With the fall season coming to an end, a 17 -year- old senior is immortalized, having commanded the ice with skill and precision.
Varsity Center Captain Christian “CJ” Rybka’s determination on the ice makes him the best athlete he can be. Hockey has always been more than just a sport to Rybka; it’s a given inspiration of the player he is.
“I picked up my first hockey stick around two years old and learned how to skate when I was four, I immediately excelled at the game and was on the ice whenever possible,” Rybka said. “My dad has always been my biggest fan which is the reason I started to play hockey and the reason I continue to this day.”
Varsity hockey coach Myke Bangs sees Rybka’s determination on the ice and believes that making him captain on varsity was the right thing to do.
“He is one of the team’s top producers for the last 3 years, I think he has been one of the core guys on the team since he started,” Bangs said. “I don’t think I prepared him to be the hockey player he is today, I think he has always been a great player.”
Rybka could not be more thankful for Bangs throughout his high school season but also the teammates he has by his side through it all, especially the ones who have been there since the early seasons.
“CJ was always such a nice kid to be around, making the locker rooms and bonding experiences more fun. He would always joke around but knew when to be serious as game time rolled around,” former teammate Max Espinosa said. “He was one of those kids you could always rely on to make something happen when the game wasn’t going our way.”
Earlier this year, on March 8 Rybka was selected for the 2023-2024 Illinois West All Conference while just being one of the only juniors on the Plainfield Predators.
“I was ecstatic to be selected to the Illinois West All Conference team last year as one of only two juniors on the team made up of all seniors,” Rybka said. “It was an amazing honor to be the first player selected to the all conference team in Plainfield History.”
Hockey is a year-round sport, which means Rybka still has his spring season to set higher goals for himself.
“I plan to finish the season’s high seed and be a contender to win the Illinois West Cup and then make a deep run and win state,” Rybka said.
Throughout the years of dedicating his life into this sport, not only has it made Rybka the hard working player he is today, but it has educated him on life long lessons.
“Hockey has taught me the importance of teamwork, trust in teammates and hard work equals opportunity,” Rybka said. “I’ll miss my teammates and the camaraderie we have developed over the years, the road trips, and the game winning celebrations over rival schools.”
Bangs could not be more proud of Rybka’s hard work on the ice since the beginning.
“CJ has been a phenomenal leader, the biggest thing about him is that he makes other people better by the way he plays, he is a great distributor of the puck,” Bangs said. “For me I trust him to lead the team and I try to put him in the best positions for him to score but I think most of Rybkas success is on him and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
