Ryson Barker believes his hockey career has been greatly enhanced this season.
It’s taken massive commitments, however, not only from the 13-year-old from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation but also from various members of his family.
That’s because Barker has not been living at home this season. Instead, he’s been in Penticton where he suits up for the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s Under 15 AAA team.
The Okanagan squad competes in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, a circuit which features clubs representing academies from across the country.
“It’s a big step up from the Island hockey,” said Barker, who spent last season with a Nanaimo-based Under-13 club.
Though he’s in his first year of being a teen, Barker packs 160 pounds onto his 5-foot-11 frame. He’s the tallest defenceman on the Okanagan squad.
“It’s been going good,” Barker said of his 2024-25 campaign. “I’ve improved a lot skill-wise. And my hockey IQ has gone up so much from the coaching and just the style of play.”
Barker has collected 13 points (six goals and seven assists) in his first 28 games with the Okanagan team.
Barker had also considered attending a handful of other hockey academies in British Columbia this season. After taking part in tryouts at three academies, he opted to accept an Okanagan offer.
“They just had a really nice facility,” he said. “And everyone there was very nice.”
Barker’s family has rented a basement suite in a Penticton home to allow him to play for the Okanagan squad this season. Barker’s parents Tess and Ryan as well as his aunt and grandmother take turns staying with him in Penticton.
“We are very supportive of Ryson following his dreams,” said Tess Barker, adding both her husband and herself take turns remaining in Port Alberni to help run a family business, R. Barker Contracting.
Family members have quite a lengthy journey to get from their Port Alberni home to Penticton.
“It honestly depends on the ferry,” Tess Barker said. “On a good day it’s about eight hours of travel.”
For starters, it’s about a 75-minute drive from Port Alberni to the ferry in Nanaimo. The ferry heads to either Vancouver or Tsawwassen. And then from there, it’s about another four and a half hours of driving to Penticton.
Tess Barker said her son is indeed giving his career a boost by being at the academy.
“It’s a specially designed day for the hockey students where Ryson is able to excel,” she said. “They kind of remove different electives and kind of keep it down to your core classes. And so much of your other time is hockey, dryland and sports nutrition.”
Ryson, who is in Grade 8, attends a Penticton public school along with his teammates. Once the hockey season is over in mid-March he will return home and take classes at Alberni District Secondary School.
Tess Barker said the family will continue to support Ryson’s career.
“Our big goal is just to have him graduate with success,” she said. “Wherever he goes in hockey is up to him. We’re going to try and facilitate and support him as long as we can.”
Jeff Ureker, the head coach of the Okanagan Under-15 AAA team, has plenty of praise for Barker.
“Ryson is an excellent teammate and very dedicated and hard-working young man,” he said.
Ureker also said that Barker has been contributing in various aspects to the Okanagan squad.
“He plays in all situations whether it be power play or penalty kill for our team and is a very big part of our team’s success,” he said. “He has a quality shot and offensive ability. He has an excellent skillset and skating ability to go along with his size and strength as a very high-level defender with a bright future.”
Barker said those at the academy are forbidden from talking about their plans for the following year until the playoffs for the current season are over.
But Barker said he is keen to take his career as far as possible. A long-term goal is playing professionally in the National Hockey League (NHL).
“I want to go as far as I can,” he said. “The main goal is the NHL. But I’ve got to accomplish a lot more things before I can go there.”
Barker’s favourite pro team is the Vancouver Canucks. As for his favourite pro players, Barker mentions Canucks’ captain Quinn Hughes and Roman Josi, captain of the Nashville Predators.
Barker in all likelihood would welcome the chance to keep playing in the CSSHL next season. The 2025-26 campaign will be a big one for him as it is his Western Hockey League (WHL) draft year. He’s eligible to be chosen in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.
He’d love to eventually suit up for a squad in the WHL, one of the three Major Junior circuits that comprise the Canadian Hockey League.
Ureker is also a scout for the Wenatchee Wild, a WHL club that is based in the state of Washington.
But Ureker does not want to be speculating too much on exactly where Barker’s future might take him.
“While it is still too early to predict where he will end up as a player in his hockey career, he has all the tools needed to play at a high level and is very dedicated in his training to better himself every day,” Urekar said. “I can’t say enough good things about him as a player and the character he brings to the team.”
