Name: Ryan Weistche
Team: Soo Greyhounds
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 168 lbs
Hometown: Waskaganish, Quebec
Position: Centre
Last season Ryan Weistche was playing hockey in a bush league in
Northern Quebec. This season Weistche is one step away from the NHL.
Talk about change.
Weistche (pronounced Wee-chee) was invited to the Soo Greyhounds 2000
training camp on the advice of Greyhound assistant coach Bill Hughes.
Hughes saw Weistche playing in a tournament in Timmins, Ontario.
Weistche has seen his ice time with the Greyhounds fluctuate since the
start of the season. He is a mainstay in the Greyhounds lineup though
seeing time on the fourth line and he also sees limited time on the
Greyhounds power play along with some time killing penalties. He has
also played in overtime situations.
Weistche came to the Greyhounds training camp virtually unheralded. Not
very many people, except for those in the Greyhounds organization, knew
much, if anything, about Weistche when he first came to camp.
Weistche, 18, is currently undrafted. He did attend a hockey camp in
the Czech Republic during the summer that seemed to help him prepare for
his first junior hockey training camp.
All of his teammates were impressed with his ability. They all
commented on his vision of the ice and his passing ability. His
playmaking abilities are impressive. He is also very quick which makes
him a good fit with players like Cory Pecker and Martin Bonda who are
very quick in their own right.
Weistche is said to be very quiet. Roommate Trevor Daley is amused by
the fact that Weistche is so quiet as well as the fact that Weistche
thinks that Sault Ste. Marie is a big city. Daley is from Toronto.
Weistche has played well for the Greyhounds so far this year. his point
totals are respectable at 6 goals and 13 points in 26 games. Weistche
has become a popular player with the fans. Every time he steps on the
ice the energy level of the crowd seems to kick up a notch.
Weistche seems to be another one of the “late bloomers”. Last year Jeff
Richards came into camp as a 18-year-old, 7th round pick and had a
respectable season. Richards has played even better this year.
Weistche is the type of player that will likely get better with time
and experience. He surprised a lot of people in training camp and has
shown some improvement since the start of the season, which is a very
good sign.
I find Weistche to be a player that is very fun to watch. He brings a
high level of energy to every shift and plays his heart out no matter
what the score is. Hopefully, for his sake, he catches on somewhere if
he doesn’t get drafted because he is more than deserving of it.
I personally believe that Weistche is going to do well for himself in
hockey. The big reason he was never drafted into the OHL was probably
because he came from a very small place (Waskaganish has a population of
only about 1500 people). Ryan Weistche is just proof that the scouts
will find you no matter where you are.
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