WOLF PACK UNLEASHED: RYAN SIEDEM
May 22, 2025HARTFORD, CT – Defenseman Ryan Siedem completed a successful collegiate career in the spring of 2024, having just enjoyed the best season of his career at the University of Notre Dame.
Shortly after that season, Siedem inked a two-year deal with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Quickly, the native of Madison, NJ, found himself in the lineup.
Siedem appeared in two games late in the 2023-24 season with the Wolf Pack, giving him a taste of what was to come in the fall of 2024.
Despite that taste, Siedem still had a lot to learn about being a pro. He acted like a sponge during his rookie season, soaking up every bit of knowledge that he could.
“I learned a lot about professional hockey this season,” Siedem said as he reflected upon his rookie campaign. “I learned how one takes care of himself through such a long season. Obviously, working out is huge throughout the year and just taking the steps to take care of yourself on a daily basis.”
Like most rookies, Siedem’s first full season in professional hockey featured all kinds of learning experiences and ups and downs. Siedem spent a majority of the season with the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Bloomington Bison.
With the Bison, Siedem scored 20 points (3 g, 17 a) in 44 games, finishing third on the club in scoring among defensemen.
It was there where Siedem gained traction as a pro, building his game to help set himself up for a look in the Connecticut capital late in the season.
“It gave me a lot of confidence,” Siedem said when asked about his time in Bloomington. “Just improving my game down there, working on the things that I needed to improve on both offensively and defensively so I could come back up here to Hartford as a different player than I was in camp and early in the season.”
Siedem’s strong play in Bloomington earned him a look with the Wolf Pack late in the season. Siedem was a mainstay in the final weeks of the season for the club, gaining valuable experience in the AHL and earning the trust of his coaches and teammates.
It’s an experience that proved to the young defenseman that the hard work he has been putting in is paying off.
“I think there were a lot of things defensively that I felt more comfortable with than I did earlier in the year, which I was happy about,” he said when asked about his late season performance with the Wolf Pack. “Obviously, there is a lot of room to improve still, so I just want to keep building on that.”
With a full season of professional hockey under his belt, Siedem enters the off-season with the confidence of knowing his hard work has led to improvement in his game. He’s not content, however, and knows what he must do to achieve the next steps in his career.
“Get stronger this summer,” he said when asked about what he is looking to improve on. “I want to get stronger and work on my footspeed so I can come back here and use my body more in the fall. I want to be more physical on the ice and use my strength.”
He believes if he can do that, he’ll have a chance to become a full-time member of the defense group in Hartford. That, along with increased responsibility, is his goal for the 2025-26 season.
“Obviously, I feel really comfortable just being here with this group,” he added. “I just want to keep working on getting stronger so I can be relied upon defensively as much as I usually am offensively and to give myself the best chance I can to make this team in the fall.”
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.