Ryland Rooney led the way for the Long Island Gulls in their impressive showing at Nationals that brought them all the way to the semi-finals. Their run included wins over #1 seeded Shattuck St-Mary’s and #2 seeded Jr. Mounties where Rooney combined for 7 points in those two games. The vision, deception and hockey IQ was on full display at this event, allowing him to be an offensive force. He showed great patience and footwork to slow plays down along the perimeter, maneuver his way around opponents and dissect defences with his passing ability while also flashing that extra gear, at times, to attack and make plays with pace in transition when needed. His awareness off-the-puck was something that really stood out as well, using a pesky defensive stick to steal pucks from his opponents and quickly kick-start the counter-attack or finding the openings in the defence to make himself a prime scoring option and challenge goaltenders with his quick release. The Des Moines Buccaneers tender is a player who is certain to drive his way up our rankings thanks to his impressive showing at Nationals that also saw him finish second overall points in the 15O group while showcasing his dynamic offensive skill set game-after-game.

An electric puck handling force who brought his best towards the latter end of the camp, Ryland Rooney was dynamic, shifty, and lethal with the puck on his stick when he was playing with speed, creativity, and challenging opponents, letting his instincts take it from there. When pressured and attempting high-end moves he came away with the puck more often than not. He was able to get in tight to a defender, spin off his man, create some separation and attack the middle with good speed and control, getting a great view of the ice to further move the puck and make some plays. At his best making plays and moving the puck, he was an integral piece to long-drawn offensive zone cycles for Team Orange, keeping his feet moving, taking advantage of opponents lacking speed and playing at a standstill, he was truly buzzing and challenging that inner slot with dynamic moves when he was feeling himself. He had a few good scoring opportunities as a result of this up-tempo playstyle and was willing to shoot the puck too. With a quick release, he was deceptive in his shot selection, and thanks to the last-second adaptations he could make due to owning high processing abilities, he could change the angle of his shot in a pinch if need be.

Within upcoming ranking updates, Ryland Rooney likely sees himself climb a few spots on our rankings, as he is one of the most exciting high school players from the state of Minnesota, and continues to grow his offensive toolkit, adding more and more to his attack as the viewings go on. He’s an incredibly shifty puck carrier, who at any moment can spin off a checker, cut-back, scan the ice, and fire off a pass to get away from pressure and set up a teammate. The deception he plays with, mixed with the skill, and that high level of agility makes him tough to contain and even allows himself to slip into the middle of the ice off the half-wall, and walk into dangerous scoring areas to fire shots on goal. His release has improved over the season, watching him generate greater power to his shots, along with being capable of pulling pucks through sticks and screens to get them on net. His playmaking game likely equals if not surpasses his scoring touch, simply due to the nature of how much attention he can pull in, he forces defenders to abandon their assignments, leaving open ice for teammates to swoop into, in which he has the passing ability to sift a perfectly placed, and timed pass over to his man. He reads the game very well, knows how to elevate his teammates and put them in positions to succeed, and this occurs across all 3 zones, the quick thinking, and puck control allows him to make the most of his puck touches, and create plays before opponents can adjust. He’s certainly gotten stronger and more physically resilient as the months have gone on as well. With checkers on his shoulder his balance has improved, and his success from the slot whilst battling for ice and rebounds has also gone up.

I thought it took a few shifts for Rooney to find his groove but once he did, he quickly became of the more dangerous players out on the ice. Regardless how many opponents came at him, he rarely looked to be under duress with the puck instead, he was able used a widened skating stance and smooth stick work to fend off stick checks, maneuver his way around defenders and attack open pockets of space. He opened the scoring in this game, blasting home a shot from in tight off a great feed from Lemoyne but his setup for his team’s second goal of the game was really the highlight of this game as he drifted towards the corner, dragged a puck around a sprawling defender then quickly cut to the inside on the second defender and slid it across the crease to a wide open DeMars. He would end up icing the game with the empty netter to cap off a 3-point performance and lead his team to a semi-final appearance.

Rooney had himself another solid game. He battled every shift and made a huge impact all over the ice. In the neutral zone, he came up with a couple of slick stick checks that disrupted plays and turned into quality odd-man rushes for the Gulls. One of his best moments came on a two-on-one against, where he hustled all the way back and perfectly timed a backcheck to break up the pass. Just a textbook defensive effort. Offensively, he was just as sharp. He made several high-level passes in the offensive zone, showcasing his vision and awareness. He seemed to have a sixth sense out there. He was able to find anyone, anywhere, no matter how tight the window.

Rooney did a majority of his damage in the first period in this game, picking up 3 points in roughly the first 10 minutes. He opened up the scoring for the Gulls on the powerplay when he got himself lost in coverage down low and tapped home a backdoor feed. He scored yet again to make it 3-0 late in the frame when he stole a puck at the DZ blueline while shorthanded, broke in alone and deked the goaltender quite cleanly before depositing it into the yawning cage. Throughout the rest of the game Rooney displayed high level anticipatory habits and skill level, which allowed him to create turnovers by picking off passes along the boards before making quick plays to open teammates for a counterpunch. One of my favorite moments from him came in the third period when he bumped a defender off the puck in the OZ, corralled the loose puck with one hand then flicked a pass to the middle of the ice that lead to a scoring chance.

Rooney may not have racked up the flashy offensive points in this game, but every time he touched the puck, it was clear something good was coming. His work in the defensive zone set the tone early, as he made a couple of excellent backchecks, tracking the late man and breaking up passes that could’ve been dangerous. His ability to read the play and disrupt the opposition was critical in keeping the Eagles at bay. Offensively, he was just as impactful if not more impactful. His feet never stopped moving, constantly creating space and options for his teammates. His vision was exceptional, and he was always looking for the right pass. A couple of his assists came from beautiful cross-ice passes that stretched the Eagles' defense and opened up passing lanes. His ability to move the puck efficiently and find teammates in prime scoring areas played a huge role in setting up his team’s offense, even if his contributions didn’t necessarily show up on the score sheet.

Ryland Rooney’s opening showing on Day 1 of USA Hockey Nationals will be tough to beat by any other 2009-born player. Scoring 3 goals and 1 assist, being heavily involved in all aspects of the game, Rooney willed his team to victory in this one. In the first period he was stringing together some quick give-and-go plays with his linemates, building speed and attacking the line with a good degree of deception and power, giving him a bit of room to snap shots on goal. Scoreless through the first, he came out hot in the second period. Zipping to the far-post on a quick rush chance, he got a stick on a pass and tied things up 1-1. Moments later, he tallied his lone assist as he gained the line with some excellent speed and power, pulling up just inside the blueline as he forced defenders on their heels – executing a drop pass resulting in a shot on goal leading to a rebound chance that found its way into the net, giving the Gulls a 2-1 lead. Throughout the game he was able to consistently power his way around opponents with some dynamic hands, forcing defenders stagnant, giving him room to the outside to work with. The eventual game winning goal came off the rush, finding some time and space alone on the left-wing, he caught a pass in stride and made a steep move to the middle of the ice upon gaining the line and intelligently fired a shot 5-hole, between both collapsed defenders. The perfect placement and choice to go 5-hole really highlights the deceptive nature and hockey IQ he possesses. When it was time to shut the game down Rooney was heavily involved in his own end. Using good strength and a disciplined stick to interrupt plays and take away ice. He was rewarded for his detailed and effortful defensive play with the empty net goal to cap things off 4-2 for the Long Island Gulls. A strong performance for the recent Des Moines Buccaneers tender.

As the game went on, I became more and more impressed with Ryland Rooney, this game was perhaps the best I had ever seen him play to this point. From the beginning of the game, he was moving extremely well, both on-and-off the puck. Getting things going with crafty defensive plays, stripping opposition of pucks, jumping into lanes with speed; he supported his teammates well and was noticeable in his own end. One of his more notable plays came via a strong defensive stick check, only to then quickly turn back up ice and start a 2-on-1 chance. Pulling away with some quick crossovers, the power and footspeed shown was enough to help him create space throughout the game. He tallied an assist on Brock Burch’s goal, pulling a puck off the half-wall on the left side and centering it to the slot, it was a nice read to quickly fire off a pass in front. His most effective asset during the game was his ability to protect the puck, for a lighter player, he did a great job initiating contact, working with checkers on his shoulder, staying strong on his feet, and weaving through crowds to challenge those dangerous areas of the ice. Slipping off passes as he navigated the offensive zone allowed him to get his entire team involved in these moments of possession, creating pockets of space as a result, drawing in checkers, connecting on a short pass, curling back into space, and retrieving the puck. To cap off his strong game, he scored the third goal for Team Orange, wiring a nice catch-and-release shot on the net from his strong-side on the powerplay.