By Colton Swiderski

Transition to pros coming easy for Rush’s Ryan Keenan

Jan 18, 2017 | 9:00 AM

With two goals in two games, Saskatchewan Rush forward Ryan Keenan has transitioned well into the professional ranks since being drafted first overall in the 2016 National Lacrosse League (NLL) draft.

From Oshawa, Ont., Keenan comes from an athletic family. His uncle is retired NHLer Joe Nieuwendyk, and his father, Derek Keenan, is currently the head coach and general manager of the Saskatchewan Rush. Derek was a professional NLL player in the mid-90s for the Buffalo Bandits, where he won two straight championships.

“Right when I started walking, my dad had a stick in my hands. Ever since then I’ve loved the game,” Keenan said.

The younger Keenan is currently finishing a Masters of Business at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. He played four years as a Quinnipiac Bobcat before being drafted by the Rush. When Keenan finished his career as a Bobcat, he ranked fourth on the school’s scoring list with 94 goals and fifth on the points list with 131. He had at least one point in every game, and ended his career with a 30-game point streak.

The draft, Keenan said, was an exhilarating, yet anxious time. While he was quite confident he’d go first overall, he nonetheless prepared himself for disappointment.

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“The last few days leading up I had a better understanding, but right at the end it was still at the back of my mind. You never know for sure so it kind of tipped that nervousness and excitement all together right to the end,” he said.

Finally entering into the professional ranks, Keenan realized game play was different than college but was thankful for his experience playing senior ‘A’ lacrosse the year before the draft.  

“It’s been a bit of a learning curve but I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable with it,” he added.

In his first career NLL game on Jan. 7, Keenan scored his first career goal on the road against the Georgia Swarm. He scored his second goal by his second game, this time against the Toronto Rock, a team he grew up watching and idolizing as a kid.

Regardless of his favourites from the past, Keenan said being drafted by a back-to-back championship winning team is pretty special.

“Not many guys can walk into the position I walked into with such a good team,” he said. “I’m fortunate to come in and step into a role where there’s already so many good players and a foundation built around me where I can contribute and get comfortable, get a good feel for how things work before I have to step into a larger role.”

Keenan will look to extend his points streak to three games when the Rush take on the Rochester Knighthawks in Saskatchewan’s 2017 home opener and championship banner raising game.

Opening faceoff is at 7:30 p.m. at SaskTel Centre on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Colton Swiderski is a news and sports reporter for meadowlakeNOW, paNOW and battlefordsNOW.com. He can be reached at cswiderski@jpbg.ca or tweet him @coltonswiderski.