Where Will Ryan Wagner Land in 2023-24?

DENVER – Two and a half months into 2023 AHL offseason, the Colorado Eagles don’t have many skaters from last season looking for a home. Defenseman Ryan Merkley did not receive a qualifying offer from the Avalanche and is now a free agent. Forward Tarun Fizer and defenseman David Farrance both had AHL deals expire and have yet to sign for Colorado (or anywhere else). 

One final free agent up in the air for the Eagles has fans in Loveland biting their nails in nervous anticipation: alternate captain Ryan Wagner.

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

Wagner has been part of the Colorado Eagles organization for parts of four seasons. Starting his Colorado career on a one-year, two-way AHL contract in 2019, Wagner has climbed his way into the hearts of the Eagles faithful one game at a time. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound winger worked his way up, splitting time between ECHL Utah and AHL Colorado in 2019-20, before donning the ‘A’ as alternate captain of the Eagles in 2022-23.

With six goals and 11 assists in 67 games played, Wagner’s stat line from last season doesn’t jump out from the page. However, what the box score doesn’t show is how hard he plays every time he hits the ice. Forechecking, back checking, joining the offensive rush, or contributing on special teams, Wagner has proven himself an invaluable asset to the Colorado Eagles.

So does that mean Ryan Wagner stays put in Colorado, or does he take his hustle elsewhere?

STAYING IN LOVELAND

The first choice for Wagner is clear – signing a new contract with the Eagles (maybe another two-year deal like he agreed to in 2021). Alongside the likes of defenseman Keaton Middleton and goaltender Justus Annunen, Wagner has become a fan favorite in Loveland the past few seasons. That, combined with all the community outreach he’s done (more on that later), Wagner is an integral cog in the Eagles organization,

He’s commented in past interviews on how Colorado lets him “play a hard-nosed game” and how “that’s really not hard for [him] to do” with his playing style. Even with the internal head coaching shift over to former assistant Aaron Schneekloth, Wagner re-signing with the Eagles would allow him to continue to spread his wings & play how he wants. And, as what appears to be the last big Colorado free agent this offseason, the Eagles would make a big splash announcing his return.

BACK TO CHICAGO

Wagner grew up in Park Ridge & Niles, Illinois – both suburbs of Chicago. His second feasible option would be to re-sign with the newly independent Chicago Wolves after a five-year hiatus.

Finishing his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin, Wagner signed a  professional try-out with the Wolves in March 2018. Playing in seven regular season games, Wagner then inked a standard player contract with Chicago for the 2018-19 campaign. He provided a hard-nosed presence on the fourth line in Rosemont, aiding the Wolves in capturing the AHL Western Conference Championship in 2019.

While he’s put down some roots playing for Colorado, Wagner’s family largely resides in Illinois. When he signed with the Wolves, Wagner simply stated that he liked being close to home. The suburbs he grew up in are about a 10-15 minute drive from Wolves home ice at Allstate Arena. Plus, at 231 AHL games played, he sneaks right under the 260-game veteran limit the Wolves need to give heed to when signing players.

As of August 14, Chicago has already signed 13 forwards and eight defensemen for the coming season. One  has to imagine Chicago wants to bolster its forward corps by one or two more skaters, so why not add Wagner? If the Wolves wanted to squeeze in a versatile skater who can play at both right and left wing, they have an ideal candidate in the Chicagoland native.

FOLLOWING COACH CRONIN (SORT OF)

On June 5, Anaheim hired Greg Cronin as the new coach of the Ducks after five seasons coaching the Eagles. Cronin served as an NCAA assistant and head coach, AHL head coach for two seasons in the mid-2000s, and an NHL assistant for 12 seasons before taking the reins of AHL Colorado back in 2018. The natural progression of becoming an NHL bench boss after so many successful AHL seasons simply made sense for “Coach Cro”.

With Cronin taking said NHL coaching gig, there’s no reason Ryan Wagner couldn’t follow him over to the Anaheim organization and suit up for the San Diego Gulls next season. The average age of the current Gulls roster is a very young 23.31 years old. At 27 years of age, Wagner would be the fourth-oldest forward should he join San Diego next season. His near-veteran experience would come in handy with so many younger skaters on the team.

Wagner mentioned in a 2020 interview that the Colorado coaching staff helped him gain confidence and play his best hockey. He has common ground with new San Diego head coach Matt McIlvane, who hails from Naperville, Illinois. Having Coach Cronin just an hour and a half north would also help ease the change of scenery for Wagner (the beaches wouldn’t hurt, either).

It may be a dark horse prediction, but the Golden State could be a viable landing place for Wagner in 2023-24.

CONCLUSION

Ryan Wagner provides leadership, determination, and grit every shift, giving full effort as a reliable middle to bottom six forward. He is a guiding force off the ice as well, being awarded as the Eagles’ 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year for his efforts in the Loveland community. With Wagner front and center during the Pot of Gold Fundraiser, he showcased the aforementioned drive to give back in Northern Colorado.

Wherever Wagner ends up, don’t be surprised to see him make a big difference in both the line-up and the community at-large next season.