THE THREE RYANS: ADDING TO THE LEGEND OF THE LITTLE KINGS
Entry posted by Salmon Kings Booster Club
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The most common first name of those players who have played for the Victoria Salmon Kings is one whose meaning from the Gaelic is "little king." That name is Ryan and seven "little kings" have worn Salmon Kings colours. Ryan Finnerty, Ryan McLeod, Ryan Wade and Ryan Watson played in the early era of the franchise. Current assistant coach Ryan Wade scored the first ever Salmon Kings home goal on the afternoon of Sunday, December 5, 2004 at the Bear Mountain arena in his home town of Colwood. A trio of "little kings" came to this fall's training camp, one Canadian and two Americans. RYAN MacMURCHY....from Regina he played for Vernon in BC then parlayed a 2001/02 32 goal season with the SJHL'S Notre Dame Hounds into a U of Wisconsin Badgers hockey scholarship. That summer he was selected in the 9th round of the NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. Over four Wisconsin seasons MacMurchy scored 111 pts (65 goals) plus 342 PIMs in 164 games. On Feb 11, 2006 the Badgers played Ohio State at the Frozen Tundra Classic held outdoors in Green Bay's legendary Lambeau Field. That spring Wisconsin won the NCAA Frozen Four as the host team. The next fall he turned pro splitting time with the ECHL Alaska Aces and the AHL Peoria Rivermen. Two following season with the ECHL Stockton Thunder led to a season with the AHL Springfield Falcons. In the recent offseason, the Salmon Kings recruited Ryan MacMurchy. Currently (as of Dec 2) he has 7 goals in 18 games. Ryan MacMurchy is a player who plays hard on the ice and off the ice is an excellent ambassador. RYAN DINGLE...from Steamboat Springs, Colorado travelled to the US Midwest for his junior hockey in the USHL, where he played four seasons with the Des Moines Buccaneers and Tri-City Storm. His final USHL numbers came in at 101 pts (47 goals) plus 124 PIMs in 157 games along with 11 pts (4 goals) in 15 playoff games. In2004-05 Ryan Dingle started a three year collegiate career with his home state U of Denver Pioneers, who won the Frozen Four in that season. Dingle's 27 goals in 2005-06 were the most by a Denver player since 1989-90. While at Denver he developed a valuable skill as a faceoff specialist. At the conclusion of his 2006-07 NCAA season he signed an entry level contract with the Anaheim Ducks and played briefly in the AHL with the Portland Pirates. The next season was split between Portland and the then ECHL's Augusta Lynx. This lead to a 2008-09 season in the AHL with the Iowa Chops. At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Dingle was part of the trade that sent Chris Pronger to Philadelphia. Which lead him to an AHL season with the Adirondack Phantoms. This fall Ryan Dingle has brought his faceoff specialist skills to Victoria. RYAN TUREK....is from the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan. At the age of 15 Ryan Turek was selected for USA Hockey's Festival 15, and would suit up for the next two seasons with the AAA Honeybaked Midgets, where he became team captain. Once again, in 2003 USA Hockey had him at its Festival 16 and he would play for Team USA at the Five Nations Cup. Midway into the 03-04 season he left his midget team for the NAHL's Texarkana Bandits. With 13 pts (6 goals) and 90 PIMs in 29 games he was named to the NAHL All-Rookie Team. His USHL rights were acquired by the Omaha Lancers, so he then headed to play junior hockey in Nebraska. In two USHL seasons he provided Omaha with 39 pts (20 goals) and 123 PIMs in 97 games. In his last jr season, Omaha moved him up to forward. At the Viking Cup in December, 2005 he had 4 pts and one goal for Team USA. Later he would score two goals for Team West in the USHL Prospects/All-star Game. In early June he was invited to join the NHL Combine for testing in Toronto. This was followed by the St Louis Blues selecting Ryan Turek in the NHL Entry Draft's 4th Round (94th overall). In the fall of 2006, like Ryan Dingle, Turek embarked on a three year college hockey career with his home state Michigan State Spartans, where he had 9 assists in 80 games. He then turned pro with the ECHL's Alaska Aces where in two seasons he had 16 pts (6 goals) plus 111 PIMs along with 8 pts in 23 playoff matches. In the summer of 2010 Ryan Turek joined fellow aces Derick Martin and Matt Stefanishion in a rush South to Victoria. With the Salmon Kings he has formed an effective defensive partnership with ECHL All-Decade Team member Derick Martin. In their own way each of the "little kings" have brought individual skills that can be harnessed to contribute to team success.
SILENT AUCTION...with only one December series before Santa arrives, the annual Booster Club Christmas Silent Auction is taking place during the current Stockton series. Some of the items offered are Christmas stockings in team colours and autographed by individual players. Others range from handmade jewellery to gift certificates for restaurants and various activities. This is an excellent opportunity to get something that could make a nice stocking stuffer or a treat for yourself.
SEASON'S GREETINGS....May the spirit of Christmas bring forth peace and joy for all. A special Merry Christmas to all the fans of the Salmon Kings, the entire Salmon Kings organization, the staff from Aramark and ICM, our affiliates in Winnipeg and Vancouver and our partners who provide each games period prizes, Salt Spring Island Chocolates, Peninsula Co-op, and the Markets at Yates/Millstream.
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