1 week Ago
All of the reasons Ryan Greene decided to return to Boston University and wait to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks have worked out for him so far. He wanted to experience being a team co-captain. That’s been rewarding for him.
“I feel like it gives you a different perspective, like the team and how you have to approach the team, obviously a lot more responsibility,” said Greene, a Blackhawks 2022 second-round pick. “It’s something I’ve enjoyed, being someone that kind of gets to lead the way a little bit and help younger guys coming in and doing everything I can to be a good leader to my teammates.” Advertisement He hoped to win the Beanpot, the tournament among four Boston-area NCAA hockey teams, which he hadn’t won in his first two seasons at BU.
Mission accomplished. “It was pretty amazing,” he said. He sought to develop further as a two-way center before taking the next step.
Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo can verify he’s done that. “He looks like a pro — his game overall, his details defensively,” Pandolfo said. “He can skate, coming through the neutral zone with speed, attacking with speed, better at protecting pucks.
Just all the things that go into making you a good pro, he’s really developed in all those areas in the last three years. He’s taken a huge step this year. I like where his game’s at.
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In practice sometimes, just the way he moves and the way he plays the game and has an understanding of the game, he looks like an NHL player.” Greene has gone 3-for-3 in his goals. Now, he aims at his fourth and final goal.
For the third consecutive season, he and Boston University will play in the Frozen Four semifinals, with the Terriers facing Ohio State on Thursday. This time, Greene hopes his run doesn’t end there and that he can help BU to its first national championship since 2009. The Blackhawks wanted to sign the 21-year-old Greene last season, after his sophomore year, just as they did with Frank Nazar.
Greene thought hard about it but ultimately decided to return for the aforementioned reasons. It wasn’t what Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson hoped to hear, but he had to be supportive and patient. Davidson does believe some positives have come from Greene playing one more year of college.
“Going back is a great opportunity for him to be a major go-to guy on that team, both on the ice and then also in the locker room as a captain,” Davidson said. “It’s a great opportunity to grow his whole profile and his whole leadership capability and presence as a go-to guy vocally, as well. That’s something I don’t think we can understate how important that is for a player’s development and confidence.
I’m really glad he got that. Advertisement “He’s had a great year. We’re really proud of the year he’s had and the way he’s leading that new team.
We’ve got high hopes for Ryan, and he’s just a player that we really like and really excited about that added leadership opportunity that he was able to experience this year.” Davidson visited Greene in Boston during the summer and went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park with him. “It was just cool to get out and see the game, kind of just chat with Kyle about anything, nothing specific,” Green said.
“It was really nice of him to do that.” From there, Greene was able to focus on his junior season. As much as he looked forward to being a captain, it was a challenging year to be in that role at BU.
The Terriers were a young team, lost some key players from last season, including Macklin Celebrini, and endured some growing pains this season. At one point this season, the Terriers were an inconsistent 13-9-1. They didn’t begin putting together more wins until the last few months and have gone 10-4-1 since then.
Greene’s leadership was a factor. “I just think it helped him with his overall habits off the ice, on the ice, be comfortable speaking up in front of the team,” Pandolfo said. “He’s not a guy that’s going to be a rah-rah guy.
He’s a guy that when something needs to be said, he’s going to step up and say it. I’ve seen that come out of him a lot. We’ve had our ups and downs this season as a team.
We’re a young team, a really young team. I think that’s helped him a lot to where he’s looked as one of our leaders. I think he understands that, and he got more comfortable as the season went along.
” Aside from the leadership role, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Greene was given a lot of other responsibility this season. “Just knowing this year he was going to play, not that he didn’t before, he was going to be relied on to be the main guy in really every situation,” Pandolfo said. “He’s a first-line center, playing against the other teams’ top lines, one of the first guys over the boards on the penalty kill, being on the first power play, being out there late in games whether we have the lead or we need a goal to tie it late.
All those situations, he was going to be in on a regular basis. I just thought could help his overall game before he’s ready to turn pro.” Advertisement Greene embraced those opportunities, seeing them as a route to being a better all-around player and being more prepared for the NHL.
“There are certain parts of my game you want to continue to grow in and work at,” said Greene, who has 13 goals and 24 assists in 38 games this season. “More so for me, it’s been trying to round out my game defensively and offensively, continuing to be better at both sides of the puck. I think over my three-year period here, I’ve done pretty good job rounding it out.
” And if he can add a national championship to his college career this week, that would solidify everything he hoped to do at Boston University. Either way, he’s expected to sign with the Blackhawks and join them immediately in the NHL this season when his college season ends. But he’s staying focused on his other goal.
“It’s obviously coming to do that soon,” Greene said of his decision to turn pro. “Right now, to be honest, I’m really trying to soak in my (time) here, really make a push for something special here at the end of the year.” (Top photo courtesy of Boston University athletics).
