Ryan Cameron joins me to discuss his first season in Cedar Rapids, the upcoming USHL playoffs and his commitment to Boston College
As the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders sit third place in the United States Hockey League’s Eastern Conference and are looking to secure home ice advantage for the playoffs, they will be relying on 18-year-old goaltender Ryan Cameron to help them finish strong over the regular season's four remaining games.
Currently in his first season at the USHL level, Cameron has appeared in 38 games, posting a record of 23-10-2-3, a 2.97 goals-against average and a 0.882 save percentage. Cameron’s strong first season has helped the RoughRiders find themselves with a 33-16-3-6 record through 58 games played.
During an interview on Tuesday, Cameron touched on how he’s grown during his first season with the RoughRiders.
“It’s been great in Cedar Rapids, and the competition has been top-notch. It’s one of the best junior leagues in the world, and it’s been fun being able to find my consistency throughout the season and just learn how to play at such a high level,” Cameron said. “We have a great group of guys and coaching staff in Cedar Rapids, and it makes coming to the rink every day exciting. It’s been a great experience for me.”
Cameron has been heating up at the right time for the RoughRiders, having won four in a row and eight of his past 10 starts. Cameron has only allowed more than three goals once during this strong run.
“I think confidence is a huge thing. Before Christmas, I wasn’t really happy with how I was consistently performing, but I think after the break, I’ve come back and played more consistently,” Cameron said. “Every night I want to give my team a chance to win.”
This season, the RoughRiders’ two goalies are both first-year players in the league, in Cameron and Joseph Skidmore. Both goalies are 18 years old and have been growing as a tandem throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
“I think we’ve learned a lot from each other, where if you’re not playing, you aren’t checked out, you dial yourself in more,” Cameron said. “We learn from each other's mistakes and learn what we both do well. He’s a really great guy and great goalie, and it’s been great being able to push each other to elevate both of our games.”
Since the USHL expanded to a 62-game season prior to the 2018-19 season, the RoughRiders' most points in a season is 77, which came back during that 2018-19 campaign. Currently with 75, the RoughRiders have a chance to set a new season high for points in a 62-game season. Cameron spoke about what has helped lead to that greater level of success.
“Our team is really tight. Everyone comes to the rink to compete, and that just helps us get better in practice. Everyone trusts and relies on each other when game time comes around,” Cameron said. “In the second half of the season, we’ve put together a good stretch of wins and put ourselves in a good spot for playoff time.”
Over the RoughRiders final four games, they will face the first-place Youngstown Phantoms twice. This matchup should give the RoughRiders a good test of a potential opponent that they could square off with deep into the playoffs.
“The Youngstown weekend is going to give us a good taste of what playoff hockey is all about,” Cameron said. “Youngstown is a really skilled team, and we haven’t played them since early in the season, so it’s going to be a good test going up against them after having a year of growth for our team.”
As for what it would mean to help bring a Clark Cup back to Cedar Rapids for the second time in franchise history, Cameron believed it’s something the community really deserves.
“It would mean a lot to everybody on this team and especially head coach Mark Carlson. At the beginning of the year, we had a goal to get home ice advantage for the playoffs, so I think if we can secure that, our confidence will grow even more,” Cameron said. “We want to get into the playoffs and win for the hard-working people of Cedar Rapids. Everyone’s really motivated right now and bought in to get that Clark Cup.”
Upon completion of this season, Cameron will head to Boston College to join the Eagles and continue his next steps in his hockey career. Cameron spoke about what went into the process and what he’s looking forward to about playing at the NCAA level.
“I thought Boston College was the best fit for me because they have a great track record with goalies. I think I can go there to continue developing my game and play in a great conference in the Hockey East and get myself ready for professional hockey,” Cameron said. “They have great traditions at Boston College, and I’m looking forward to getting to work with their goalie coach, Mike Ayers. He’s had a great track record working with goalies and allowing them to elevate their games. I’m really excited to get the chance to play in front of the home fans in Boston, play in the Beanpot tournament and hopefully get the chance to go compete in the NCAA tournament.”
The one thing that sits atop of Cameron's wish list is winning, and the goaltender made it clear that no matter where he is playing, he wants to help bring championships to that club.
“I want to help Cedar Rapids finish strong and do something special in these playoffs. Our room really feels like we have the opportunity to win a Clark Cup,” Cameron said. “Once I get to Boston College, I want to be a starter and win a Beanpot, win a Hockey East title and bring a National Championship back to BC. Those are my main goals because winning is the most important thing to me.”
The RoughRiders are back in action on Friday night when they host the Des Moines Buccaneers. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. CST.