Player Spotlight; Ryan Barrow, ‘El Purasangre’

From driving the puck forward, to barrelling into opponents, sharp changes of direction to finding twine, Ryan Barrow plays like a man possessed, with many leaving games more than impressed, he has become a household name.

Not a prolific goal scorer.

Not a top line showman.

Not a hockey stud by any analytical means.

He is a workhorse.

I would have preferred to name him with the monicker, ‘Rocinante’, inspired by the Martian battleship Tachi in the sci-fi series, The Expanse.

The TV interpretation alluded to the term, ‘Workhorse’.

However, the literal translation from Spanish to English that was inferred within the books and then on TV, was that of a ‘Knight upon his steed, unaware of how rundown the nag actually was’, but worked hard none the less.

It was derived from the intention that ‘the knight was delusional about how magnificent his steed was.’ Typical for a male, so, unsurprising.

This could be said of Barrow at the Devils, but the club isn’t exactly run down and neither is Barrow.

Valiant, yes.

Heroic, yes.

Industrious, yes.

Endless effort, yes.

Noble, to a fault.

His background derives from a place where in hockey terms, players are knighted. The programme, one of excellence and success, with many of their players progressing onto fulfilling playing careers.

Credit; Denver University

From the EIHL to the NHL and every hockey league in between.

If you have a Denver Pio (Pioneer) signed to your team, you have a stallion.

A thoroughbred.

El Purasangre.

“The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered “hot-blooded” horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit.” – The Thoroughbred (1970)

He is in his third year as a Devil, fourth in the EIHL since turning pro, with a connection to the club like no other. His former team mate in Denver, one of the owners’ sons, Carter King would soon be making his mark to push for the show, whilst the club have been busy, adding further pieces in the group from the Pios.

Recent signing Connor Caponi and 2nd year Devil, the ever popular, Kohen Olischefski, will add more quality and guile to the brand of the Denver Pios and for some very fortunate reason, a ‘pipeline’ to South Wales.

Last season he was way off the mark in terms of goals and production, especially compared to his previous seasons at both Storm and Devils where he finished with 32 points on both in regular action.

The main difference was the same output from increased games, 20 more in his second season (at Devils), but journeyed a lot more, with Continental Cup action and more on the line in terms of expectations.

Where he lacked in production, he made up for in his forechecking, back checking, being a relentless nuisance and always drew eyes to him, on and off the puck, for the right reasons.

Sometimes a victim of poorly timed hits, such as a preseason check from behind at home which has given him a more rounded hockey look, then sometimes he would fall foul to the same call, despite perfectly timing his contact.

Off the ice, his team mates hold him to a high regard and he was of course the best man for Kohen Olischefski at his wedding and going by recent social media updates and content from the club, he has been trying to crack a certain club within the club, the Two-Touch Circle.

He does however, reportedly via a certain Sam Duggan, have ‘two left feet’ during his intrepid attempts at mastering this skill.

Other players, such as Brandt and Caponi, have also commented that he is a good golfer, which isn’t surprising in the slightest.

A brother.

A warrior.

A maestro.

Details are everything and effort is more, the goal to becoming better and chipping in to help his team mates to victory, is absolute.

His IQ is second to none, with a keen vision to break down the right areas, battle hard and find an outlet for his line mates.

His skating and awareness across the ice draws every spectator to him, often creating something out of nothing as he plays harder than most give him credit for.

Credit; Cardiff Devils Website

Then his strength on the puck, that draws in defending opponents which helps to create space and attacking opportunities, for the keen eye, is one to look out for. Relentless talent and mindset.

The right handed forward certainly knows how to use his frame and the engine he has developed knows no limits.

Responsible and accountable, similar to Crandall a couple seasons ago, he is going into this new campaign refreshed, rewired and with a chip on his shoulder. There is more to give.

The first couple of preseason games highlighted this, with hard work and effort, contributing across the scoresheet and even taking on the responsibility of the ‘A’, with high praise from Coach Thompson.

Finding the right line mates will make all the difference as he overworked and ending up underproducing last season, but this time, there will be a question mark, for the right right reason and the best problem a coach could have, if recruitment went correctly.

The ideal line partners would be Olischefski, naturally, but also Caponi, who could draw upon and capture that Denver Pio spirit that brought them here.

Nostalgia aside, they have proven they can work with anyone, but the centre needs to be one that can skate end to end without hassle, be available for a pass and be aware of their hard working wingers.

Even if Olischefski could be moved to centre, which, for his face-offs, he is very good. Adding another play maker to the space maker that is Barrow would be key.

So far, that would be Sanford as the best option, which would complement the pair very well or even Yaremko for added size but also that precision he can bring.

If he could keep up with that pair, Perlini would bring expert vision, high end hockey IQ and astounding ability to find the right places under pressure.

As Coach Thompson has said previously, the pieces are there. It is up to him to piece it together.

So, will this be a rebound and breakout season for Ryan Barrow?

High odds, this will be his year.