Ryan participated in Football, Hockey, and Baseball for the Riders. As a sophomore, Ryan was the starting quarterback and earned the Co-Most Valuable Sophomore Award for the football team. On the ice, Ryan was Red River’s leading scorer both as a freshman and a sophomore on state championship teams in 2000 and 2001. He was named to the All-Conference team as a freshman and the All-Conference/All-State teams as a sophomore. During his sophomore campaign, he led the state in scoring. On the diamond, Ryan was a starting infielder for the Red River baseball team. In 2001, he went on to play for the Lincoln Stars and was named the USHL Junior Player of the Year in 2003. At the college level, he played hockey at the University of Minnesota and was named WCHA second team in 2004-2005. His breakout season came in 2005-2006, when he led the nation in scoring, earned WCHA First Team and All-American honors, and was a Hobey Baker Finalist. In 2003, he was drafted in the 3rd round by the Philadelphia Flyers which started his twelve-year professional career. He played 126 games in the NHL, 433 in the AHL, and 154 games in Europe. In 2010, he won the AHL Calder Cup and led the entire league in points during those playoffs.