The Illinois State Redbirds welcome Ryan Callahan to the family!
Callahan, a 5′-10″ 170 lb. forward is a Huntley, IL native. He will join the Redbirds in the 2024-25 season after playing for the NA3HL’s St. Louis Jr Blues.
Ryan explained that he chose ISU because “I want to go to school close to home and play hockey.” He intends to major in construction management.
“My favorite coach is Matt Ocello because he had faith in me, trusting me with the role of captaincy for my team. His guidance has been helpful, providing valuable teachings, and he is committed to seeing my improvement on and off the ice,” Callahan stated. When asked who his biggest supporter was, Ryan says it is his family. “My family has been my biggest supporters, making an effort to attend all my games and always believing in me.” Callahan stated that his biggest goals were, “the game winner in OT in the central states championship game and my first junior goal.” Callahan expressed his favorite hockey memory was winning Central States.
Ryan has three siblings: Kali, Shae and Catherine. Callahan is looking forward to pursuing his degree and competing for a National Championship. Callahan’s favorite foods are steak and potatoes. When asked what animal Ryan would want to be, he stated, “a lion because they are strong leaders and hard workers.”
“Ryan is our first Junior commitment of the year and comes with a tremendous amount of experience. His high work ethic and leadership experience will set him of up for success at the college level and we are looking forward to helping him continue to grow while also watching him have a positive impact on our culture!” – Coach Chris Prewitt.
Before playing for the St. Louis Jr Blues, he was teammates with several Redbirds on the Peoria Mustangs including Jaycob Bland, Ethan Chesney, Jackson Gram, Michael Natoli, and D1 captain Tony Campise.
If you’re interested in playing for ISU Hockey, we encourage you to fill out our Recruit Form under the team tab on our website!