Ryan Seelinger joins me to discuss his strong season in Des Moines, and his upcoming commitment to Miami (Ohio) University.
Every hockey player wants to keep pushing for higher levels, and after dominating during the 2025-26 regular season, Des Moines Buccaneers forward Ryan Seelinger showed why he is ready to make the jump to the collegiate level.
Through 61 games played this season, Seelinger recorded 31 goals and 37 assists, picking up 68 points, good for the team lead in all three offensive categories. During an interview earlier in the week, Seelinger touched on the success he had in his final season of junior hockey.
“Obviously, you want to be the go-to guy. I’m an offensive player; I like to produce, but I’d be lying if I said it was just me. My linemates, Owen Tylec and Rhys Wallin, were huge,” Seelinger said. “I wouldn’t have had such a good season if it weren’t for them getting open and helping to find me. It’s always nice to be the go-to guy when the team needs a goal.”
In his first full season in the United States Hockey League, Seelinger recorded 33 points, making a significant jump in year two. The better season stems from the work that Seelinger put in this past summer.
“I switched up my preparation a little bit. I worked with a new skating coach and was able to add little details to my game that I previously didn’t have,” Seelinger said. “In my first year, I just came in with the mindset of making the team, whereas in my second year, I knew I was going to need to take the lead. That helped my confidence and allowed me to make more plays.”
For Seelinger’s efforts this year, the 20-year-old was nominated for both USHL Forward of the Year and Player of the Year. While both of the award honors went to Lincoln Stars forward Alex Pelletier, just being nominated for these prestigious awards is something that Seelinger doesn’t take for granted.
“It feels really good to see the work I put in over the summer, and during the year, to pay off with that,” Seelinger said. “It’s a cool feeling, but like I said before, it could not have been achieved without my teammates and coaches giving me the right opportunity.”
As for the Buccaneers’ coaching staff, the man in charge of leading the group is Derek Damon. Damon just wrapped up his first season in Des Moines after previously coaching the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL.
“He’s [Damon] a really fair head coach. I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the season, but he got our minds to the right place immediately. We had to compete and give it our all, or we weren’t going to play, so it was definitely good for me,” Seelinger said. “He [Damon] really drilled into my mind that it’s going to be hard, and you need to compete every night. I’m thankful for that because if you are working hard, he’ll give you the opportunity.”
To begin next season, Seelinger will be heading to Miami (Ohio) University to continue his hockey career at the next level. Seelinger spoke about the process of gaining his collegiate commitment to become a RedHawk.
“I committed there four and a half years ago under a different coaching staff. Then Anthony Noreen was named head coach, and I actually played a little bit for him in Tri-City, and I knew I wanted to stay, and I was fortunate enough he wanted me to,” Seelinger said. “I came back to junior this year and continued to develop my game in Des Moines. I trust the process, and I am excited to go there in September and make a difference.”