Graphic courtesy Nipawin Hawks

By Clark Stork

Letter of Intent

Nipawin adds forward from Chicago to roster for next season

Apr 17, 2025 | 2:51 PM

The Nipawin Hawks have added another player to their roster for the 2025–26 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season.

The club announced this week that they signed 2007-born forward Tiernan Ryan from the Chicago Mission U18 AAA program to a Letter of Intent.

Ryan, 17, scored 23 goals and added 12 assists this past season with the Mission in his hometown. Nipawin Associate General Manager Dana Dirks said Ryan can start in a depth role on the club, with many returnees expected back before making a larger impact.

“This year, with so many guys returning, we are looking to fill holes and gaps we thought we had in the lineup,” Dirks told northeastNOW. “Tiernan can be a guy that comes in, he’s a big right shot, likes to go to the dirty areas, go to the front of the net, and he’s definitely not scared to be there.”

Over the past few years, the Hawks have had American Vito Biondo III and other players from the United States. Dirks said he has a connection with the Mission in Illinois, and that’s how the recruitment process for Ryan began.

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“They reached out to me prior to going to the Circle K Classic (U18 event in Calgary), I told them kind of what we were looking for, so I spent the week watching him play. It’s been a process for sure with him playing in the States and being a pretty good player, there are a lot of opportunities there. He’s a good kid, he’s grounded, and we’re looking forward to having him in Nipawin,” Dirks concluded.

In Ryan’s final year of prep school at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, he played 50 regular-season games and scored 42 goals and added 46 assists. He also played 11 playoff games in 2023-24, compiling 20 points with nine goals.

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com