Jake Ryczek knows which skills he must improve in order to take the next step in his hockey career. The 20-year-old defenseman’s track record shows that he’ll do his best to do it, too, no matter the cost.
Look no further than the 2017-18 season. After scoring a goal and playing in just five games with the Providence Friars, Ryczek realized college hockey wasn’t the right fit for him. So, after the first semester concluded and he spoke to his family at Christmas, he decided his ideal move was to take a trip north and play for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Halifax Mooseheads.
“Having to balance both school work and hockey taught me a lot when I was at Providence, but it also showed me that college wasn’t for me,” Ryczek explained. “I enjoyed it. I enjoyed being with the guys. The coaches and my teachers taught me a lot. Everything went well and I got through a semester. But I wasn’t in the lineup a lot. I worked hard at everything. I worked hard in the gym, on the ice, in the classroom, and I got a couple of opportunities, but that was it. It just didn’t work out and after talking with my family I decided to make the switch.”
What also changed around that time was the ownership of his QMJHL rights. On Dec. 20, 2017, they were traded to Halifax by Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who had plucked him in the sixth round (92nd overall) of the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft.
“I thought it was a good move for me, so I tried it out,” Ryczek said. “Now I’m here and it’s been going really well. I haven’t looked back.”
It didn’t take him long to acclimate to his new team. After leaving the Friars, Ryczek, who has a right-handed shot, registered 27 points (7-20—27) in 33 regular-season games and three assists in nine playoff contests. In 37 matches this season, the 5-11, 185-pounder has 24 points (7-17—24).
Ryczek attributes his quick adjustment to having experience in making moves throughout his career.
A Ludlow, Mass., native, he left home for Connecticut at age 14 to attend South Kent School. Prior to the 2014-15 season, he took a longer trek, to Iowa, where he skated for the United States Hockey League’s Sioux City Musketeers, for whom he notched 18 points (6-12—18) in 55 regular-season games and appeared in five playoff contests that campaign.
Ryczek started the next season with the Musketeers, too, but after recording 14 points (3-11—14) in 29 games, he was traded to the Waterloo Black Hawks, with whom he elevated his play, tallying 20 points (4-16—20) in 18 regular-season matches and four assists in nine postseason games.
“Moving from Providence to Halifax was kind of like being traded, like when I left Sioux City to go to Waterloo,” Ryczek said. “It wasn’t that much of an adjustment. It was more of just another step in the journey and a new start somewhere else.”
One of the more important moments of his journey happened after his second USHL season, when he was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round (203rd overall) of the 2016 National Hockey League draft.
The Blackhawks’ message to the offensive blueliner was simple: continue to develop and improve.
“They especially wanted me to work on my defense,” Ryczek revealed.
With that in mind, Ryczek returned to Waterloo for the 2016-17 season to refine that component of his game. The good news is it didn’t disrupt his offensive capabilities, as he totaled 29 points (8-21—29) in 50 games.
Next was his brief stop at Providence, which actually wasn’t Ryczek’s original college destination. At age 16, he committed to the University of New Hampshire because of Scott Borek, the Wildcats associate head coach who played a large role in his recruitment. But after Borek left UNH to become the Friars associate head coach in 2015, Ryczek decided to give Providence, the first school he toured, another look. It didn’t hurt that his sister Cheyenne was already attending Providence.
“It was really nice because she was a senior when I was there,” Ryczek remembered. “We’re really close. When I was touring schools for hockey she came along to look at schools, too.”
Although his hockey plans didn’t work out in Rhode Island, Ryczek is enjoying a successful QMJHL career to this point and is seeking to finish the season on a strong note.
In terms of his development, Ryczek said his “decision making” and his ability to keep moving his feet are the aspects of his game which have improved the most since he joined Halifax.
“My biggest assets are my speed and the way I can skate,” he stated. “When I’m moving my feet and playing fast I’m at my best.”
Ryczek still has to upgrade his defensive game, calling it “a work in progress.” He noted, though, that he’s “getting there.”
“One of the biggest things for me over the years has been working harder and harder on my defensive play,” he explained. “When I do that, it helps my offensive play, and that’s a big thing for me.”
Mooseheads head coach Eric Veilleux, who was named to the post prior to this season, wants Ryczek to be more physical on the ice.
“Coach Veilleux demands the best out of everybody, demands hard, gritty play out of you,” Ryczek said. “What he’s been telling me is spot-on. My play has to be a lot harder, I have to be more physical, I have to be more engaged in the play and not take shifts for granted. I have to be hard on guys who have the puck and not let them get the easy out. That’s one of the biggest things I’ve been working on this year so far.”
The Blackhawks continue to monitor their prospect by going to his games and watching him play. At other times they check in with him via texts or phone calls. They’ve yet to discuss a contract.
“We’ll see what happens during the rest of this season,” Ryczek said. “Hopefully something works out and a contract comes out of it.”
One way Ryczek can help his case is by continuing to play well.  And one glance at his past proves he’ll do everything possible to do exactly that.
