Making the jump from prep school hockey to junior hockey is not an easy step for any young hockey player, but Ryan Verrier has made the transition smoothly.
After three seasons at Austin Prep and one at Salisbury, Verrier has moved on to the next portion of his hockey career in the United States Hockey League with the Green Bay Gamblers.
"It’s always a big jump, mostly because of the games played and the schedule," said Verrier. "It wears you down. The first month took a little getting used to, but after that it’s been going smoothly.
"Everything happens quicker. Being a puck-moving defenseman, you have to make your decisions in half the time you had at prep school — the speed of the forwards coming at you and the skating in general," added Verrier, who is committed to play college hockey at the University of New Hampshire.
Not only has the level of play increased, so have the number of fans and attention given to Verrier. "I always tell my dad and friends back home that it’s pretty much like pro hockey. You’re playing in big stadium-style arenas with thousands of fans. The people that live there love the sport. They come in with their jerseys on and want your autograph," said Verrier.
The Reading, Mass., native is a smooth-skating, two-way defenseman with good feet. Verrier’s ability to sidestep oncoming forecheckers and move pucks north is what had several USHL organizations in hot pursuit before last May’s draft.
Green Bay selected him in the second round after a standout performance at the USA Hockey Youth National Championship the previous month.
Through his first 12 USHL games, Verrier has a goal and four assists with a plus-1 plus/minus. He’s been eager to learn from Green Bay’s coaching staff, led by Pat Mikesch, a former standout player and assistant coach at Michigan Tech.
"Every day we get something new to focus on. The biggest thing is getting pucks on net and finding lanes. We’ve been working on how to work the blue line and making plays from the point," said Verrier of one of the areas of emphasis in practice.
Walking the blue line, avoiding opposing players and creating scoring chances from the back end always has come easy for Verrier. In addition to his physical tools, he points out the importance of the mental aspect of the game.
"You have to be confident in your feet. I try to use my feet to get out of bad situations. I work on cuts, head fakes and the first step. I work on my skating every year. It’s why it’s become one of my strengths," Verrier explained.
Verrier is trying to dispel the notion that he’s only an offensive defenseman. While he’s adjusting to playing against bigger, stronger and older players in the USHL, he’s trying to improve in the weight room. "I’ve started trying to get stronger. I have the speed and I’m smart with the puck, but I need to get stronger. In prep school, I was strong enough. Out here, you’re trying to push forwards against the boards and you can barely move them," said Verrier.
"I want to be a two-way guy because those are the players who go farther than anyone," he added.
While Verrier has moved away from New England this season, the hockey he played in the region afforded him the opportunity to improve his game to where it is now.
"Last year was a developmental year. I knew I had to play prep school hockey to play junior hockey. (Salisbury) Coach (Andrew) Will is a great coach and helped me get stronger as a defenseman. He worked on moving pucks up ice with me," Verrier stated.
Salisbury, a perennial prep powerhouse, advanced to the Elite 8 tournament before getting knocked out by Dexter. A month later, Verrier was able to win a championship with his split-season Midget team, the Mid-Fairfield Rangers.
"It’s an experience I will remember for the rest of my life," said Verrier.
Prior to Salisbury, Verrier was a threeyear varsity player at Austin Prep. While he didn’t see much ice time as a freshman, he learned a lot from some of the upperclassmen that included Bobo Carpenter (North Reading, Mass.), now a junior at Boston University.
"That made me decide that hockey was something I wanted to continue for as long as I could and try to make a career out of it. There were a lot of older kids I looked up to like Bobo and Andrew Cross (Saugus, Mass.). I wanted to be like them," said Verrier.
It helped to play for the legendary Louis Finocchiaro, who retired after last season. "I’ve known Coach Finocchiaro since I was seven when I moved back here from California," began Verrier. "He’s almost like a second dad to me. He’s always wanted me to get better."
Finocchiaro was part of the reason Verrier landed at UNH due to the coach’s longstanding relationship with Mike Souza (Wakefield, Mass.), an associate head coach who will take the reins next season when longtime bench boss Dick Umile (Melrose, Mass.) retires.
"UNH was there for me for a lot longer than the other schools. Other colleges came along, but Souza is the guy who wants to see me go past college," said Verrier, who attended a camp at UConn when Souza was the assistant coach there.
The rich tradition and history of the hockey program and the passionate fan base were other factors. "When I played on Austin Prep, we went to a (UNH) game against Maine. It was probably the best college hockey game I’ve ever seen," said Verrier.
"I loved the campus. It matches who I am. I fell in love with it," added Verrier, who already has been accepted into the business school at UNH.
For now, Verrier has his sights set on another championship run with Green Bay, which looks to be a Clark Cup playoff team in the USHL.
