Our 20’s: McCleary Makes Hometown Proud in Final WHL Season
Ryan McCleary was able to do something in his WHL career that not many players get to do, play and finish out their career in their hometown.
As his WHL career and season has come to a close, Mcleary said he was proud of the way the team competed in the playoffs.
“it’s obviously disappointing, not accomplishing a goal, but we fought hard the entire year and, gave a good run on Moose Jaw,” McCleary said. “And obviously we came up short, but I felt we gave them a good push and a lot of those games could have went either way.”
Photo: Ed Fonger
McCleary, a local of Swift Current, was brought to the Broncos in an off-season trade in August from the Portland Winterhawks, the team he had spent his entire WHL career with to that point.
He began the season playing in some exhibition games before heading off to New York Rangers Training Camp where he would also spend time at an AHL Training Camp with the Hartford Wolf Pack. McCleary ultimately made his Broncos debut on the B.C. swing in October before debuting at the InnovationPlex on October 25. His first goal as a Bronco was just two nights later against Seattle.
The big defender said that it wasn’t expected to be traded to Swift Current, but he’s very happy to have played at home.
“It was very surprising at the time,” he said. “Basically, going as far as possible away in Portland and then coming here it’s obviously a big switch up with all the driving and travel and all that kind of stuff. I get another team and it’s a phenomenal team here and I’m very happy I had the opportunity to play here.”
Photo: Ed Fonger
McCleary scored 11 goals and added 25 assists in 56 regular season games for the Broncos this year. His 11 goals were the most by a defenceman since the 2017/2018 season. His 36 points were good for second on the team among blue liners. It was career highs in assists and points for McCleary.
With four seasons of WHL hockey under his belt, McCleary said it went fast, but he’s going to treasure the time spend with the team.
“All the laughs, all the memories you make. It’s of here and in Portland and that’s kind of what you really remember,” McCleary said. “And then all the big wins and the comebacks and all that kind of stuff on the ice is obviously pretty special. Not winning championships, also disappointing, you look back on that, think you probably could have won some of the years, but, it happens. Not everybody can win. So, just those memories really go a long ways.”
Being a hometown kid, and one of the few players to be able to wear the same jersey as his father (Trent McCleary played for the Broncos between 1988 and 1993), McCleary said it was special to see the community come together and to see the energy in the building during the playoffs.
He said at one point, he was the kid that looked up to the Bronco players, and years later, he became one of those himself.
“It’s pretty, almost surreal,” McCleary said. “It’s like I know exactly what they were going through. It’s like you go into classrooms and read and tell stories and things like that and then being a kid and listening to that, I think they’re just rock stars and then growing up it’s like you just feel like another guy. It’s a weird perspective to have, but it’s really special the opportunity to happen to me.”
Ultimately in his WHL career, McCleary skated in 203 total regular season games, scoring 33 goals, the fifth most in the 2018 WHL Draft Class. He added 72 assists for 104 points between Portland and Swift Current. McCleary also played in 29 playoff games, notching eight points in three different playoff runs.
Originally a fifth-round draft pick by Portland in the WHL, McCleary was also a seventh-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021, but has since gone unsigned and is a Free Agent. McCleary is hoping to play pro hockey next season.
