Ian Rapp Rockets up UT Scoring Charts
“Generational Player” Nears end of Prolific ACHA career
In this era of #FakeNews, there is no doubt that the Toledo Rockets’ Ian Rapp is #TheRealDeal when it comes to his role as a student-athlete.
As of the Thanksgiving break, the Waterville, Ohio native has played 125 career games for the Rockets’ and amassed 266 total points for an incredible 2.13 points per game average. Those 266 points are nearly equally distributed between goals (136) and assists (130).
Academically, Rapp is an electrical engineering major, earning a 3.5 G.P.A. while balancing an internship opportunity with his hockey career at Toledo.
“Definitely, school always comes first. My parents always taught me that,” said Rapp. “Coming into my first season, I was curious to see how the balance of school and hockey played out and it wasn’t bad at all. I have always kept busy, it’s routine.”
Evan Nello Photography
While Rapp is near the top of several Toledo ice hockey records, his “all-around” success at Toledo has been extremely valuable to the Rockets’ program.
“Ian is the perfect example of what we would like all of our student-athletes to be, in terms of on-ice performance, dedication to the team and being a great student,” offered Rockets’ General Manager Greg Urig.
“He always has everything taken care of as far as academics and manages to balance everything well. There is never problem with Ian missing practices or anything because of tests or exams as he always has that stuff under control. He is an example for all the younger guys to look up to. He is more of a lead-by-example guy and provides the perfect example for these young guys for what does on and off the ice.”
Upon review of the Toledo Rockets’ records, Rapp is currently second in goals per a season, per career and in points per career and third in career assists and points in a season.
Urig recalls seeing Rapp play on several occasions prior to Rapp’s decision to attend the University of Toledo and appreciating the credibility a player like Rapp can provide to an A.C.H.A. program.
“I remember watching him as an 18U player playing pre-post and turning to an assistant coach at the time and saying, ‘I don’t know if we are ever going to get this kid, he deserves to be playing at different level than what were at right now’ and as it worked out he chose us and he has been with us ever since.”
“It is key for programs (like Toledo) to get over the hump of people looking at it at ‘just a club’ and not realizing the caliber of hockey that is being played. When you get high-end players like Ian to come to your program it adds a shot of credibility to your program,” added Urig.
When tallying Rapp’s statistics, the balance of goals and assists is notable and Rapp’s comfort with his teammates is one of the key factors in achieving that balance.
“I grew up playing youth hockey with most of the guys. Most of our team is from Northwest Ohio high schools and I have played with these kids a lot and I think our chemistry is pretty good,” offered Rapp.
“I am actually more of a pass first guy but if guys keep feeding me, I will keep burying (the puck).”
Rapp’s skating ability, strength and record-setting offensive prowess have not gone unnoticed by not only the Rockets’ organization but opposing coaches as well.
“Ian is a very big, strong skilled player and when he steps on the ice, he controls the tempo and the game. If you blink, (the puck) is in the net,” observed Kent State University A.C.H.A. D-I coach Jim Underwood.
“If you overcommit and try to shut him down, he is very good at setting up his teammates as well. He is a very dynamic player. When the puck is on his stick, he is a dual threat. He is either going to score on you or set someone up to score on you and that makes him very difficult to play against. I like to call those players ‘generational players’ that don’t come around often. He is a hell of a hockey player.”
Urig echoed Underwood’s review stating, “What catches your attention is his skating ability. He is a very powerful, quick skater. He can outskate most people that he is up against. He can use his body to shield off defenders and control the puck. He is the complete package.”
During his time at Toledo, Rapp had the opportunity to participate in the 2017-18 World Cup of College Hockey.
“I got to go with the A.C.H.A. D-II team in 2017-18. We travelled through Norway, Germany, Poland and all over the place. We were over there for two-and-a-half weeks and played six games. It was definitely a cool experience.”
As the calendar will soon flip to 2020 and the final semester of Rapp’s playing career at Toledo, the “generational player” encouraged those coming up the playing ranks behind him.
“I played hockey my whole life. You can only play competitive hockey for so long and I encourage anyone playing high school hockey to play for as long as they can, because once it’s done, it’s done. We have a good group of seniors and we are always saying to play this game like it’s your last game. There is nothing like the camaraderie of the team.”
#TheRocketsRealDeal
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