At one point defenseman Ryan Ufko was taking 20 credit hours at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to stay on track with his lifelong goal of playing professional hockey.
“My teachers were great with me taking that many hours,” Ufko said with a big smile.
Now he’s trying to make a lasting impression in front of the Nashville Predators staff. Ufko made his pro debut in April playing with the Milwaukee Admirals. He dressed in nine games then 15 in the AHL playoffs.
“It was a busy year, it went by pretty fast looking back at it now,” Ufko said. “Playing at school the last three years was a blast. I went out to Milwaukee & it was really good for me to get my foot in the door at the end of the year being introduced to pro hockey.”
Ufko played under head coach Greg Carvel at UMass who used to be an NHL assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks & Ottawa Senators from 2003-2011. Carvel was a very defensive-minded coach while Ufko was there & that attention to detail has been huge for the young D-man.
“That was really helpful for me making the transition to pro hockey,” Ufko said. “For me being a smaller guy just trying to think ahead & use my IQ to help me out to be in better spots.”
As Ufko grew up playing the game he attributes habits coaches instilled in him along the way to help him get accustomed to what it would be like one day to reach his dream.
“I was able to play youth hockey from 10-15. Ryan Haggerty, he was one of the captains at Boston College for four years & he had a lot of knowledge,” Ufko said. “Also Martin St. Louis who is a Hall of Famer & coach right now.
“Being at a young age & being able to watch video or listen to those guys it’s every kid’s dream to be a sponge & just sit there & retain it all.”
Ufko said he & his brother Justin would constantly have hockey on in their house growing up watching NHL Network. All of it was part of his recipe to love the game & soak up anything he learned.
In his first preseason game with the Predators this season Ufko played with Jeremy Lauzon in the back half of a doubleheader against the Florida Panthers.
“He was asking me questions seeing if I needed anything & he said he kills plays quickly & is very aggressive,” Ufko said.
Lauzon told Ufko to not be afraid of making a mistake & to be aggressive himself since the two would have each other’s back.
As Ufko goes into his first full season he’s excited to soak in the environment & system as a whole after getting a taste of it earlier this spring.
Tanner Molendyk moving the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the NHL Rookie Showcase.
“I’m excited to play a lot more games. Coming from school we only played 30-35 games each year meanwhile this year it could be 70 games & up,” Ufko said. “At the same time, I have to prepare myself since it’ll be a lot but it’ll be a lot of fun.”
The Predators had Ufko in Group B on Tuesday with Tanner Molendyk as part of the practice as well. In the second practice, Nashville had 24 AHL players on the ice while Group A consisted of the Predators’ main skaters.
Molendyk was on the bubble to make the team last season & was sent back to the WHL to play for the Saskatoon Blades. Since he’s 19 years old, due to the CHL rules, Molendyk will have to return yet again if Nashville doesn’t keep him on the roster.
His agent Scott Norton said he looked into Molendyk being exempt from going back to the Blades since he’s played the last four years there.
Molendyk skated in 17 games during the 2020-21 campaign due to it being delayed. Since he dressed during that shortened season one could make sense that since he’s played four seasons in the WHL he can go play in Milwaukee.
If Nashville opts to send Molendyk down he will end up back with Saskatoon since nothing has changed with the rule or been said differently.
Defenseman Spencer Stastney has not been present at camp yet due to personal reasons. It’ll be a situation to monitor with the Predators organization preparing to potentially start the season without him.
As a spot on the blue lines remains open it’s fair game for skaters like Marc Del Gaizo, Molendyk, & Ufko.
Del Gaizo skated with the first group today which may bode well as training camp continues this week.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photo courtesy of the Nashville Predators
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