Ryan Walter, President of the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Heat.

The Abbotsford Heat AHL hockey team dropped its first puck in fall of 2009 in the new Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre.  Affiliate team to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, the Heat bring affordable and professional hockey to the Fraser Valley.  The AHL is the primary development league to the NHL, and breeds an intense desire in the players who are eager to take the next step.

Ryan Walter joined the Abbotsford Heat in August as the team’s President.  He has an intergenerational team with one common passion – Hockey.  He looks to increase the profile and lead the organization into its second phase of development, growth.

A legend of his own, Ryan Walter played and coached more than 1,100 games over 17 seasons in the National Hockey League. Drafted second overall by the Washington Capitals in 1978, Ryan was named the youngest NHL captain in his second of 4 seasons, played 9 seasons and won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens, and returned to his home town to play his last 2 seasons for the Vancouver Canucks. He was named Team Canada Captain in the World Junior Tournament, was selected to play in the NHL All-Star game and for Team Canada in 4 World Championships, became a Vice-President of the National Hockey League Players Association, and was honoured as NHL Man of the Year in 1992. Ryan has been inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame and the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

Ryan has a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership/Business. He is the author of 5 books, the creator of the board game Trade Deadline Hockey, and a regular contributor to both online and print magazines. Ryan serves on the Hockey Canada Foundation’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Seton Hall Stillman School of Business Leadership Advisory Council.

Currently the President of the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Heat, Ryan won a Gold Medal at his inaugural 4 Nations Cup tournament as Head Coach of Canada's National Women's Hockey Team. He has been an NHL coach, co-founder and president of two start-up companies, a TV hockey analyst, and a hockey adviser and actor for both television and movies.  Ryan's enthusiasm from the page, the screen, the bench, the boardroom, and the podium is contagious as he fulfills his mission to "Inspire the hungry spirit!"