Struthers adjusting to OHL
Rookie Ryan Struthers recently scored his first two OHL goals. Photo by: OHL IMAGES
It took Ryan Struthers some time to acclimatize himself to the Ontario Hockey League, but the 17-year-old centre for the Niagara IceDogs recently began to find his groove.
After going the first 11 games of his OHL career without a point, Struthers finally got on the board with an assist in a Nov. 12 home game versus the Barrie Colts. He followed that up with an assist in his next game, then potted his first two OHL goals in back-to-back games versus North Bay and Hamilton.
“I feel like I was a little but snake-bit to start, I was working really hard but it’s been good,” the Milton native said. “I was excited to get that first one and then to follow it up the next night with another one and then to add a few assists.
“You want to get a few points and help contribute to the team. It’s not a huge factor. I’m just trying to go out and work hard and help the team win but it was nice to get those goals.”
Struthers, the younger brother of Matthew Struthers, who fashioned a five-year OHL career split between the Owen Sound Attack and North Bay Battalion, realizes his value to the IceDogs can’t be measured strictly in offensive statistics.
“You have a role and that’s the biggest thing for our team, learning what your role is and play that every single night,” he said. “It’s not necessarily going out and trying to get as many points as you can. It’s about winning as a team and it’s so important at the OHL level.
“It started a little slow for me, numbers-wise, coming into the league, but everyone on the team has been really good to me, and the staff and everyone, has been really welcoming It’s a huge transition to come to the OHL and you’re not the top guy anymore. You’re now a rookie and you have acclimatize to how it is.”
He said following is his brother’s footsteps has made things a bit easier.
“Obviously having a brother in the league helps a lot. He’s been able to teach me a lot so that kind of made the transition a little easier,” he said.
That said, Struthers admitted it was still a bit of an eye-opener when he first stepped on the ice.
“Going into that first exhibition game even you really don’t know what to expect,” said Struthers, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 OHL draft. “The speed of the game and the lack of time you have compared to minor hockey, you have to make decisions a lot quicker and make plays at a faster pace for sure. That’s the main thing that caught my eye.”
IceDogs coach Billy Burke has been happy with Struthers’ progress.
“Ryan is really doing a good job growing and progressing as the season rolls on,” Burke said. “He is hard to play against, plays with a lot of energy and has shown some real good skill as well. He will continue to grow into a player that is reliable in all situations and have the ability to play anywhere in the lineup effectively.”
The IceDogs, who bring up the rear of the overall standings a 5-13-0-1 mark, are coming off a shootout loss to the Barrie Colts Saturday. They host Ottawa (11-9-1-1) Thursday and North Bay (13-7-1-1) Saturday.
“I think we have to come together as a team,” Struthers said. “There have been some times where they was some negative energy in the room but the biggest thing now is staying positive as a team. It’s natural to become a little bit negative when you’re in a slump like this as a team and you keep losing, but the biggest thing is to say positive and be upbeat in the room, pick guys up.
“You want to win for each other.”
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