| Ryan Sanborn | Hill School | NE Prep | L | G | 6’2″ | 190 | RPI | 2024 | Brookfield, CT | 2005 | 2022-2023: C |
NE Prep: William W. Barber Jr Memorial Tournament, December 29, 2022: A reliable and calm goalie. Sanborn made key saves early in the game against St. Mark’s and recovered well against a couple of early goals he let in in the championship against Canterbury. He squeezes pucks that are in the mid-section and makes some saves look effortless. A key backbone for the Hill School he should give them a chance to win in each game they play. Grade: A-
2005s: New England District Camp, April 21, 2022: Sanborn is a big netminder for the Hill School who played solid in net for Team Red here at the Select Camp. As he has done historically he stayed square to shooters and did not overcommit on shot adjustments. He remained calm, cool and collected in each game we saw; which almost had us questioning whether or not he had a pulse at times during these games. It didn’t matter if he was facing an odd-man rush or a breakaway: he still remained the same and worked to take away as much as he could without biting too early on shots. He ended up being selected for the All-Star Game here and switched minutes back and forth for the Gray team and had a few quality saves in the minutes that he did play. Ultimately was not selected for upstate New York, but the RPI commits did show well here. Grade: B-
U16: NY Tier 1 State Tournament, April 13, 2022: Sanborn started out a bit shaky in the 1st game of tourney against Jr. Sabs as gave up 2 PP goals in the 1st period. The 1st goal against was a well-placed shot over blocker and the 2nd goal was a point shot that dribbled in although he looked to be screened. Sanborn then settled in and for the last 2 periods and played game not allowing anymore goals. In the Sunday championship game vs. LI Gulls Sanborn was he bombarded with shots especially in the 1stand 2nd periods. At times in the early going he lost his stick a few times during the play. He was beaten twice in the 1stperiod on 1-timers from circle both by left-handed shooters. Again, after settling down he made the routine saves, limited rebounds, and kept his team in the game for a chance to mount 2-goal comeback. B
Alliance Cup Championship Game: The Hill School vs Ridley, February 22, 2022: Sanborn was arguably the most polished player on the ice. We loved his confidence as he played at the top of the crease challenging the Ridley shooters to beat him with a perfect shot. He also showed high level game awareness and anticipation by reading passing options early in the play. By recognizing angles and pace he understood who was the more dangerous shooter as well as who was a one timer possibility. On dump-ins he positioned the puck so his defensemen could handle the puck on their forehands or wheel the net at full speed. On net front scrambles we liked his high compete and never give in attitude. There were times when we thought he was simply the hardest working player on the ice. The RPI commit has a bright future.
NE Prep: William W. Barber Jr Memorial Tournament, December 23, 2021: Sanborn faced a heavy amount of shots in the championship against St. Mark’s. He had to stand on his head for a stretch in the third when St. Mark’s upped the pressure big time on The Hill School. He kept them in the game and made critical saves when he was needed most. He has excellent mechanics and plays with his size. Another solid performance for the RPI commit. Grade: A-
U18: The Hill School vs Dexter. November 25, 2021: The 6’2″ athletic goaltender comes to The Hill School after having a very highly touted youth career that almost ended with him being with the 2005 United States NTDP and it is easy to see why. He was very composed while under pressure and was not fazed when Dexter’s forwards accidentally ran into him. There were stretches when Dexter was all over Hill, but when it came right down to it Sanborn was the player who was in total control. His hands were very quick and pucks styed in his glove so there were limited rebounds. While Dexter was cycling below the goal line we loved his awareness to look over his shoulders seeing if the opponent was on his forehand or backhand while also having the brains to see if the shooter in the slot was a one-time option. Sanborn had a great stick and a sneaky poke check that resulted in bobbled pucks and turnovers. We did not see him leave the net to make any quick up passes, but we did notice a steady stream of pucks that were left so his defensemen could start transition. Sanborn composure under pressure is an invaluable trait to have as a young goaltender.
2005s: USA Hockey Select 16s, August 12, 2021: Sanborn came to camp after a dominant season at the U15 level with Mid Fairfield which earned him a spot on the NTDP Evaluation Camp roster and nearly made the team. He got off to a tough start here allowing 4 goals on 12 shots to open camp but went on an impressive run after that allowing just 3 goals over the next three games and kicking out 43 shots. He’s 6’2”, athletic, mobile and composed. He doesn’t get rattled when under pressure, he tracks pucks through a crowd and is smooth side to side. He has excellent body control and makes difficult saves look easy. His game against Kelly where he allowed just 1 goal on 19 shots may have been the best performance of any goalie in the camp and showed technical ability, good hands, a calmness and was always square to the shooter cutting down net for the opponent to shoot at. He controlled rebounds, he was poised and confident knowing his positioning and depth at all times and made several point black and stops. One of the premier goalies in the country and backed it up with his play here. Grade: B+
2005s: Triple Crown Showcase, August 21, 2020: Sanborn had a really strong performance this weekend; he is a tall, composed goalie who has calculated movements and excellent rebound control. He tracks the puck well through traffic, he gets square to the shooter and plays beyond the crease to cut down shooting angles. He wasn’t afraid to get out and play the puck, showed a quick glove hand and even quicker post to post slides. He makes difficult saves look easy which is the making of a good goalie, he’s smart and reads the play knowing where to be in the net and proper positioning and his technique is efficient and economical. Grade: A-
2005s: STX 68 Combine, September 3, 2019: Sanborn had a solid showing for himself this showcase. He does everything well and while he didn’t display a lot of “flash”, he was very efficient and effective in net. He has a lot of poise and calm to his game, very workmanlike. He brings a sense of calm to the chaos.
2005s: Mississauga Border Battle, March 29, 2019: Does a nice job of moving side to side and made some pretty flashy saves going post to post. Has a nice glove, but struggles controlling his rebounds to the blocker-side. Good with his rebound control on pucks that are low. Does a good with traffic in front of him and battles to find the pucks. Does not come out of the net to stop pucks which makes us question his skating ability.
2005s: Mid-Fairfield Showcase, January 21, 2019: One viewing of Sanborn this weekend. He was battle tested all night against the Eagles in a 5-4 loss. Extremely athletic, moves side to side very well, and does a good job of controlling his rebounds. Does not come out to play the puck at all which could be a side effect of his skating ability. Made a big time save with less than five minutes left to keep MF in the game. His size and athleticism has him on the list to be a top goalie in the U.S.
2005s: Crimson Elite Series, January 8, 2019: Sanborn is a big body who attacks pucks and has excellent movement in his crease. He does have the benefit of having a strong D-Core in front of him which is obviously a plus. Would like to see how his skating is in terms of coming out to move pucks.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images