Prospect Tverberg wants to be ‘ready now and later’
Ryan Tverberg was sitting in his Richmond Hill home the night of Oct. 7, 2020, hoping that somehow his name would be called at the pandemic-delayed NHL draft.
The five-foot-11 centre was college-bound but he wasn’t on the radar of many NHL scouts, despite 26 goals in 47 games for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
“I was hoping. I can’t say I was expecting to be drafted,” says Tverberg (pronounced TOR-berg). “I knew Toronto was interested, maybe a few more teams, but I thought Toronto would be the one. Time passed. Faith dwindled. Then, at end, there I was.”
With the 213th pick of a 217-player draft, the Maple Leafs chose Tverberg. Three years later, Tverberg has signed an entry level contract that kicks in next season with the Leafs.
“This is Toronto, the biggest market. Can’t beat it,” Tverberg says.
COVID interrupted his final year of junior hockey and limited his first season at the University of Connecticut to 14 games. But he would eventually emerge as a scoring force. He had 32 points in 36 games as a sophomore, netting him an invitation to Canada’s world junior camp, and 30 points in 35 games as a junior, including a teamleading 15 goals)
The highlight was playing Northeastern at “Frozen Fenway” as part of the NHL’s outdoor game events, even though it was a 4-1 loss.
“That was awesome, an outdoor game, it was fun, it was Fenway, it was real cool,” Tverberg says. “Something I’ve never done before. Something I was grateful to do. The whole season was a journey.”
He could have gone back for one more year of college, but the Leafs came calling.
“I was considering going back, but Toronto wanted me now. It’s a chance to work with them year round and try to develop in that way. It’s a step up. I’m trying something new.”
The Leafs have a fairly good track record when it comes to developing late-round draft picks. Part of that is the kind of player they look for — players with high hockey IQ — part of it is the resources they can throw at developing young players, and part of it is simply organizational patience. Pontus Holmberg was a sixth-rounder in 2018 who projects to have a long NHL career. The recently traded Pierre Engvall was a seventh-rounder in 2014. Ditto Andreas Johnsson in 2013.
“I’ve got to work on my own things, work on my habits, work on what I need to do to be the best player, so I’m ready now and later,” Tverberg says.
The now part is with the Marlies. He’s on a professional tryout and should be part of a team that has a good shot at a Calder Cup.
“He definitely has skill and brains,” Marlies coach Greg Moore says. “He can make plays. He supports off the puck really well. He uses time and space to his advantage. In his first game, it was limited ice time, but once he gets more comfortable and plays with more pace, he can have an impact on our group.”
In town less than week, Tverberg has already noticed a big difference from the college ranks.
“There’s a lot of different things, the guys have a lot more experience. There’s a lot to learn from them in what they’ve done well. I’ve got to learn from them to find ways to make myself successful.”