While Kootenay Ice general manager Jeff Chynoweth wraps up the post-season with his franchise, another Chynoweth has made his way home after spending his first year in the WHL across the 49th parallel.

His son, Ryan Chynoweth, cracked the roster of the Everett Silvertips and spent the last six months getting his first official year in a league built under the guidance of his grandfather.

He played in 66 games for the 'Tips this year, and suited up for the four-game sweep at the hands of the Tri-City Americans in the post-season.

"I learned a lot this year," said Ryan. "It's an extremely tough league to play in as a 16-year-old, but I think as the year progressed, so did my game and each game, I think I got a little bit better."

The 'Tips had a bit of a rough year, with only six wins halfway through the season at the Christmas break. However, the team rallied in the second half and pulled out 16 wins to earn the eighth place seed in the Western Conference for the WHL post-season.

All of that with a relatively younger squad, as Ryan was one of three 16-year-olds on the roster, which also featured seven 17-year-olds.

It's not the first taste of WHL action for the young Chynoweth, as he practiced with his father's club as a younger player, but he still knew that he'd be at a disadvantage going up against older opponents.

"You're in the corners, battling with 19 and 20-year-olds, it's going to be difficult, especially when you only weigh 175 pounds," laughed Chynoweth. "You just got to do you best and work extra hard to step up to those other guys."

Chynoweth tallied two goals and six assists over the season, but those numbers don't tell the full story behind his impact with the team.

Silvertips head coach Mark Ferner, who took over the helm at the beginning of the season, said that he knew the team was going to need some young players to cultivate for the future.

"For me, he was great, he really was," said Ferner. "Certainly, he's exactly what we want in our organization. He's a great kid, as far as a player is concerned, he's going to be a hard player to play against, his work ethic is great.

"He was one of the players that we really identified that continued to get better as the year went on and as he played more, too."

Of course, there's a lot of gravitas to the Chynoweth name as well.

Ed Chynoweth was the president of the CHL from 1972 to 1995, building the WHL into the modern league it is today. His son, Dean, was a first round draft pick of the New York Islanders, playing in 241 NHL games over the 90s, while his other son, Jeff, got involved with management in the WHL and is the current president and GM of the Kootenay Ice.

"That's just good pedigree, that's something that we're very fortunate to have in our organization," said Ferner.

"I mean, Ryan skated with the Kootenay Ice when they went to the Memorial Cup so he knows the culture, he knows the understanding and sacrifice and hard work that needs to be put in and that's why we feel that we're very fortunate to have him in our organization."

Ryan's work ethic paid off with his first goal last January against the Cougars in Prince George, and he followed it up with his second marker four games later.

But Chynoweth will always remember the play that earned him a spot on the WHL's Plays of the Year video: a shootout goal using the patented backhand spin-a-rama.

Chynoweth was tapped for the shootout in a game in February against the Giants in Vancouver, and decided to pull it out after taking the puck to the net.

"I knew that it was a younger goalie in the net and that he was going to be nervous," Chynoweth said. "Luckily he bit and it went in."

Playing hockey in an unfamiliar city wasn't a new experience for him, as he spent his Bantam and Midget seasons developing his skills in Lethbridge.

But coming back home has its perks, he added.

"Seeing friends and family that I've missed and getting a home cooked meal-not that my billets weren't great cooks-but no one is better than my mom."

Chynoweth has integrated back into Mount Baker Senior Secondary, but once the summer rolls around, he'll head to Calgary for some serious off-season training.

"They loved my compete level and work ethic," said Chynoweth, regarding feedback he'd gotten from his coaches. "Obviously, they're going to expect more out of me next year and hopefully I can give that. They want me to work on my skating, which obviously I'm going to do and try to get as strong as I can."