Ryan Jones, left, recorded 90 goals in his four years at Miami University, earned a degree in sport studies and signed a one-year contract with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. (Mary Schwalm/Associated Press)

Dave Torrie hasn't forgotten his first few encounters with Ryan Jones, the only Canadian in the running for player of the year honours in U.S. college hockey.

A multi-sport athlete, Jones was toiling for the Junior C Bleinham (Ont.) Blades in the late 1990s when he caught the eye of Torrie, then the owner, general manager and coach of the nearby Jr. B Chatham Maroons.

"He was playing a lot of high school sports and wasn't sure where to devote his attention," Torrie, now GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, told CBCSports.ca. "He loved hockey and you could see he had some dynamics of being a player who should take his game to another level.

"We spent a lot of time talking about him being a better player if he applied himself. When he finally started to understand that and believe that is when he really started to take off as a player."

Jones joined the Maroons for the 2002-2003 season as a checking forward, but filled a scoring void the following campaign, finishing with 42 goals, a league-leading 72 points and was named MVP of the Western Ontario Junior B loop.

"I never wanted to settle down when it came to sports," Jones, a Chatham native, said. "My dad [Tom] just said play as many sports as possible because it'll help you in the long run. But when high school ended there was no alternative, so I knew I had to focus on hockey alone."

Wild general manager Doug Risebrough likes how Jones competes to his size and is comfortable going to the net. (Courtesy of Melissa Wade)

From there, Jones put education ahead of hockey and chose to attend Miami University on a scholarship in Oxford, Ohio, instead of playing in the OHL.

The move paid off in spades, with Jones collecting 90 goals in his four years with the RedHawks to finish second all-time on the school's goal-scoring list. He also earned a degree in sport studies and signed a one-year contract with the NHL's Minnesota Wild on April 2.

Jones, 23, will spend the remainder of the regular season and playoffs with the Wild's American Hockey League affiliate in Houston, but will attend the Hobey Baker Memorial Award announcement April 11 in Denver, Colo., site of this year's NCAA Frozen Four tournament.

3-man race for Hobey Baker

He is up against Michigan senior forward Kevin Porter and Boston College junior forward Nathan Gerbe. Porter was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year, while Gerbe led the Eagles to their third straight Frozen Four.

"This [nomination] shows how amazing of a team we had. I was at the right end of a lot of great team work," said Jones, who captained Miami to a school-record 33 wins this season.

"You look at the guys who have been [Hobey Baker finalists] over the years and there's some great names (current NHL forwards Paul Kariya and Chris Drury and goalie Ryan Miller). The fact I was able to get through it all - the education, hockey, workouts - and still find a way to be humbled by the experience itself, I am really happy about the relationships I've built.

"One of the biggest things I was excited about was just how much I matured as a player [in four years]. I went [to Miami] as kind of a scrawny little kid trying to find his game and I came out fairly set in what I know my role is going to have to be for the next however many years in hockey."

While Jones not only has a good head on his shoulders - having averaged 85-90 per cent in his senior year - his skill set is also impressive.

The six-foot-two, 215-pounder isn't afraid to take punishment in the corners or in front of the opposition's net, and he can finish plays, as evidenced by his 31 goals in 42 games this season.

"He loves to be in front of the net where 95 per cent of goals today are scored. He'll go to the areas where normally people wouldn't and he'll take abuse," said Miami coach and Toronto native Enrico Blasi.

"He'll have to enhance his stick skills [in the AHL] and get a feel for what he can do with his skill set. But I think his physical attributes will speak for themselves. If somebody wants to drop the gloves with him he'll be more than happy. And if somebody wants to play a physical game, he loves to do that."

Jones pointed to puck possession and being in the right place at the right time for his consistent production that saw him record 48 points in 42 contests last year and 49 points this season.

Determination, intensity runs in family

The first Miamian to score 30 goals in one season since former NHLer Brian Savage in 1992-93, Jones also played every game in his four years with the RedHawks.

As for his strong work ethic, determination and intensity on the ice, Jones believes it's in his blood. His cousin, John Tonelli, was an energetic power forward and consistent scoring threat during his 15 NHL seasons that included four Stanley Cup championships with the New York Islanders.

"The Tonelli side, the Jones side, they're all intense in everything they do," said Jones, who recently donated 13 ½ inches of his hair to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization out of Lake Worth, Fla., that gives hairpieces to children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. "My dad said, 'If you're not going to put everything into it, there's no sense in doing it at all because you'll never be happy with the outcome.' If I'm going to attempt to do something, I'm going to do it to my greatest potential."

And it's Jones's potential that has many people in Minnesota talking about a future that includes the power forward wearing a Wild uniform.

"There's two things that excite me about him," Wild GM Doug Risebrough, who picked Jones 111th overall at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, told CBCSports.ca. "Some players compete above and below their size. I think Ryan competes to his size. He's comfortable in traffic [on the ice] and he's comfortable going to the net. That's a new tactic that all [NHL] teams are using - to stay in front of the net.

"I haven't had a lot of contact with him but I do like his personality. He's got bravado. And I respect the decision he made last year [to return to college for his senior year]. It showed me he's committed to fulfilling his term at the school."

Risebrough, who didn't rule out the possibility of Jones being summoned from the AHL during the Stanley Cup playoffs, stressed the player would be given a chance to make the Wild out of training camp this September.

"We've done a lot of that before, putting guys on the team that people haven't seen or know much about," he said.

Added Torrie: "I think he'll find a way to break into the pro level and NHL level just because of his attitude and determination. He's probably as determined as any kid I've come across."