Practice to Pro: W. “Ryan” Conroy

My son Ryan played his first professional hockey game Friday March 28, 2024, for the Adirondack Thunder in Glenn Falls New York, ironically my younger brother also player for Adirondack but back then they were in a different league.

In case you do not read further, understand this 1 thing! IF they are good enough, they will find him. We never had an advisor, an agent attached himself to Ryan when he was 17 and did NOTHING and now Ryan is using my brother’s old agent.

Ryan is a powerful, intelligent, hard hitting, 5‘8 D man. (the program says 5’ 9 😊) I thought I would give a little background to you on Ryans “Practice to Pro” as it is relevant.

Firstly, becoming pro is WAY harder for an undersized d-man than any 6 ft + kid.

Ryan began skating at 2, he first played organized hockey at age 5 and we spent the summer BEFORE practicing and improving and then he played.

He was the best kid on the ice from the get-go given the fact we practiced before playing. Practice Is far more important than playing. In Tyke here you were only allowed only 3 goals a game and he would typically get those his first shift then we would focus on other aspects of the game.

Ryan has played Defence since the start. Defence is typically under coached, but he had me to help. He played 2 games at forward in Peewee and dominated and I considered converting him but as his Coach, “don’t be stupid Conroy he is the best d man in the league” (I was worried about his size after he broke his back playing hockey at age 11). He would have been a hell of a center, and I probably should have converted him.

The injury did eventually stunt his growth sadly and that cost him a small fortune and he was not drafted into the NHL. Note neither was my brother who eventually did play. If he would have achieved the projected 6 ft, he would have been a first-round draft pick.

We augmented his size with strength, toughness and courage. As mentioned, each spring and summer he spent practicing with me and eventually he became a very good coach at Conroy Hockey.

Next, please note that we did not spend allot of money or other time on his training. He only played locale Minor Hockey and very little Spring Hockey.

When he was a Novice (U 9) he tried out with the U 11s and was the 8th best U 11 but the mighty powers that be at Chestermere Minor Hockey decreed he need to be the 7th bast, so he played u 9.

When he was an Atom, he tried out for the Peewee (U 13) and again was deemed the 8th best Peewee but the nights Chestermere Minor Hockey Board once again decreed you must be the 7th best. Most evaluations are pure crap.

He did not make the Winter Games Team despite being the best d man in Southern Alberta so suffice to say he faced a great deal of Political BS over the years. I tried to laugh as I knew how good he was, and I knew the intelligent hockey people would find him and they did. He and 1 other teammate are now both playing Pro.

Despite all these pathetic, political setbacks we pushed forward with a plan to play NCAA Div 1 hockey.

He played Bantam AAA, making the All-Star Team and winning MVP in the Western Canada Gold Medal Game (hosted in Okotoks) losing to Burnaby.

He received invites to all the fancy schools that we could not afford and then he graduated to the AJHL at age 16, leaving home to live in Fort McMurray Alberta. He dominated in the AJHL and was 1 of 7 16 years olds playing in the league that year. Fort Mac wanted him to come up for a week at age 15 but his mother did not allow that.

He was NOT drafted in the Bantam draft, did not make Team Alberta (this is dominated and influenced by the WHL and as he was headed to the AJHL they of course turned their back on him.

He received invitations from 3 WHL Teams and he attended the Edmonton Oil Kings tryouts and dominated despite the fact that they drafted 2 first round D men he was the talk of camp. At the Edmonton camp he had and won his first Hockey fight (super proud dad moment) and generally punished many top end kids. Finished 2nd in fitness testing.

At age 15 he attended 2 AJHL skates and again dominated. The Fort McMurray Oil Barons added him to the Roster as a 16-year-old and by Christmas he was playing 28, 29 minutes a game.

In the summer of 2019 Ryna was selected as the Captain of the AJHL All Star Team that travelled to Soji Russia to play in an international Junior Tournament losing in the Gold Medal to Russia. The Russian Team had 10 Drafted players and the AJHL had 0 drafted played. I am sure there are Wanted Posters still in Russia as Ryan stretchered so many soft Russian Players.

3 great years in the AJHL then the “scamdemic” arrived after he was traded to St. Albert Saints for a playoff run and the season ended as our Politicians are morons.

In his 2nd year in Fort Mac, he was invited by Yale to attend their campus, and he did and fell in love with Yale. He committed to Yale despite being pursued by 12 NCAA Div 1 schools including 3 other Ivy League schools.

He left the AJHL to attend Yale but the “scamdemic” continued and Yale loaned him to the Omaha Lancers of the USHL where we had another great year. He was loaned because there was no season at Yale to play. Oddly in Omaha they played in front of thousands of fans every game. I heard they all survived!!!!!!!!!

Year 2 at Yale he played for the Yale Bulldogs for the next 3 years. It is of course a hectic and challenging schedule to play and to study and to finish in 4 years, (his dad took 6 years to get that degree ha ha).

Finally in March 2024 he became a Professional Hockey Player. Signing with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL.

Returning to his path, Ryan started skating early, his second birthday, but no one can call that skating, oh my aching back. 😊then nothing but ODRs until age 4.

He/We started practicing with a friend “summer camp” at 4 and I was given the younger players to lead and to train. The nest year I created Conroy Hockey in April 2006. I created CH for my sons to give them additional and proper skill-based development with a focus on practice and hard work.

We had a healthy lifestyle with lots of exercise, hiking, snowshoeing and other sports. Additionally, we had a net in the back yard, and I built an ODR for my sons for a few winters. WE were busy playing many things besides hockey and we loved camping, dirt-biking and being outside.

Thankfully I stopped being a Bad Dad when he was 6. I recommend every Parent read the linked article and PLEASE learn from my mistakes,please. Bad Dads don’t make successful kids. No one likes a bad dad and there is ZERO REASONS to be one.

Ryan did not attend fancy, high priced hockey schools and clinics, we did not even know about “The Brick” tourney, he played all manners of sports and in the Spring and Summer he practised with me in Conroy Hockey.

Other than training with me for 13 years he also attended 3, 2-day D camps (I completely disagreed with most of what they taught, and it took weeks to retrain him after wards), his mother insisted)

He did play in the junior high school hockey program (2 mornings a week) of training “light”. This program was poor but FUN!

He also did a “power skating” camp with an ex pro player (not an ex-figure skater) some morning for parts of 2 winters and when he was 15 & 16, I sent him to another fellow to work on his weight training as I did not have a gym. Note: the on-ice training with this group was less than stellar, lots of standing around and we did not continue after 2 years despite the fact the trainer was an ex-pro and had lots of high-end kids.

We ensured that his school marks were top notch as the goal was to get a free education at an NCAA Div 1 school something Ryan achieved. The recruiter from another NCAA Div 1 school told me that they invest $ 500,000.00 US into each hockey player. I calculated that based on that he was paid $ 150.00/hr of practice and games in his Minor Hockey “career”. When he was young, I told him it was $ 50.00/hour.

The WHL wanted him after year 1 in Fort Mac the Oil Kings called me and told me that they would like to have him “try out” and MAYBE he could make the team. I laughed he was already a very dominant and established D man in the AJHL.

In Year 2 of the AJHL the NCAA Div 1 offers and pursuits began. Kudos to the AJHL for creating a tourney each September where all the NCAA, WHL and NHL scouts gathers to watch in 1 single place.

All the offers he received were for 100% scholarships, but the Ivy League Schools all send kids through the Financial Aid Program. I swear 1 school would have bought me a new pickup if I would have had him sign there.

The scholarship part for the Ivy league means that a “mere hockey player” gets to attend Yale provided he meets the educational requirements which are quite high. Ryan was second in his class and barely made it. I recall talking to the recruiter at Yale who mentioned that 37000 applicants a year applied to Yale with a perfect 4.0 average, I joked so the hockey players are the dumb ones I guess, he was not amused.

What really mattered was that at age 13 Ryan decided to get much stronger than his peers and boy did he, real exercise was a big part of what we did as a family and Ryan needed no encouragement. It cost nothing but time he committed and became much stronger pound for pound than any of his peers.

We had a set of dumbbells at home there were no gyms. Calisthenics, isometrics, plyometrics and hills lots of hills along with bike riding and roller blading. I worked out with him. Later he used the Gym at school to hit the Iron and there was a High School Teacher who helped him.

I led my son, I did not PUSH or FORCE him, I facilitated and supported him, HE WANTED IT! Ryan was a serious kid so much so that I was concerned that he did not even enjoy playing. I asked about this, and he looked at me like I had most my mind and scolded me “of course Dad I love Hockey”. Once the suit was put on, he was in the zones.

I exercised with and participated in a fit and active lifestyle with my sons. Of course, he skated allot with Conroy Hockey in the off seasons and became a great coach at age 15.

At age 13, this is the time that they need to get focused and have the ability to add muscle to their frames and committing is key to their success. Ryan WANTED IT, HE WANTED TO PLAY PRO HOCKEY and what HE wanted was Key to HIS success. This attitude, dedication and COMMITMENT never abated.

At age 14 he started training with a Martial Arts group (his mother objected to this and lots of what I did) and we had 3 summers of that building skills, fitness, flexibility, toughness and fighting skills and thusly confidence in himself. He is a force to be reckoned with. I highly recommend this.

In his rookie AJHL season (age 16) he fought all that wanted to fight, and all were 18 & 19 years old. TOUGHNESS MATTERS!!!!!! And he won every fight. At age 18 he was the league heavyweight at 5 8!

At age 18 he was the team captain (leadership, maturity, toughness and commitment) of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. I am pretty sure he was the youngest captain in the league and then he became the Captain of the All-star team that went to Russia.

90% of his training was simply Conroy Hockey camps and he got lots of off-ice inputs from me. I began Video Training Ryan at age 16 and we would discuss his play after every game.

I was a “tough love”, father and repeatedly educated him on being a tougher and more capable kid teaching him that keep raising his bar! I also ensured he was a well mannered, respectful, polite and a good student, and he is. School was important as were manners and common sense. He was not a privileged and entitled kid. He worked hard and COMMITED to his own success.

For Ryan there were no fancy camps, no expensive schools, and only a little outside training and his father. He is not a big kid, but he is strong, smart and committed to his success.

Why he succeeded is simple, Ryan chose and wanted to, and Ryan had developed confidence and skills, and he WORKED HARD and listened and he was TOUGH in every way possible.

He earned it by focusing on it and committing to it and he was TOUGH. Super tough confident and fearless. For the last 5 years that I trained him he was the best kid on the ice, and he pushed himself. You do not need to spend, you do not need to “play with the best” you do not need to waste your money, you need to teach and to lead your player so that he/she believes in themself, and he works on their self and is focused on success. He LED!

His goal from age 11 was the AJHL then NCAA Div 1 and he achieved it, going pro is icing on an already big cake. Who knows where the future lies. He was able to attend the 9th best university on the Planet, even with 0 hockey the ‘world is his Oyster”.

IT was not easy he faced some rejections and over came them along the way; he was not drafted in the Bantam Draft, he was not drafted to the NHL (this also applies to my brother), he was overlooked due to his size by stupid people. He never grew to the projected height of 6 0 because he broke his back playing hockey when he was 11 missing 10 weeks of hockey.

Additionally, I failed to properly develop his offensive capabilities as much as I should of, but I have since learned how to do that better. Ryan is not a scoring D man; he is the guy you put out when you do not want to be scored on.

Since I began to train Ryan in 2006, my coaching skills have increased measurably, in his day CH was a hobby for me and now its what I do for a living. I wish I knew then (for Ryan) what I know now. He would have been even better.

Most of the kids I now teach have physical and economic advantages over Ryan.

Most of your kids could be as capable as Ryan!!!!!!

You don’t need to spend a fortune, don’t need special $ 50,000 + year schools, don’t need 4 skills coaches you need to be a tough love Parent and find your Player a great Coach/Mentor so that YOU help to build a TOUGH kid who WANTS IT!

You need to support your player, facilitate your player and lead your player by EXAMPLE. Morales, values and character are KEY. Then add a good, skilled and like-minded Coach who knows and who cares and who is honest with your player and family.

Toughness and discipline begin at home. Soft kids achieve nothing.

While he did play a little spring, we stopped at age 8 and then continued with CH camps and enjoying life as a kid. He did play some Spring tournaments until age 10 because teams begged (literally and they paid for him to play). He did not play 3 on 3, or 4 on 4 as they add very little actual value.

He did play outside, other sports, camped, hiked and enjoyed all aspects of a child’s life. Ryan is a southpaw, and we played allot of baseball.

He played baseball, volleyball, he enjoyed the physicality of lacrosse and flag football. We camped, hiked and exercised when ever we could. This is why CH never skates on long weekends. Kids need to be kids, and they need fresh air and fun ad the love and leadership of their Parents.

They also need discipline, Ryan missed some pool time at tourneys for naps, he missed some digital play time for exercise and being outdoors, Ryan had to do push-ups and sit-ups before digital play time. Yes, there was some whining, but no regrets here!

Everything I did for Ryan, I do for my clients, you get the same advice BETTER training and the same tough love. I am a better coach now!

Of course, very few will go this far but along the way there are a lot of great lessons will be learned, fun to be had, friendships made, and life skills developed by just playing this great game and with some commitment to success on behalf of your Player and you. Please try to remember this.

Congratulations to Ryan, he earned it.

If you would like the same guidance I gave him, feel free to engage me.

In closing, please remember to have fun, love the game, build confidence, work hard, harder than others, focus try, and you never know! Ryan succeeded despite everything he had going against him, and you can too!

Coaches Note: I only coached Ryans team one year in Spring. He always had other coaches and only 1 time did I ever exchange words with a Head Coach when he we WAY out of line.

I stood in my corner, watched and cheered and supported him. Of course, outside of his games and practices we spent allot of time working. Let the Coaches Coach!