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For Ryan Lohin, UMass Lowell has more to offer than just hockey

Lohin tallied 29 points this past season, the most of any rookie on the team. (Matt Dwyer/Connector).

Dan Cangiano
Connector Contributor

If someone asked freshman forward Ryan Lohin to describe himself, he would tell them he is just an ordinary guy, playing the sport he loves, trying to live a normal life. His teammates and coaches from the UMass Lowell men’s ice hockey team, however, would praise his drive and work ethic.

“Ever since Ryan arrived at UMass Lowell in the fall of 2016, he has made a positive impact not only on our hockey program, but [on] the university and community as well,” said Troy Thibodeau, the Director of Hockey Operations at UMass Lowell.

A native of Chadds Ford, PA, Lohin first picked up a hockey stick in first grade with little to no help from family members. “My dad can’t even skate,” said Lohin. “The whole family was never into hockey until I started to play. They didn’t know that much about it.”

Lohin started to take the sport more seriously around eighth grade when he made the decision to stick with hockey and give up baseball, a sport that ran in the family with his grandfather even playing in Major League Baseball. Playing on an under-16 hockey team, Lohin decided he could pursue a career playing professional hockey, and at age 17, as a senior in high school, he received an offer to play hockey at UMass Lowell.

In June of 2016, prior to coming to the university, Lohin heard his name called at the National Hockey League entry draft when the Tampa Bay Lightening selected him in the seventh round.

“I wasn’t banking on being drafted. I was kind of watching the beginning (of the draft) and it seemed like everybody around me was getting drafted. I turned it off during the fifth round and not much later I got the call,” said Lohin.

One of the best parts of being drafted for Lohin was being able to tell his parents the good news. “They were upstairs not even watching and I called them down to tell them. It was pretty exciting for sure.”

When it came to the choice of playing Canadian Major-Junior hockey or taking the NCAA Division I route, the answer was always clear for Lohin. He was always set on going to college, and the opportunity for him to play for his school was one that he had never experienced before.

“He’s down to earth, he’s a leader both on and off the ice, and he’s an exceptional hockey player who is always working to get better,” said redshirt freshman forward Chris Schutz.

But outside of hockey, Lohin is a student at UMass Lowell just like everybody else, and he is majoring in business.

“With my major, I kind of wanted to keep my options open…You can go really anywhere with business,” he said. “I enjoy being part of a team and in business teamwork is essential for success.”

A few things stood out to Lohin that helped him make the decision to come here, such as the family atmosphere and the rich history of the hockey program, which made the decision easy for him. The experiences only seemed to get better after he arrived and began classes.

“You get to know everybody and your teachers at the same time. Your classes are small enough that you get to know your professors on a more personal level and you aren’t just another number in a book,” Lohin said.

“His high GPA speaks to his overall commitment to being a well-rounded student-athlete,” said Thibodeau. “I believe he has a very bright future at UMass Lowell and beyond.”

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