| Ryan Kirwan | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | L | F | 6’2″ | 194 | Penn State | 2021 | DeWitt, NY | 2002 | 2020-2021: Free Agent |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, March 2021: When Ryan was younger his skill and release were always obvious to me, but I wondered if he was going to like getting to the dirty areas enough to take advantage of his full skill set. I’m not wondering that anymore. He consistently heads to the paint to initiate contact and he looks happy to do it. I like his mindset and I feel we’re looking at a player who understands that he can have a positive impact on every shift.
USHL: Dubuque vs Green Bay, March 24, 2021: Kirwan is a bigger, competitive forward who was productive in this game, registering a goal and an assist on four shots. Kirwan’s goal came as a result of his hard work and persistence around the net front. On the play he drove in hard over the blueline, ripped a wrist shot from the top of the circles, and beat the defenders to the rebound before tucking it under the crossbar. Throughout the night he showed a willingness to get the puck to the net and look for second chance opportunities. The Penn State commit was also effective in puck battles, getting low and staying strong on his stick to come out with the puck the majority of the time. Kirwan has good net front instincts and used his frame to create traffic in front and compete for loose pucks. Overall, he is a hard working, physical forward who created chances by getting pucks to the net and looking for second chances. Grade: A-
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, February 2021: I like how Ryan’s game has matured. He still shows the ability to find the quiet areas during the cycle or on a line rush, but he’s really starting understand that his future is as a power forward. His game is really starting to show grit and grime. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a punishing hitter, but I do think he’s showing more consistency while battling for his ice. He’s an interesting long term player for me because he can score. He’s scored goals at every level and that is really something that is difficult to teach. I love his release. He changes angles or his release point seamlessly and he can rip it where he wants it.
USHL: Chicago Steel vs Green Bay Gamblers, February 10, 2021: Kirwan played a hard game, scoring a goal and registering five shots in the contest. He finished his checks and battled hard for pucks. On the goal, he scored he fired a hard one-time slap shot from the high slot that was blown by the goaltender. He showed good offensive instincts and was most effective by creating hard offence and playing a very straight-ahead game. The Penn State commit played physically which helped him create loose pucks on the forecheck and in the offensive zone. Overall, Kirwan played aggressively and looked to push back when most of his team folded. Grade: B+
Ryan Kirwan Scouting Report, September 2020: Updated comments in Bold (Ian Moran): (1) Brain – Ryan is a smart player who was able to physically dominate his competition last year…. and that led to some bad habits. We feel these will be coached out of him and his hockey IQ is not a concern. We still feel Ryan has a good hockey mind. He has the ability to find the soft areas in the offensive zone and make himself a scoring threat on just about every possession. We’ve also noticed that Ryan has a knack for rolling off of contact during an offensive scrum and pinning his opponent to the wall. Basically, as an offensive player he can generate net side positioning off of a scrum. We were wondering if it was an accident so we started to watch more closely and it is definitely something he has worked on. It is a great skill to have. (2) Vision & Poise – He sees the ice well and does not panic under pressure. He plays with his head up and can find passing or shooting lanes easily. After a slow start to the season Ryan started to play with more confidence, which led directly to him utilizing his vision. He’s always been an offensive catalyst and we feel that will continue at Penn St. and beyond. (3) Feet – An inside edged skater who we feel will get quicker as he matures. This is still area that Ryan will focus on as he develops. He is big and powerful, but adding explosiveness over the next few years will make him more deadly in transition and more reliable in defensive zone coverage. (4) Compete & Effort – There is little doubt that Ryan had to learn how to compete against older stronger players after dominating midget hockey, and he did. As the year went on, we feel his compete level in all three zones improved and was much more consistent. He earned the trust of Madison’s coaching staff and it showed. (5) Contact or Physicality – Ryan is more physical with the puck than without it. He does not shy away from body contact. He prefers to take angles that eliminate his opponent’s options so he can win stick battles for possession. We still feel like this is true. He is not a traditional power forward who bangs his way around. He takes smart angles preferring to separate the opposition’s hands from the puck and then roll off of the contact into transition. However, Ryan can protect the puck for days. He uses his lower half to maintain separation while finding open teammates or shooting lanes. (6) Release – NHL shot right now. Ryan has an absolute missile. He uses screens to his advantage and can put the puck where he wants it. (7) One Timer Ability – Again, bullet. Ryan’s shot is an asset. He has an expanded shooting zone and gets good wood on everything. Even his misfires are hard. (8) Body Language – We think Ryan went into the season with a nonchalant demeanor that almost looked like he did care. That is not the case any more. He competes whistle to whistle and digs for second or third opportunities. He seems much more detail oriented and ultimately more focused and competitive. (9) Special Teams Potential – Has the size to be a net front presence and the skill set to be effective on the goal line or mid-wall. His hands are soft and he has the ability to use physical force or soft touch. Same. He has the physical tools to be a power play monster. (10) Intangibles – Ryan will hear his name called in Montreal, but how quickly he eliminates his bad habits will dictate if he’s an early day 2 selection or not. So here it is. We felt Ryan was a sure fire NHL pick heading into the season. Well, he wasn’t in our February rankings and he’s not on Central Scouting’s year end rankings, but guess what? He’s going on our year end rankings as a ‘C+’ because he’s figured out how to compete and he’s gotten good at it. And lets not forget that he can score. He knows how to score and he can score in a variety of ways. He can score on the rush, off of brutal passes and we feel Ryan has learned how to score ugly ones. The Madison Capitols scored 122 total goals this season in 50 games and he had 25 of them. Think about that. He scored every other night, in the tight checking USHL, going up against the other team’s best defenders who in most cases were a few years older than him and he scored every other night. That’s pretty hard to do in any league and for us, it shows that he learned how to compete.
USHL: Madison Capitals (12/31/19), January 2020: Ryan got better as the game went on. He finished the night with a goal and 4 shots on net, but we were watching to see how he would respond after a defensive zone blunder lead to a goal. Well, Ryan responded 51 seconds later with a goal of his own. We loved seeing it. He could have responded by hanging his head, but he did not. Off of an offensive zone face-off Ryan showed situational awareness and put the puck in the net. Ryan has a chance to move himself much higher on NHL Team’s draft boards with a strong second half.
USHL: Madison Capitals NHL Prospects (12/6/19), December 2019: Ryan played down the middle and had a strong presence with a thick frame. He played a lot in all different situations and showed he could be held accountable for a young player. His skating was strong and he was tough to get off the puck. He didn’t play at a high pace but did move the puck quickly. Showed he can make a skill play by threading one to Bantle on a two on one while shorthanded. His game offensively was aggressive as he put the puck to the net ending with 5 shots on goal. The puck jumped off his stick and he showed the ability to release it quickly. He played a pretty mature game tonight down the middle but just wasn’t able to get on the score sheet. GAME GRADE: B-
U16 USA Hockey Nationals, May 2019: Kirwan looked as good here as we have seen him in quite awhile. He’s got great size and strength and can play with power and finesse. He’s strong, he fights through checks, he can win 50/50 scrums and has an elite shot. He can score from anywhere in the offensive zone and has tremendous power on his shot despite a quick release and little to no windup. He scored arguably the nicest goal we saw all tournament on a rush that he sniped top corner in stride before the goalie even saw it come off the blade. He has smooth hands, protects the puck well in the tough areas and can get off checks and will his way to the net front with possession. He has gotten stronger but doesn’t look quite as fast so he’ll need to continue to work on his straight line speed to maximize his potential at the next level but we liked how he was hungry, engaged and played a more complete, mature game. He has struggled with consistency in the past but he was moving his feet, he was competing away from the puck and was playing physical. A skilled, pure goal scoring power forward with a high ceiling who finished the tournament with 4 goals.
NHL Midget Youth Cup, February 2019: Kirwan was a force all weekend. He plays a heavy, positional game up and down the ice. He has a strong lower half and it is difficult to knock him off the puck. He plays physical and gets in on the forecheck by taking good angles. Good first step off the wall and attacks the net with conviction. He is still working on his agility and ability to make defenders miss in space. He is effective along the walls and plays a strong cycle game. Heavy shot with a quick release that he uses in-stride. He is mature for his age and takes calculated chances with the puck. College: Penn State Grade: B+
T1EHL U16 Showcase Michigan, December 2018: Kirwin is a very high-end talent and maybe the best player on the ice. He has all of the tools; size, skill, speed, intelligence. His skill level is phenomenal, and his intelligence and awareness allow the skill to be maximized. He sees the ice so well and has so much poise and calm to his game. He plays a very mature, polished game and can seemingly do anything with the puck that he wants at any given time. Grade: A+
U16: USHL Fall Classic , October 2018: A great addition for an already strong Little Caesars team who is looking to win a championship this season. Ryan is thick and strong which gave defenders fits. He skates well and showed a dynamic stick in one on one situation. He broke down defenders in tight spaces and came out with great scoring chances. Smooth hands and can snap the puck off after creating his own shot. Look for him to have a big offensive year with his new squad. College: Penn State
USA Hockey Select 16 National Development Camp, July 2018: Ryan was one of the biggest and strongest players in New York. He has soft hands and a hard shot. He had a tough time putting together consistent shifts and often started games well only to tail off some as they went on. He showed he can make hard passes with accuracy anywhere on the ice and also showed a willingness to go to the net. Tough to handle along the wall and his size coupled with his hands are impressive. He will have to keep working on his skating, especially his first step to make another eap in his development. His stride is solid and that should be a part of his game that will come along. Really high upside. Picked up 1 goal and one assists here. College: Penn State
NTDP Evaluation Camp Report, March 2018: Kirwan was one of the top names in the country last summer after a strong showing at the USA Hockey Select 15’s and World Selects Tournament but he was inconsistent this season making the jump to prep hockey from bantams and was in and out here. He has excellent size, he has a powerful stride and a heavy shot. With that being said, he rarely found his top gear here, he had only a few shots over the five games and didn’t use his size or strength to his advantage. Kirwan is best when his feet are moving and he’s playing aggressive as he possess rare skating ability and size/skill/power combinations that set him apart from other prospects his age. We felt going into camp his NHL upside made him an excellent prospect for this team but he didn’t make the most of his opportunity and was invisible for many of the scrimmages. With that being said, a lot of this team is about where they’ll be in two years and despite his average showing in camp, he has as much upside as any of the forwards here. College: Penn State
Prep Report Two, February 2018: Kirwan is a young prospect who didn’t get a ton of opportunities in the game we saw but shows flashes of a blue chip prospect. We have seen him against his age group, where he is one of top prospects in the country, but against the older players where the pace is a faster and the plays need to be more precise, he took a little while to adjust. He has the frame, the skating ability, the hands and shot but was learning how to play against older, stronger, faster competition. He’s likely to make the NTDP squad, but if he returns to Avon we predict he’ll play a much bigger role in the offense. College: Penn State
Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic, December 2017: Ryan played a direct game with size and a smart stick. Even as a 2002, his game translated against older players. He found pucks, put them on goal and worked to get to tough areas. His shot is heavy and he hid his release well. He was not dominant offensively but effective in spurts. Where his game showed up was in his effort, specifically defensively. He worked hard to get back to his end. Stick placement was good to defend and he worked to his point, blocking shots and disrupting shooting lanes. His approach was smart and he never forced anything but rather did his job. The 2002 has upside at the highest level. College: Penn St.
U14 USA Tier 1 Nationals, April 2017: Ryan is strong, direct, smart and skilled. He dominated for long stretches here. He has good hands and we really liked how he passed the puck. His line with Tuch and Novak was methodical, direct, smart and relentless. He was the player that most embodied all those traits. He scored a great goal on a breakaway where he went to his backhand and roofed the puck under the bar. It showed separation speed, poise and skill. He was impressive. He finished with a 4G 4A-8PTS.
The Cup North American Championship (U14), January 2017: Plays on their top line and had to be over 95% from the faceoff dots. I only seen this kid lose one draw all weekend! Has great size and uses it well. Showed a ton of talent and potential. He was all over the puck and played from a position of strength. He is lanky with lots of room to fill in and grow. He has elite hockey sense and an excellent skill set. He dominated many parts of the game and showed an improved fore-check where he patrolled the neutral zone with a heavy hand. He has no problems producing chances and putting points on the board. He is a great prospect who can go anywhere he wants in a couple years.