Austin's Ryan Lund hopes to follow in skates of D-1 hockey playing dad

Aug. 14—Pressure? Ryan Lund knows what it's like to play under pressure. When you grow up in Warroad, the son of a former Warriors star-turned-Division I hockey player, and you have the size, ability and look of a star from an early age, the expectations follow quickly. Ryan Lund — whose dad, Tom, was a defenseman at St. Cloud State University from 1996-2000 — has that intangible that, as long as he's played the game, has been a massive benefit. "You take a kid like Lundy, who has the pedigree — his dad coached him hard, really pushed him — it's good to know you can coach him hard, too, and he likes that," Austin Bruins coach Steve Howard said. "He's always asking for more, and that's ultimately why he should be one of our leaders this year." The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Ryan Lund — who plays at approximately 5 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier than his dad did — is entering his third season as a do-it-all defenseman for the Bruins, after helping them to the franchise's fourth North American Hockey League Robertson Cup appearance last spring. "We're not going to put any labels on anybody right now," Howard said after Lund and the Bruins scrimmaged the Anchorage Wolverines at the Rochester Recreation Center on Tuesday. "We're going to let that be organic and those guys can step up, but he's a guy, where, he's proven it so far. "The way he acts, the way he handles the hard coaching, he's a thick-skinned kid who is going to put his head down and go to work, and that's what I love about him." Lund played in three state tournaments during his three varsity seasons at Warroad, helping the Warriors reach the state championship twice. He was a minutes eater and points producer there, rarely leaving the ice in his senior season, when he was a captain and scored 20 goals from the blue line. He finished his Warriors career with 38 goals and 109 points. "My dad, he was my biggest supporter growing up," Lund said. "He coached me all through youth hockey for the most part, and he's just always been there to support me." He was one of the last cuts from a USHL team each of the past two seasons — he played four games with the Fargo Force in the fall of 2024, and was let go by Tri-City at the end of training camp a year ago — but has flourished in Austin, where he's played 101 games and has 34 career points, including 27 assists. "I have that same feeling (in Austin), where it's like the whole community is around you and supporting you," said Lund, who missed nearly half of last season due to a lower-body injury, but who was a key factor in the Bruins' playoff run. "It's the same thing up in Warroad. You know everybody in town and it's just a great atmosphere to play in. "Getting hurt (last season) sucks, but I felt like I was brought back into the lineup at a great time and it shows that the coaches here are behind me, no matter what." The Bruins will have a different feel and a different look this season, with just eight returning players, including three defensemen — Lund, Andrew Leung and Gus Elbert, who was an assistant captain last season. Lund said it will be difficult for anyone on the team to fill the role of defenseman Nathan Williams, last year's captain, who is now playing Division I hockey at Maryville University, in St. Louis. After this week's Orientation Camp in Austin, the Bruins' players will have two weeks off before returning to start practice. The team's season opener is set for Sept. 18 at home against the Watertown (S.D.) Shamrocks. "It'll be hard to follow and back up Willie," Lund said, "but I feel like we (the veterans) have done a good job this week and the (new players) have learned a lot in just this orientation camp. We'll be supportive of their strengths and get them to play to those strengths, to do what they're brought here to do." This season is the end of the road for Lund in junior hockey. He'll turn 21 in February and is expecting to move on to college hockey a year from now. The hockey landscape has changed, though, even in the two years since he joined the Bruins. The CHL has opened up for NCAA teams, making the pool of players for college hockey coaches to recruit nearly double in size. And Lund's Division I college clock has already started ticking because of the NCAA's new "5 for 5" rule, an age-based eligibility model that gives student-athletes five seasons of eligibility in a five-year period. The clock starts upon a student-athlete's full-time college enrollment or the academic year after he or she turns 19, whichever comes first. Still, there is a place in college hockey — in Division I college hockey — for a player with Lund's ability, size and Hockey IQ. Howard told the Post Bulletin at the start of last season that he was very surprised to get Lund back, that he was let go by his USHL team. One more strong season with the Bruins could lead to a spot with a D1 team for Lund. But, true to his nature, Lund has other things at the front of his mind. "My injury has been tough on me, so I'm working a lot on my edge work, focusing on that and trying to get my feet moving in sync," he said. "Right now, we're focused on everybody playing as a team and we'll worry about (a college option) later." That attitude is also what his coach loves about him. "He was injured for — what? — four months last season," Howard said, "and he was already playing better at the time he got injured. I think he was a little down when he got let go (by Tri-City) after being a first-round pick, but it's humbling, right? And he was able to take a step back and have time to reflect when he was injured. "But, then, he was itching to get back and he was a big part of our playoff push. Even more so, this year he needs to be a top-two d-man for us. He needs to be an all-situations guy. ... Ultimately, we need him to be the Ryan Lund that we recruited, two or three years ago now. And hopefully we can do our part and he can do his part to help him get that Division I deal that he deserves. Ultimately, we want guys to follow him."