Quinn Ryan, who represented the United States in Denmark this past season, will join forces with former DI Flames teammate, defenseman Matt Cruickshank.
Former DI men's hockey teammates Cruickshank, Ryan now co-coaches of USPHL’s Atlanta Madhatters
6/26/2024 10:17:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey, Men's D2 Hockey
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Liberty served as an excellent training ground for defenseman Matt Cruickshank and forward Quinn Ryan to take their games to the next level and learn the finer art of coaching.
Former Liberty University ACHA Division I men's hockey teammates Matt Cruickshank and Quinn Ryan are teaming up once more as co-head coaches of the USPHL's Atlanta Madhatters' Tier III Premier and Elite teams, with Cruickshank also serving as the program's general manager.
Ryan ('19, '21) played two seasons in the ECHL
"Quinn will be running all of our forwards and our power play," said Cruickshank, who will serve as head coach of the Premier team while working primarily with its defensemen, the position he played for the Flames. "(Ryan) is probably Liberty's most talented player ever and I honestly couldn't have found a better associate head coach."
"We developed a strong friendship from Day 1 at Liberty and are both very passionate about the game, passionate about people, and love pouring ourselves into others," Ryan added. "This is a really good opportunity to get involved in coaching and see if it something that I want to pursue as a long-term career path, investing in peoples' lives."
Ryan, who earned his B.S. in Business Marketing and Sales before completing his MBA during his five-year career, is currently back in Lynchburg, Va., working for a sixth straight summer as an on-ice instructor for the four sold-out Liberty Hockey Camp sessions at the LaHaye Ice Center — for U8-12 players (June 16-18); U14 (June 20-22), U16 (June 25-27), and U18 (June 29-July 1).
"After doing all of those camps and lessons, something I've really developed a passion for is to teach players and help them achieve their goals, to teach them things I wish I knew about the game of hockey at a younger age," he said.
Ryan played Juniors hockey for the Connecticut Nighthawks in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) prior to his stellar ACHA Division I career at Liberty, where he scored 91 goals and distributed 153 assists over five seasons from 2016-21. He went on to play for the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies (12G, 12A in 57 games in 2021-22) and Worchester (Mass.) Railers (15G, 25A in 49 games in 2022-23) before starting the 2023-24 season with the Railers and ending it in Denmark.
"Each step in my career was a big jump up, and each place I played before prepared me for that next step," Ryan said. "We want to do the same thing with the players in Atlanta, sharing our knowledge and our passion with others in that Junior Hockey realm and trying to give them the best experience that they can have … to prepare them and develop them as hockey players, but more importantly as people."
The duo has hired an assistant coach, Niko Esposito-Selivanov, 25, a grandson of NHL Hall of Fame center Phil Esposito, who had his jersey retired with the Boston Bruins and founded the Tampa Bay Lightning. Niko, who played professionally in Germany, will work with Ryan in training the forwards while Ryan serves as the Elite team's head coach.
"Niko has a lot to offer," Ryan said. "He has a really good hockey mind and relationship personality. We are excited to have him on board to really help push our team in the right direction."
Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said both of his former players have tremendous potential as coaches and in the development of young prospects.
"I am super proud of Matt and Quinn and excited to see how they continue to impact the hockey world," he said. "They're going to be unbelievable transformational coaches. They will be exceptional with players on and off the ice and help players grow and mature through their time being with them. I'm excited to see how God uses them in this new opportunity to make a difference for Him by using the platform that He's given them. Both of those guys are not only interested in the development, but also the placement of the players into college level hockey."
Matt Cruickshank ('19, '21)
Cruickshank, who worked as an assistant coach and recruitment coordinator under Flames DII men's hockey Head Coach Ben Hughes from 2019-21, recruited at least four players to the Madhatters from Liberty's Select Camp in April. He would like to see the Atlanta program, which targets players between the ages of 16-20, become a pipeline for the Flames' three men's hockey teams in the near future.
"A lot of the guys on the team, their goal is to play college hockey and it is super exciting that we will be developing players for Liberty," he said. "My time playing and coaching there was a training ground for me to be a light where I am now."
Cruickshank said he and his wife, Sarah, received a definite calling from the Lord that they were to move from the beaches of Wilmington, N.C., to the Atlanta metropolitan area.
"My wife and I really never planned on doing this, but God has called us to Atlanta, and I couldn't do it without her," Cruickshank said. "It's very clear and the best place to be is where God is calling us to be. This is totally our mission ground and I want to send as many of these kids as I can to play at Liberty, where they will be surrounded by Christians."
Cruickshank, who earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology while playing and coaching at Liberty, is looking forward to developing players in a similar fashion that the Flames' coaching staff did him — from a holistic perspective.
"This year, the program has a totally new ownership crew and coaching staff and I've been given full approval by our ownership to be who I am," Cruickshank said. "I tell all the players coming in, my order in life is God, family, and hockey, and that will never change. Some of the players are Christians and some are not. It's been a cool experience."
He is working with Hockey Ministries International and FCA Hockey to establish a weekly chaplain ministry for the Madhatters' projected 50 players (25 premier, 25 elite), as Liberty has with Brian Davidson, Reese Braband, Josh Graham, and Vercellono, working directly with its men's hockey teams through Club Sports' Holistic Development office.
Additionally, Cruickshank has found a church in the Atlanta area, pastored by Liberty alumnus Mike Lynch, who has lined up at least five host families to serve as billets to players for the upcoming season.
"They've been amazing, and it's been such a blessing," he said. "Players need host families, which is our prayer. We need all Christians in the hockey community to step up and be a part of this."
He noted that players already committed to the program are coming in from as far away as Australia as well as Canada, California, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
"We are so excited to be a part of all of their journeys in life," Cruickshank said. "At the end of the day, not all of them are going to have a career in hockey. Maybe a couple will become coaches, but most all of them are going to be husbands and fathers. So, we want to prepare them to be the best man they can be for their world. If they have that in mind, they'll play better on the ice, too."
The Madhatters, who will open their seasons in September, practice and play their home games in the Atlanta Ice House at the Compete Center, Georgia's largest ice rink located in Marietta, Ga. They are affiliated with the NCDC's West Chester (Pa.) Wolves Tier II hockey team and are under new ownership from the ASM Hockey Group.
"Our facility is amazing, and we actually have the strongest division in all of Tier III hockey," Cruickshank said, noting that the Madhatters are grouped with five teams from Florida, two from North Carolina, and one from Nashville. "The team in Charlotte, the Carolina Junior Hurricanes (in Raleigh), and Nashville Spartans are some of the best in the country. If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best."
Cruickshank, who is from Ontario, Canada, and Ryan, from New Jersey, recognize that the Southeast is becoming a hotbed for hockey, with Florida home to both the three-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning (2004, '21, '22) and the Panthers, who were runners-up last year and edged Edmonton in Monday's Game 7 of the Finals to capture their first NHL title.
"A lot of good players are starting to come out of the Southeast, and they are definitely developing the hockey market in Atlanta, so it is a good time to get down there and help guys move to the next level and achieve their goals," Ryan said. "They are thinking of moving an NHL team back to the Atlanta area, so it's going to continue to grow, and we're excited to be a part of that."
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterCruickshank enjoyed a solid career as a defenseman for the DI Flames before serving as an assistant coach for the DII squad.
"We developed a strong friendship from Day 1 at Liberty and are both very passionate about the game, passionate about people, and love pouring ourselves into others," Ryan added. "This is a really good opportunity to get involved in coaching and see if it something that I want to pursue as a long-term career path, investing in peoples' lives."
