Ryan Walsh gets more than he expected with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

CEDAR RAPIDS — His goals were modest.

As a rookie in the United States Hockey League, Ryan Walsh wanted to make the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders team. That came first.

Then the 19-year-old forward from Rochester, N.Y., wanted to earn regular ice time. Find a way to make some kind of impact.

He accomplished that on a major scale.

Walsh went into the Riders’ game Tuesday night against Madison at ImOn Ice second in the USHL in points with 76. With 29 goals and 47 assists, he had tied Chad Costello for most points in a season in franchise history.

A Johnston native, Costello posted 31 goals and 76 regular-season points for the 2005-06 RoughRiders before embarking on a 14-year minor league professional career. He’s now head coach of the Allen Americans in the ECHL.

“My expectations for this year have been blown away,” admitted Walsh. “Coming into this league as a first-year guy, your expectations aren’t that high. You’re focused on trying to be in the lineup every night, that kind of stuff. To be in this position, having tied that record, the franchise record for points in a year, is pretty cool.”

RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson said he knew he might just have something in Walsh during his team’s first preseason game way back in September against Madison. The club hadn’t worked at all on special teams, yet, but Walsh was on the penalty kill and showing an innate ability to be in the right spots.

Still, there’s no way he (or anyone else) could have anticipated what Walsh would accomplish.

“He’s had a tremendous year,” Carlson said. “To come in here his first year, someone who has not played junior, and to be as reliable and dependable in all situations as he’s been is an enormous accomplishment. I think we’ll see him continue to get better and better moving forward.”

Walsh has not only been on C.R.’s penalty-killing unit but its top power-play unit, which has helped boost his point totals. He is tied with Chicago’s Mack Celebrini for the USHL lead in power-play points with 32.

A prep school kid (Salisbury School in Connecticut), Walsh was a fourth-round pick of the RoughRiders in the 2022 USHL Draft, Phase II.

“Just trying to be as consistent as possible,” he said. “That’s one of the things I was trying to do this year. Find that consistency in my game and produce every night. Not just here and there, but every night make an impact in the game. I’ve been fortunate to have a couple of point streaks and stuff, and that’s been my biggest attribute to being where I am.”

With the season he’s had, Walsh admits he has had to adjust his future expectations. He has signed with Cornell University and has heard from multiple National Hockey League clubs.

The 2023 NHL Draft is June 28 and 29 in Nashville, Tenn.

“Can’t say yes or no. Maybe. I’d say it’s a tossup right now,” he said, about being drafted. “For me, it’s about focusing on these last three (regular-season) games and the playoffs. Worry about what I can control. Give myself the best opportunity to be in that position.”

“Ryan Walsh has a very realistic opportunity to play in the National Hockey League. No question,” Carlson said. “And he’s just scratching the surface, as far as how his body is going to improve, he’s going to get bigger and stronger, get faster. He’s going to go to Cornell and continue to improve. He has an opportunity to play this game for a long, long time in the best league in the world, in my opinion.”

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com