By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Jude Ayling’s dream was somewhat unusual for a young man of his country, but nevertheless, the United Kingdom native was absolutely determined to play NCAA college hockey in the United States. The former Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings goalie will see that dream realized this fall, when he joins the Northland College Lumberjacks.
“Playing college hockey in the U.S. has been a goal of mine for nearly 10 years, coming from a small hockey country with limited goalie development opportunities, it is not something that many goalies from the U.K. are able to do,” said Ayling, a London native who began his North American career with the Islanders Hockey Club 16U team in 2019-20.
“After my first time talking with Coach [Shane] Buckley, he made it clear what he expects of his players – that he expects a level of professionalism on the ice, in the locker and in the classroom, and that he wants guys in the locker room that don’t think they’re better than anyone else and are there to play for something bigger than themselves,” Ayling added. “This immediately attracted me to Northland hockey. When I visited campus, I got the same feeling from the school atmosphere. It’s a tight-knit campus and I feel I could thrive my best in that type of environment.”
Ayling spent two seasons in the USPHL Premier, first with the Idaho Falls Spud Kings (before their move to the NCDC) and in 2023-24 with the Riverkings. This past year, Wisconsin Rapids put up the fourth best team goals against average in the league at 2.09, as Ayling formed a 1-2 punch in net with the league’s save percentage champion Bora Yildirim (.950). Ayling’s .933 save percentage set the Riverkings as the only team with two goalies in the top 10 in the USPHL Premier for that category.
“I really enjoyed my time in Wisconsin Rapids, I heard a lot of great things about the town and program prior to signing and, when I got there, it exceeded my expectations. Coach Paul Pechmann runs the program in a very professional manner. We had a schedule that we all followed in the rink and he made sure we helped out in the community as much as possible,” added Ayling.
“The other staff were just as great. Coach Hank [Nagel] was a good assistant coach that brought a good energy to the rink,” Ayling added. “All of this got me ready for college hockey. I was expected to act like a professional everyday so that it won’t come as a shock when I get to the next level. I’m very grateful for how hard I was pushed and how much I was trusted to help the team win.”
Overall, Ayling left the Premier with an impressive record of 16-9-0-1 in 30 appearances. His time in the USPHL helped give him a lot of exposure to NCAA scouts.
“Playing two Premier seasons was one of the best decisions I’ve made. In Idaho, I got to meet some amazing people and play in front of fans and scouts for the first time in my career,” he said. “The Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings took my development to the next level. We played in two showcases on top of the regular season, putting ourselves in front of scouts almost every weekend, leading to my opportunity to play at Northland College.”
In order to play on a regular basis, he’ll need to be the best version of himself he can be when he arrives on campus, and he knows that that takes plenty of summer work.
“As a small goalie, I need to make sure speed and agility are the best parts of my game to be able to cover as much net as possible,” said Ayling. “Those are two things I’ll be focusing on alongside regular summer training to make sure I’m ready for college hockey.”
The USPHL congratulates Jude Ayling, his family, the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings and Northland College for his commitment.
