Iowa Heartlanders forward Ryan Kuffner played 10 games with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings during the 2018-19 season.

So, it’s no surprise that the 25-year-old wants to return to hockey’s top circuit.

“But the more you think about the future the less you’re there in the present, right?” Kuffner said on March 2, as the Heartlanders were on a six-game winning streak. “We have a great thing going right now, and I think anytime we’re playing our best, we’re just focused on the next day, the next challenge.

“Right now, we have a great group of guys to just focus on one day at a time and you don’t nearly worry about the future as much when things are going really well.”

Kuffner became the first player in Heartlanders history to earn the ECHL Player of the Month honor on March 2. The Princeton University graduate earned the award because of his February performance, which included four goals and 19 assists.

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“He brings a voice to the dressing room,” Heartlanders head coach Gerry Fleming said. “He brings a nice demeanor to our game, he brings a work ethic in practice, a sense of professionalism. In the games, he’s a workhorse.”

Kuffner has had an interesting journey to the ECHL. After finishing his junior hockey career with the Gloucester Rangers — who are in a suburb of Kuffner’s home city of Ottawa, Ontario — Princeton was the sole college program offering him a spot on its hockey team.

He decided to take a chance and moved to New Jersey, where he majored in economics and finance and became the Tigers’ all-team leading scorer with 75 goals.

Following his college career, Kuffner jumped into the NHL, signing an entry-level contract with the Red Wings on March 12, 2019. He recorded zero points during his stint with Detroit.

In the 2019-20 campaign, Kuffner suited up with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and Bakersfield Condors before COVID-19 shut down the league. He spent the 2020-21 season in Germany with ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga before signing a one-year, two-way contract with the AHL’s Iowa Wild in August 2021.

“It’s an honor to play with him every single day,” forward Kris Bennett said. “The experience he has, he just wants to get better every single day. That’s infectious, not only for me, but for everyone in the locker room or on the ice, so it’s been great.”

Off the ice, Kuffner said he enjoys cooking for his teammates. He tries to cook brunch for some of the Heartlanders roster almost every day.

“We make some eggs, sweet potatoes, broccoli, smoothies, anything we can just get our hands on,” Kuffner said. “Just got some shredded hash browns from Walmart, and then I started cooking, so kind of a mix of everything. Just trying to keep the boys happy.”

Though Iowa City is usually not compared to Ottawa, Kuffner said the Iowa City/Coralville area reminds him of where he grew up — despite the significant population difference between the two towns.

Canada’s capital has two large public colleges that are like Big Ten institutions — Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.

“One thing I love about it is how close-knit the community is,” Kuffner said of Iowa City. “You see a ton of people at all the games, recurring fans, kind of the same businesses which happens when you’re in a smaller town. I think it’s great.”