Naperville hockey player to join National Team
OTTAWA, Canada - Teddy Ruth was born in St. Louis, learned to play hockey in Philadelphia and developed his skills in Ohio, Texas and Florida.
But it was only after he moved to Naperville four years ago that he realized a professional career would be possible.
At the time he was a sophomore at Neuqua Valley High School - having just arrived after yet another cross-country move, thanks to the career of his father, Dick, a frequently relocating senior executive at PepsiCo.
Teddy found his way to the Chicago Mission of the Midwest Elite Hockey League, to play for coach Chuck Linkenheld.
"He was probably the biggest influence of anyone in my hockey life. He really pushed me out of my comfort zone to just get out and do more," said the 19-year-old defenseman, who was drafted by Washington in the second round in 2007 but was traded last February to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal that sent Sergei Fedorov to the Capitals.
After that year with the Mission, it was Teddy's turn to carry on the Ruth family's nomadic tradition. Dick and wife, Barbara, settled in Naperville, their oldest son Peter studied business at NIU, and youngest boy Corey went through high school at Neuqua.
Meanwhile, Teddy had to decide where to go next to take his hockey to a higher level.
He was drafted into the Canadian Hockey League - the main feeder league for the NHL - but that same day he also received an offer to join the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich.
It didn't take him long to choose.
"I always told myself if I got an offer from the national program I would take it. There's no better opportunity for a young player. - You're doing off-ice training all the time. And on the ice I got better in the practices alone because you're competing against the best kids in the nation in your age group. And on top of that, you have to deal with school and traveling all the time, so it prepares you for college."
Ruth's current hockey home is Notre Dame, where he is in his second season with the Fighting Irish.
He'd ordinarily be back in Naperville during the holiday break. But this year he's in Ottawa - as a key member of the U.S. National Under-20 team playing in the World Junior Championship. It's the biggest event of his hockey life - with 20,000 fans attending the games and millions of hockey-mad Canadians watching on television. (All of Team USA's games are being carried live in the United States on the NHL Network.)
It's perfect preparation for someone who wants to play in NHL, which is a dream Ruth is intent on realizing, though he's not going to put a timetable on it.
"It could be a year from now or at the end of my college career - it just depends. When I'm ready, I'm going to make that step," he said, adding that he's studying business finance at Notre Dame, so he intends to have plenty of other options if a hockey career doesn't work out.
At 6 feet and 205 pounds, Ruth is a rugged stay-at-home defenseman who, according to Ron Rolston, the head coach of the national junior team, should have a bright professional future in front of him.
"He has a great defensive presence - he's very difficult for anyone to play against," Rolston said.