Ryan Michael Reflects on Five Years in Kamloops and the Meaning of the ‘C’
By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X
When Ryan Michael first stepped into the Sandman Centre as a wide-eyed 16-year-old, the Kamloops Blazers were in the middle of one of their most dominant runs in recent years. Five years later, the veteran defenceman now wears the captain’s “C” on his chest.
Michael’s early years in Kamloops were alongside some of the best in the WHL, like Logan Stankoven, Fraser Minten, Olen Zellweger and more. “It was unreal,” he said. “Just seeing how they approached each day, how professional they were, it’s something I’ll never forget. I’m still really close with a lot of those guys. They were unbelievable players and great teammates.”
The 2023 Memorial Cup is a focal point of Michael’s WHL career and a highlight, not just because of the competition, but because of how the city rallied around the team. Michael tallied the first goal of the Memorial Cup opening game for the Blazers against the Peterborough Petes. “Playing best-on-best hockey was so cool. I even scored, which I’ll never forget,” he said with a smile. “But honestly, it was the energy in the city. The way Kamloops came together for that tournament was special. You could feel it everywhere.”
Fast forward to this fall, and the Blazers announced Michael as captain in front of his teammates, unaware that his family was waiting in the room to surprise him. “I had no idea they’d be there,” he said. “A couple of days before, I found out I’d be wearing the ‘C,’ which was already such a huge honour. To share that moment with my family made it even more special. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
When it comes to leadership, Michael describes it as a mix of being vocal, but also leading by example on the ice.“I’m a pretty vocal guy, but for me, it’s about leading by example,” he explained. “Whether it’s on the ice or in how I handle myself off it, I just try to set the right standard and be a good teammate.”
Now in his fifth WHL season, Michael is on pace to break his career highs in points and ice time. It’s a result of a focused offseason and a more confident approach to his game.“I think I’ve just continued to expand my game,” he said. “Getting more power play time helps, and I had a really strong summer working on my skating and skills. I missed most of the previous offseason because of surgery, so having that full summer to train made a huge difference.”
When asked who he models his game after, Michael doesn’t hesitate. “Growing up, I always looked up to Drew Doughty. I love his two-way game and competitiveness. Another player is Marcus Pettersson; those are two guys I really like to study.”
With a stretch of home games coming up over the next few weekends, Michael’s message to the team is simple but calculated: “We’ve had stretches where we play two and a half really good periods, but we can’t afford to let off,” he said. “If we can play a full 60, start strong, finish hard, and take care of the little details like defending, working back, and playing together, we’ll be where we want to be.”
After five years in Kamloops, Ryan Michael has not only grown into a leader but is also leading the next wave of Blazers.
