Kings prospect Ryan Conmy is leading the way in all aspects at UNH

Drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, Ryan Commy turned heads last season as a freshman at the University of New Hampshire, after he led his team in goals and points. A year later, he’s doing it again.

Through eight games this season, Conmy is once again leading UNH in goals (6) and points (10), ranks sixth in all of college hockey in goals per game (.75 per game) and is doing so with high praises from his head coach Mike Souza.

Standing a 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Conmy played an integral role in helping UNH to their first above .500 season in over a decade in 2023-24. Notching 31 points (14-17-31) in 28 games, Conmy emerged as the focal point surrounding their offensive’s success according to Souza.

“He’s certainly our most gifted offensive player and a lot that we do centers around him and trying to get him into situations where he can excel and help the team,” Souza said to LAKI. “Whether it’s on the power play or in 5-on-5 situations, I continue to see him evolve as a player, both mentally and physically. He’s constantly working on making himself better.”

Now looking to make it back-to-back seasons above .500, with the hopes of a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are off to a 4-3-2 start and are in the process of finding their mojo from last year, as Conmy explained.

“I would just say as a team, we have to commit and stick to our structure,” he said. “We have a pretty similar team from last year, so we obviously know how to win games and what it takes to have a good season like we had a year ago. We have to continue digging deep and really taking a look back and understanding the things that it took to win all those games last year. I think it’s something that we’re still kind of getting going here. We’re working on doing that consistently right now.”

As for his game individually, Conmy has continued on the upward trajectory that Kings nation hopes for.

One reason for it, his determination to win and to be best he can be at whatever he has his sights on. Conmy is a skilled player, certainly, but also plays the game with a level of competitiveness that allows him to excel against bigger and older players.

“When we first got [Ryan], I didn’t realize he was as competitive as he was – he wants to win everything,” Souza said.

Where does that fire of determination and competitiveness inside Conmy comes from? Look no further than a simple sibling rivalry with his younger brother growing up.

“I’ve always just wanted to be a winner in every sense since I was as young as I can remember, even just the little things, like school stuff, getting higher grades, stuff with my brother, like messing around and playing basketball outside, things like that,” Conmy recalled. “I’d say just always want to compete and I guess a little bit of that was always having my brother there to be able to do those athletic things with outside. We lived in a cul de sac growing up, so we kind of had our own little area to do whatever competitions we wanted. It wasn’t always hockey either, we’d be playing baseball, basketball, knee hockey, video games, even trivia. I’d say that always pushed me to wanting to win and kind of have that mentality growing up.”

Backhand goal from Ryan Conmy to extend the lead! @ESPNPlus➡️ https://t.co/LINONtTYpk

Game Day Central➡️ https://t.co/ntDZ6XWqG6 #BeTheRoar pic.twitter.com/WHUHs2LpeS

— UNH Men's Hockey (@UNHMHOCKEY) November 10, 2024

That competitiveness in Conmy’s game was evident to Souza over the summer and leading up to this season.

After leading his team in points freshman year, Conmy returned to campus in Durham, NH as a sophomore more developed and sharper on the ice. Included in that experience was a week in Los Angeles, attending development camp with the Kings, where he was a standout performer. Already elite among scorers in college and constantly creating offense for both himself and his teammates, Conmy has added to his game.

“He done a great job with adding to his game,” Souza detailed. “He’s improved so much with his first three steps and get-away, they are high end and his edges are excellent. He has the ability to beat guys 1-on-1, but he also has the ability to spin off checks and create separation from virtually nothing, so he’s continued to work on that, and a lot of that stems from his work in the gym off the ice and getting stronger. He’s a guy that seeks information, which is fun. He’s always looking for feedback and looking for ways to enhance his game, and that’s what you want as a coach. You want guys that are constantly seeking information. He certainly does that.”

As previously mentioned, and expected, Conmy’s commitment to the game isn’t just one-dimensional. To reach the next level, it’s can’t be.

When it comes to the off-ice portion of the game, Conmy has set the precedent for fitness at UNH earlier this year. The Wildcats Head Coach noted that Conmy won his teams “Nate Hardy Iron Man Award” this season, awarded for fitness.

“When the guy leads your team in scoring also comes in and wins your off-ice testing award, I think that, in itself, says a lot as to who he is.”

Back on the ice, Conmy entered this season with a goal of being even better than he was last year offensively. Wanting to become even more of a threat to score and create, Conmy has tweaked his mindset when entering the offensive zone.

That’s a high bar to set, after what was nearly a point-per-game season last year.

“I’d say I have a more aggressive mentality [this season],” Conmy detailed. “I wanted to get more shots through and on goal. Over the offseason, I worked on shooting a lot. Your shot can get as good as you want it but having the mentality to shoot and shoot often makes it even more dangerous. Maybe it’s not the best angle, but just by getting pucks on net, sometimes you get lucky and score or help your teammates by creating a rebound. Having the mindset to shoot as much as you can is one place where I’ve mentally grown over the offseason.”

A smaller player himself, Conmy looked at Montreal forward Cole Caufield for inspiration.

Not even necessarily through comparing their styles of play, but Conmy watched an interview that Caufield did, where he self reflected that he wasn’t shooting the puck enough. Caufield is a goalscorer, certainly, and Conmy believes he is as well, at the NCAA level. Shooting creates offense, was the message in that interview, even if the shooter isn’t the one who scores, there are opportunities with second chances.

Even as the team’s top offensive producer, Conmy knows that play while possessing the puck is only half of the game. Committed to all aspects of the game, Conmy has been just as focused on improving his play in the defensive and neutral zone. So much so that Conmy has even picked up consistent minutes on the penalty kill, Souza told LAKI.

“Like all offensive players, he wants to play with the puck, right, so we worked a lot on how defensively, less is more and how to be in the right spot at all times,” he said. “He’s been very, very mindful of his play without the puck and as a result, he’s one of the first guys over the boards typically killing penalties for us this year. So, that’s a credit to him his game. He’s also a threat to score shorthanded obviously, but he’s quick, he’s smart, he has a really good stick and I think that attention to detail on the penalty kill has been spurred on by his efforts five-on-five without the puck.

Coming from the Kings prospect himself, Conmy sees himself and wants to be trusted as a 200-foot player in all aspects of the game.

“I’ve always taken pride in playing like a 200-foot game, I’m always paying attention to the little details like having a good stick in the defensive zone and being in the right position,” he added. “Doing all of that in the first place and always giving a 110% effort is kind of a thing that we’re known for on our team. The efforts always there. Now, I’m narrowing in on the little details personally that can help me more on the defensive side of the puck. Obviously, if you play good in the defensive zone and it leads to offense. If we’re in the defensive zone, I’m not worried about going down and scoring. I’m worried about getting the puck out and getting it through the neutral zone, then I change my mindset into trying to score. That’s my process.”

With Conmy continuing to add and round out his game to become the complete player he wants to be in college and beyond, Conmy should absolutely be someone on Kings’ fans radar.

How soon we could see him in black, silver and white in Ontario or LA? That’s to be determined, but jokingly and selfishly Souza hopes it’ll be awhile…

“He’s a guy that is aspirational, wants to play in the National Hockey League and realizes that there’s a lot that goes into it. Certainly, he’s a kid that is constantly getting better. He shoots the puck like an NHLer right now, he’s got an NHL release. He’s got a competitive spirit that I think people take notice of that. He hunts pucks, his acceleration is high end and I think he’s a guy that will find his way certainly to the NHL. He’s someone the LA Kings are going to be lucky to have, just not too soon selfishly speaking,” Souza said with a laugh.

Photo by Gary A. Vasquez/NHLI via Getty Images