Ryland Rooney’s summer looks a little different from most 16-year-olds in Minnesota. While many spend their time at the lake or relaxing at the cabin, the 6-foot-2, 181-pound forward has stayed focused on training. He has been skating, lifting, and working on all parts of his game.
That effort has opened a rare opportunity. Rooney will represent Team USA at the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament next month after a strong performance at the USA Hockey Boys National 16 Player Development Camp.
"It's a dream come true,” Rooney told PuckPreps. “I'm proud and honored to wear the red, white, and blue, and I couldn't be blessed in any more ways. I'm super excited to get it on and win a gold medal.”
Rooney earned that chance after a breakout year that followed a slower freshman season at Gentry Academy. He wanted to take his game to the next level and made training a bigger priority, both on and off the ice. He built strength, worked on his speed, and gained confidence with the puck through a consistent routine.
The young forward also created a shooting area in his basement. It has targets and tight angles that force him to be accurate. Each day, he takes dozens of shots, focusing on quick releases and top-corner finishes. That simple setup became a big part of his daily work.
"I have this wall in my basement that almost blocks half the thing, so it really makes me bring it in and get that top right corner, which I love, honestly," Rooney said.
In his second season with Gentry, Rooney became the leading offensive player. He finished with 33 goals and 36 assists in 26 games. His 69 points were a big jump from the year before and ranked first on his team.
“I really worked on my skating, and that's where I think I grew the most, just becoming faster and more explosive and just being able to beat guys wide and not around them,” he said.
His development gave him the chance to take on a new challenge. For the first time, he played center. It came with more responsibility, but he adjusted quickly. He took faceoffs, helped in the defensive zone, and moved the puck with confidence.
“I kind of fell in love with it,” Rooney said of the transition to center.
Rooney also played for the Long Island Gulls 15U team during the 2024–25 season. He split time between the Gulls and Gentry, which helped him grow by playing in different environments. With the Gulls, he scored 15 goals and added 11 assists in 18 games. He returned for the postseason and had seven goals and 14 points in five games during a strong run at Nationals.
His performance earned him an invite to the Select 16s national camp. There, he finished with one goal and four assists in five games. Even though he didn’t score as much as he hoped, he made sure to do the things that didn't make the score sheet. He worked hard to stay in good position, helped on defense, and moved the puck well.
Those efforts stood out to the coaches. His ability to help his team in different ways helped him earn a spot on the Four Nations roster.
Rooney takes pride in the parts of his game that don’t always get attention. He values his work ethic and how he plays in the defensive zone. These things make a difference and reflect how he sees the game.
To keep improving, he watches NHL players like Matthew Tkachuk. He studies how Tkachuk mixes skill with physical play and looks for ways he finds space and scores in tight areas.
That complete style of play got the attention of the Des Moines Buccaneers, who invited him to spend a week with them during the season. He got to skate with the team and experience the league firsthand. It was everything he hoped for.
“The players were all really nice to me, bringing me in like I was one of their own,” he said.
After several practices and good talks with the coaches, Rooney accepted a tender offer from Des Moines. He will join the team for the 2025–26 season once Four Nations wraps up.
At the Buccaneers' main camp, he met more of his future teammates. He watched forward Nathan Hauad closely and expects him to have a big impact. Playing with players like Hauad has only made him more excited for the season ahead.
As he gets ready for both the Four Nations and the USHL, Rooney is focused on the details. He has been working on reading plays through the neutral zone and retrieving pucks along the boards. These skills will be important whether he plays center or wing.
“I just want to make sure I'm ready,” Rooney said. “Because if you're on the wall, it's not an easy job. You've got to keep checking your shoulders and picking pucks off the wall and stuff like that. So I've been working on rims a lot and just picking up pucks off the wall, and, center-wise, routes and everything.”
He is also getting ready mentally for the jump. The 62-game USHL regular season will test him in many ways, but he feels prepared. He knows there will be pressure, especially as a high-profile tender, but he welcomes it.
“I hope to prove that Des Moines didn't make a mistake tendering me,” he said. “The USHL is a very mentally and physically tough league and helps you get to the next level, and I just want to have a really good year points-wise and physicality-wise.”