In January, the Surrey Eagles announced the signing of forward Ryan Evenhuis. Evenhuis is a 2004-born player from Ontario who joins the Eagles after playing 38 games in the Ontario Junior Hockey League this season.
Evenhuis’ hockey career of record started in the Ontario town of New Tecumseth. From there, Evenhuis moved across Ontario. He’s one of several players to leave Canadian Junior Hockey League clubs to sign with BCHL teams mid-season.
This article is about Evenhuis’ path to joining the Eagles, starting with his time playing for the New Tecumseh Tornadoes minor hockey program.
Playing across Ontario
Evenhuis, from Thornton, Ontario, played for the New Tecumseth Tornadoes Minor Hockey Association. He was with the U15 AA team in 2018-19 and the U16 AA team in 2019-20.
Like so many other players in his age group, Evenhuis didn’t play during the 2020-21 season as COVID-19 restrictions canceled the seasons of several junior hockey leagues. For the 2021-22 season, he joined the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Kirkland Lake Gold Miners. The Gold Miners play in northern Ontario, approximately an hour’s drive west of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.
In 40 games, Evenhuis posted 14 goals and 23 assists, which was second on the team. After one season in Kirkland Lake, Evenhuis was traded to the OJHL’s Aurora Tigers.
From Aurora to Toronto
Over the course of a season and a half with the Tigers, Evenhuis played 86 games. During the 2022-23 season, Evenhuis notched 13 goals and 26 assists in 54 games, second-most on the Tigers. This season, he improved his point totals, tallying 19 goals and 21 assists in 32 games before being traded.
In December, Evenhuis was part of a trade between Aurora and Toronto which saw him join the Jr. Canadiens for a player development fee. Evenhuis’ time with the Jr. Canadiens was short, playing only six games. His final game with Toronto was on Dec. 22 and he earned two assists in a 5-1 win over the Pickering Panthers.
He made his debut in Eagles’ colours on Jan. 5, a 3-1 win over the Langley Rivermen. Evenhuis has played 20 BCHL games in Surrey as of Mar. 20, posting three goals and a dozen points.
Surrey’s current roster
Evenhuis is one of several players to join BCHL teams mid-season. However, he was the first player to join the Eagles as a mid-season signing. Unlike other teams, Surrey hasn’t had much roster turnover, which makes sense given its standing atop the BCHL.
Three former Eagles players have joined other BCHL teams. Oliver Gabrielson was traded to the Coquitlam Express in late October and the Langley Rivermen acquired Ethan Riesterer in the third week of September. Surrey also sent Evan Brown to Cranbrook last month and moved Ryan Schelling to the Rivermen for Copeland Fricker and future considerations. Fricker is with the Lone Star Brahmas of the North American Hockey League this season.
As for college commitments, there were three commitments in November. Forward Aaron Schwartz committed to Quinnipiac University and forward Caden Cranston signed on with Merrimack College. Goaltender Ajeet Gundarah put pen to paper with Sacred Heart University. In early December, defender Rylan Bonkowski committed to Minnesota State University (Mankato).
All four players are set to depart for the NCAA ranks after they finish the 2023-24 season. As of this writing, the Eagles are up to nine roster players with commitments to NCAA Division I schools.