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High-scoring Londoner sets new heights with Alberta hockey powerhouse
The first time the Brooks Bandits travel to a road game in Canmore, Alta., each hockey season, that initial view of the Rocky Mountains is a jaw-dropping moment for the newcomers.
The first time the Brooks Bandits travel to a road game in Canmore, Alta., each hockey season, that initial view of the Rocky Mountains is a jaw-dropping moment for the newcomers.
"It feels like everyone on the bus gets up and is taking pictures," 20-year-old Londoner Ryan McAllister said. "We have a lot of guys on the team from Ontario and you don't see that stuff every day."
The same goes for McAllister's stat line. You have to look way up to marvel at its grandeur.
The local product scored 57 goals and recorded a national-best 139 points in 60 games for the No. 1 ranked team in the Canadian Junior Hockey League. He became the first player to top 130 points in the Alberta Junior Hockey League since former NHLer Mike Comrie (138) in 1997-98 and was named the loop's regular-season MVP on Monday.
The Western Michigan University commit would have established the Junior 'A' franchise record for goals, except linemate T.J. Hughes of Hamilton beat him with 66 tallies.
"Every time I pass the puck to him, he puts it in," McAllister said. "I wouldn't say I had any idea I would get that many points, but I think my target was just to have a better season than last year and hope to be a point-per-game player. I ended up being two points per game and a little more."
This is the Catholic Central grad's third year with Brooks. He took a winding path to get there.
In minor hockey, McAllister was a top contributor on the 2001-born Junior Knights AAA squad. That roster eventually produced a long list of junior talent, including OHL first overall pick Ryan Suzuki.
But McAllister, a diminutive player, ended up getting cut when body checking was introduced. He played a year with Elgin-Middlesex, returned to captain a 'AA' Junior Knights team, was picked by the Sudbury Wolves in the second round of the OHL's under-18 draft and split the 2018-19 Junior B season between the Nationals and Komoka Kings.
"Once junior hockey hit, I had a big growth spurt," the five-foot-10, 183-pounder said. "It's funny to see how it ended up working out for me. I'd say getting cut lit a fire in me. Every kid thinks it's the end of the world, but if it happens, you shouldn't stop and keep pursuing your dream. It'll end up working out."
McAllister was in Komoka when he was recruited by the BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings. After a half-season, he requested a trade and Brooks waded in with a strong offer.
The pandemic cut short the Bandits' bid for a Centennial Cup national championship run the previous two seasons, so the 52-6-1-1 powerhouse plans to make up for lost time.
They received a first-round bye and are awaiting their playoff opponent.
"Every year, this team has been great," McAllister said. "They find a way to win consistently and I like being part of that winning culture. It's a big change coming to Brooks, a small town, from a bigger city like London. You walk into Subway and Tim Hortons and people will come up to you and say hi. The community support for the team is surreal. There's a lot of pressure here, but we all love it."
McAllister isn't the only Londoner in Brooks. Brendan Mairs and goalie Max Beckford are on board, too.
The leading man chalks up his recent rise to a productive summer on the ice at London Sports Park with his father Brian, an assistant coach in Lucan, hitting the gym with trainer Bo Parsons of Bofit and skill development with former Nationals head coach Colin Martin.
"I put a lot of work into it with my dad in small group sessions," he said. "Through COVID, it was hard to find ice sometimes and there were only five or 10 allowed at certain times. But I like being out there with my dad. I'm always working hard. He pushes me and we'll talk together about what drills we want to do that day."
He wasn't able to make an on-campus visit to Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich., the past two years because of the pandemic restrictions, but he's excited to start in the NCAA ranks this fall. The Broncos, which include local talent Drew Worrad of Birr and Ty Glover, are one of the better teams in college hockey this season.
McAllister will attend Vegas Golden Knights development camp in July and hopes to arrive at school with a lot of momentum.
"I'm excited and happy about that," he said, "but first, I want to play into May with Brooks. I haven't got to play playoff hockey in two years and want to prove (success) wasn't just a regular season thing. We're definitely all-in and it's a championship or nothing for us."
It's been a stunning climb and no better way to finish than on top of the hockey mountain.
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Source: https://lfpress.com/sports/hockey/high-scoring-londoner-setting-new-heights-with-alberta-junior-powerhouse