Ryan Saginaw in action for the Voodoos.
‘I’d like to think of myself as an offensive threat’
– Last season might not have gone the way the Powassan Voodoos wanted.
The team finished with it’s worst showing since the team’s inaugural season in 2014-15, and were swept in the first round of the NOJHL playoffs. However, there were a few bright spots, including acquiring a talented winger named Ryan Saginaw in early January 2025.
Saginaw, who hails from a suburb of Pittsburgh, came up with a solid 11 points (4 goals and 7 assists) in 21 games with the Voodoos last year, but has exploded for 37 (18 goals and 19 assists) in 29 games before the holiday break this season, leading the team.
“I’d like to think of myself as an offensive threat,” said the pride of Pittsburgh. ”I like to have the puck on my stick, and I like to create plays and score goals.”
After the team’s performance last year, some players elected not to return, but Saginaw saw something in the North Bay area that drew him back to the Voodoos. It was his first time playing hockey full-time north of the border, and he says he fell in love with the area, along with the lessons provided by coach Peter Goulet.
“Ryan’s got a lot of potential,” explained the coach. “He’s got a lot of skill. He’s got a lot of offensive skill.”
His offence has certainly helped the Voodoos, who, at the time of publication, have a record of 19-8-0-2 for 40 points, and are only nine points off the league leaders with three games in hand. The team itself is also only nine points off its total from last season and sits three wins off its record as well.
Yet, there’s still work to be done, according to the player and coach. For Saginaw, it’s his shooting, and Goulet is looking to round out his play away from the puck.
“It’s one of those things that I’m really lucky to say I’ve always kind of had,” stated Saginaw. “It’s kind of always been a strong suit for me. It’s always something I’ve worked on, and I like to shoot the puck. Just being able to finally see that start to work at the Junior A level is really been something that, you know, it’s been exciting for me.
“I like to score goals, so it’s always something I take a lot of pride in and having a good shot. I work on it all the time.”
“We’re watching video every week with him,” added Goulet. “Working on his defensive games of stops and starting, and once he starts to play better defensively, he’s going to have the pocket a lot more, and his offensive numbers will only go up.”
Growing up near Pittsburgh, one would think Saginaw grew up ingrained in the Pittsburgh sports scene, and for the most part, it’s true. He cheers for the Steelers in the NFL (9-8 legends), the Pirates in MLB and the Penn State Nittany Lions in NCAA football. However, when it comes to hockey, Saginaw has pledged his allegiance to a cursed franchise in the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the way he plays, it’s easy to see him channel his inspiration from a former Leafs legend, who won two cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I model my game after Phil Kessel,” said the slick-skating winger about his idol.
“I like to be hard on pucks and the forecheck, and I like to score goals. I think I make good decisions with the puck. I set up my teammates very well, and I like to make plays and make smart decisions.”
However, the NOJHL is not the end of the road for Saginaw, or so he hopes. The 19-year-old is currently trying to open scouts’ eyes at the NCAA level so he can parlay his slick play into a post-secondary education.
“It’s unbelievably important,” Saginaw says on getting an education. “I’d gone through high school, and I wanted to go to college and play hockey there. To have that opportunity and to be able to experience that, it would be a dream come true.
“I’m a hard worker. I take a lot of pride in my work, not only on the ice, but off the ice, and just I come to the rink or the gym every day, and I want to make myself better, and the people around me better.”
That doesn’t mean that he’s taken his mind off the job at hand, which is the second half of the NOJHL season starting in early January. His Voodoos are very much in the hunt and have earned contender status in the league.
“It’s definitely a good start. I think we have a lot to be happy about. tons of positives throughout the year, and I think we just need to kind of take those positives and carry them into the second half of the year.
“I think we need to just bear down for 60 minutes in a game. I think there are times when we kind of let off the gas, and that ultimately ends up costing to us. I think playing 60-minute games and staying focussed the whole way through is very important for us.”
The second half officially starts on January 8 when Powassan heads to Sudbury to take on the Greater Sudbury Cubs, who sit first in league standings. The Voodoos have won three of five meetings this year, with all three wins coming in Sudbury.
But for Saginaw and his teammates, the second half began after their last game before the holiday break.
