From a Rink Rat to a 10 Million Dollar Man

“My shot is something I use as a weapon,” Pulock earlier told Full Press. “Offence has never been a problem for me. I’ve always needed to spend more time focusing on the defensive side of things. The biggest thing for me right now is just my technique down low, finishing guys and stopping them low in our zone. For myself, I try to play an offensive role and get up the ice as much as I can, and if I continue to improve in putting those two together I think I should be alright.”

Having grown up in Grandview, Manitoba, Pulock spent significant time at the local rink – something he was encouraged to do by his father.

“As a kid my dad had me and my brothers at the rink as much as he could,” the 26-year-old said. “I’m not going to lie, but he had a little key that we could use to go in there whenever we want – whenever there was free ice. I spent a lot of hours there in the winter just shooting around and working on my skills. The part I remember the most was just how much fun I had doing all that.”

Ryan’s father, David, claims that it was all that extra time on the ice that turned the every day NHL defenceman into what he is now.

“We ran the kitchen at the community centre,” David Pulock said. “It just so happened the rink was almost always unoccupied, so Ryan and his brothers would be out on that ice all day long. Other times I would remember the opposing teams’ coaches say to me, ‘Can you please tell Ryan no slap-shots today? We want our goalie to last the full game this time.’ Ryan always responded well. He agreed every time and held the shot back.”

Although he hasn’t yet had the opportunity to show off his power in the annual NHL Skills Competition, the chance will surely be coming for one of the league’s hardest shooters. Following his time as captain of the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings, Pulock marched into the training camp with the Islanders in 2015 and won the club’s pre-season skills competition with a 105 MPH blast. That shot – alongside his defensive prowess and offensive skill – will certainly continue to work its way through the ranks throughout the duration of this new contract.