Draft Profile: Ryan Aaronson
Published on June 6, 2023 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
Dubuque, IA - With their final top 100 pick in this years USHL Phase I Draft, the Fighting Saints grabbed their fourth and final forward selecting Ryan Aaronson 98th overall. The 7th round selection is a native of Riverwoods, IL and spent this past season with the Chicago Mission 15U AAA squad where he was teammates with second round selection Luke Brierley.
With the Mission in 2022-23, Aaronson posted the third most goals on the team with nine in 15 games. He added six assists and was a point-per-game player in the regular season. In the national tournament playoffs, he put up five goals in give games and added one assist.
Director of Scouting Dan Shrader shared with us a break down of Aaronson as a player and what qualities he can some day bring to Dubuque. Shrader's comments in this story may have been edited for clarity.
"A lot like Gavin Lock and Brierley, Aaron was a key piece on a loaded squad," Shrader said. "We feel that he has a ton of substance in his game and can see him being the same sort of consistent backbone player in Dubuque too."
Aaronson certainly brings a high level of skill, but he's a player whose consistent effort shows up when you watch him. He works at a high rate when he's on the ice
"He has a heart and soul quality to his game," Shrader said. "We look at roster construction as that for every high end player you have, like a Liam Kilfoil or a Cooper Dennis, you need the Ryan Aaronson's too. You need those guys who will fight tooth and nail to win every inch of the ice. To be honest, I'll throw it way back and say that Aaronson reminds me of Karson Kuhlman, now with the Winnipeg Jets. We really appreciate some of the subtlety in Ryan's game, which tends to get overlooked at times for flashier play, but there is a ton of substance and layers to his game."
To hear Shrader speak highly of Aaronson's work ethic, he becomes even more intriguing when you look back at his offensive numbers from this year with the Mission. The 14 goals in 20 total games this season might leave you wondering if that will translate to the USHL and Shrader thinks it will.
"His offensive ability is the intruiging part of his game," Shrader added. "We believe that with how he sees the ice in the offensive zone and how he manages space when he's off of the puck that those things will translate to him scoring goals at the junior level."
All in all, the Fighting Saints really believe in Aaronson and he was a "no-braner" selection when he was still available in the 7th round.
For a chance to see Aaronson and several other Fighting Saints draft picks, fans can attend this years Main Camp. Main Camp returns to Dubuque this summer and is FREE for fans to attending, running form June 13-16.
United States Hockey League Stories from June 6, 2023
- Petersen Bound for Philadelphia - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Gamblers Acquire Poitras from Sioux City - Green Bay Gamblers
- Ben Poitras Traded to Green Bay - Sioux City Musketeers
- Draft Profile: Ryan Aaronson - Dubuque Fighting Saints
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
