Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Ryan Orgel, the defenseman who has joined Denver after starting the season in junior hockey.

Orgel, a 1997 birth year, saw his first NCAA action on Saturday night at Duluth. He typically was paired with fellow freshman Griffin Mendel.

Ryan Orgel

His arrival capped a whirlwind week in mid-November. On Saturday, Nov. 18, he played in the Lone Star Brahmas’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Corpus Christi IceRays. It was his 11th game of the season, and he’d already put up seven points. By the next day the wheels were in motion, and  48 hours after that he was moving into a dorm in Denver and registering for classes for the upcoming quarter.

“DU had been watching me some this season and they had expressed some interest,” Orgel said. “It was an easy decision because this is where I always wanted to play. It’s a unique situation, but I’m grateful for this opportunity.”

Orgel becomes the fourth Californian on the Pioneers’ roster this season, and the proximity to the West Coast also had a lot of appeal, as did joining a program with the history of success that DU has.

He jumped right into practice before Thanksgiving, and had nearly two weeks to begin learning the Pioneers’ systems thanks to the team’s bye over the holiday weekend.

“Everyone here is a good hockey player. College hockey is a step faster, at least, than juniors,” Orgel said. “My teammates have been so welcoming and going out of their way to show me the ropes. So far it’s been a smooth transition.”

Orgel, who is 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, brings a skill set that should mesh well with the Pioneers’ style of play.

“My offensive side as a defenseman is one of my strengths,” he said. “I like getting up in the play and being a shooter. I try to have an overall simplicity to my game in the defensive zone. Get the puck and make a good first pass.”

Orgel said he remembered playing against fellow freshman Jake Durflinger and sophomore Tyson McLellan while growing up in California, and he played against Troy Terry in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League when Terry was on the Colorado Thunderbirds.

So far his transition game off the ice seems to be every bit as good as his one on the ice.

Copyright First Line Editorial 2017