Ryan Hecker Commits to RPI
The '08 2-way defenseman hails from hockey powerhouse Avon Old Farms
It’s been a busy week of recruiting news for RPI fans (more to come on those later), so we wanted to get caught up on some of the recruiting pieces that have been piling up! Back in October, RPI received a commitment from ‘08 defenseman Ryan Hecker from Evaston, Illinois. Hecker is young and likely multiple years away from RPI, but I’d argue that this commitment is significant for a couple reasons.
First, Avon Old Farms is an absolute powerhouse that has produced the likes of Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quick, and Trevor Zegras. Lang has ties to Connecticut, and I believe deep relationships with Avon Old Farms, which makes this commitment feel like a bit of a flag plant in the hotbed that is Northeast prep hockey. RPI hasn’t recruited a ton out of these schools recently, but it makes a ton of sense to get their hands on this region as the coaching staff tries to build out some pipelines. Hecker is a 17th round pick of Waterloo in the USHL, so I expect the staff’s hope is for him to finish the year out at AOF and go to the Black Hawks next fall.
Hecker is an Excellent Skater That Needs to Add Size
There is almost no tape available to us on Hecker’s game because he is so young, but I was able to piece together some information on his game from scouting reports. He is an outstanding skater with slick footwork and high-end recovery speed. This is the jumping off point for the best parts of his game, as he is known as a mobile defenseman that can gain entry into the zone and help his team drive possession. These are the type of defenseman that Coach Lang likes to recruit, and Hecker is a player with a lot of projectability.
Hecker has decent height at 5’11 seeing as he is just 17 and probably projects to something north of 6 feet tall. He needs to fill out his frame, but if he puts on another few inches and weight to go with it, he will have an exciting size and speed combination.
He is a Very Good Passer and Plays a Responsible 2-Way Game
Hecker is reportedly an above-average passer that uses his speed and hands to effectively move the puck through the neutral zone. Last year at Avon Old Farms, he produced 5 goals and 9 assists in 27 games, which led the team’s defenseman in goals. Avon’s season is just getting underway now, but Hecker projects to be one of the top defensemen in prep in his senior season. He has a reliable defensive game and relies on his skating and IQ to position himself well and move pucks out of the zone. He isn’t incredibly physical at this point, but he is hardly at the final form of his game at just under 17.5 years old.
Development Plan?
As I said before, Hecker is going into his senior season at Avon Old Farms where he will look to establish himself as one of the top defenders in Northeast prep. He was picked in the late rounds of the USHL Phase II draft, and he played a few games in Waterloo camp through the preseason this fall. He is ranked at 3.5 stars by Neutral Zone and 4 stars at Puck Preps, but I’ll defer to Lang on this one due to his deep ties to Connecticut junior hockey.
It’s not a guarantee that he makes the team in Waterloo out of camp next fall, but assuming he does, the staff likely wants him to play 2 years in the USHL before coming to RPI in 2028. Congratulations to Ryan and his family, and we look forward to tracking his development on the way to Troy. Let’s go red!