I like to find my teammates. I believe I’m more of a pass-first player, although my coaches have been stressing to shoot the puck more. I think I’ve really worked a lot on that this year. But I think small plays around the ice, all over the ice, trying to find a 2-on-1 are my strengths."
Playing in the BCHL has allowed him to grit up a bit as well.
"Growing up, I always really liked Corey Perry, his ability to do well around the net, and I’ve also been working on trying to bring an edge to my game," Doolin said, "and he’s definitely got that chippiness, that edge, and can get under the other team’s skin a bit, you know?
"And then, around the net, Joe Pavelski is one of the best players at tipping pucks, and I’ve been working on that after practice. That’s another one of those development things that my assistant coach Brandon Shaw has helped me with."
That, and skating.
"Statistically, I didn’t really have any goals," he said. "I knew that if I played the right way, my numbers would be solid. The No. 1 thing for me has just been to work on my skating, whether it be after practice or just not get caught asleep during a game, make sure my feet are moving.
"Recently, I’ve just been focused on being more of a power forward, finishing checks and being good defensively and those small things. And then in terms of the team, I want to win a championship. Being my last year of junior hockey, I want to play as long as I can."
Paul Grant is an editor and a writer for HockeyJournal.com and Seamans Media. He previously oversaw hockey content at ESPN.com and Sporting News. You can connect with him at pgrant@hockeyjournal.com.
