Ryan St. Louis is finding his place after taking a second shot at NCAA hockey

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When he was very young, Ryan St. Louis would attend Tampa Bay Lightning games with his mother, Heather, his grandparents and two brothers. The boys would watch the action from their seats in the first and third periods, but spend the second in the players’ lounge battling one another in fierce contests of mini sticks.

“On off days my dad would bring us to the rink and we would skate as a family,” St. Louis says. “I realized how special it was. I didn’t take that for granted. Most kids don’t get an opportunity to grow up around the game.”

The son of Martin St. Louis, the Montreal Canadiens head coach and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Ryan is 20 now and playing college hockey at Brown University in Providence, R.I. His goals-per-game average, heading into this weekend, leads all NCAA Division 1 scorers. He has nine goals in the Bears’ first nine outings.

His has been an interesting and challenging road.

He spent his final two years in high school participating in the U.S. developmental program and then in 2021-22 committed to Northeastern University. The team made it to an NCAA regional tournament but for him it was a less than a satisfying experience.

A left wing, he had just one goal and one assist in 38 games and received limited playing time.

“I chose Northeastern when I was very young but looking back I probably should have done a little more homework,” St. Louis says. “There were a lot of great players on that team and I didn’t get much ice time. I don’t regret it because I learned a lot from those guys but I didn’t get too many opportunities.”

St. Louis opted to play in 2022-23 for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League and had a spectacular campaign. He finished fifth in USHL scoring with 30 goals and 42 assists in 58 games and was selected for the league’s second all-star team.

His younger brother, Lucas, also played for the Saints and the two lived together with a billet family.

“Lucas and I shared a bedroom and a bathroom and went to the rink together every day,” St. Louis says. “I am so happy we did that. Being able to play junior hockey was so much more special because I got to share it with my brother.”

St. Louis decided he wanted to give the NCAA a second shot and chose to go to Brown in this, his sophomore year. Brown is an Ivy League university and also a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Quinnipiac, which is also in the ECAC, won the NCAA Division 1 title last year.

“I knew I would get a great education and thought I would be given more opportunities than I had at Northeastern,” St. Louis says. “I wanted to make the most of it.”

St. Louis is one of many NCAA players with family ties to the NHL. Cale Makar’s younger brother, Taylor, is a forward at UMass-Amherst. Marek Hejduk, Mason Langenbrunner and Kyle Aucoin, all play for Harvard – and each have a dad who played in the NHL. Yanic Perreault’s son, Gabe, is a right wing for Boston College. John and Luke Mittelstadt are at the University of Minnesota. Older brother Casey plays for the Buffalo Sabres. There are too many to count.

St. Louis says he will soon declare a major in economics and continue to hone his skills with an eye toward eventually playing in the NHL.

“After playing in the USHL last year, I felt I could come back to college and have more of an impact,” St. Louis says. “ It has helped me out, mainly confidence-wise, and helped me to feel more comfortable.”

Martin St. Louis credits his wife, whom he met while both attended the University of Vermont, for raising their three sons over the course of his 17 years in the NHL.

“I owe a lot to my wife,” he says. “It is hard enough taking one kid to a game much less three at aged 7, 5 and 2. All of them fell in love with it and got hooked and decided it was also what they wanted to do.”

Ryan is well on his way, Lucas will play for Harvard beginning next year and Mason, the youngest St. Louis, is 15 and playing midget Triple A.

“For me, Ryan has matured so much over the last year and a half and I am proud of him for that,” Martin St. Louis says. “For a little while he slowly lost his passion. Initially things didn’t work out for him and when that happens it eats you up and is very humbling.

“I talked to him about trying to extend his runway because I always thought there was a good player in there and now he has been given a new beginning. He never blamed anybody for the path he took and instead embraced it.”

Brown is 3-6 and has non-conference games this weekend against Long Island University and Stonehill. Ryan St. Louis is focused on helping the team improve and for him to get better every day.

“My dream is to make it to the NHL,” he says. “That’s been my goal since I was very young. When you are around the game every day you want to do it yourself one day. If the time comes, I want to give myself the best chance.”