Troy Ryan taking talents to Olympic level
Former Crushers coach will be behind bench as assistant for Canada’s women’s team
For five years, Troy Ryan was head coach and general manager of the Weeks Jr. A Crushers. He learned a lot during those years of coaching, but the experience went beyond the role of a typical coaching position.
In the Jr. A level there’s generally one paid employee for the entire organization, he said.
“You learn a little bit of everything, you learn to run an entire program from managing the roster to recruiting and drafting. It gives you a good perspective on how to run an entire hockey program.”
As it turns out it’s also great background for someone looking to be on the coaching staff of an Olympic team.
Ryan was named last week as an assistant coach of the Canadian Women’s Ice Hockey team that will be going to South Korea for the Olympics in 2018.
“It is pretty exciting. It’s not something anybody really expects.”
Like coaching at the Jr. A level he said there’s a lot involved in the logistics of getting the team ready and preparing for the Olympics.
“There’s more to this than just going and coaching a hockey
game,” he said.
It’s something he’s been building toward in the time since he’s left the Crushers as well. Right now he is the Atlantic Canada female coach mentor with the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic.
During the 2016-17 season, he led Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team and was also an
assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team. He served as head coach of Team Atlantic at the 2015 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, and has also been behind the bench at the Canada Winter Games (men’s and women’s hockey), World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, World Junior A Challenge, and RBC Cup.
He said it’s a bit different to coach a team like this because you only have the chance to work with the players at select times during the year. He said they have an experienced group though with a good mix of older and younger players.
He is confident with the players selected as finalists for the team, they’ll have a good chance of winning a medal.
He said he’s known Blayre Turnbull, the Stellarton player whose been chosen among 28 vying for a spot on the 23-person roster, for a while.
“She has a well rounded game,” he said.
She’s relied on heavily in defensive aspects of the game including penalty kill, but is all around a structurally sound player and he believes she’ll be able to show her offensive talent as well, he said.
“She’s a strong player with a great shot and plays the game with structure.”