At the start of what was to be his senior year of high school, Ryan Levesque made a big decision. Instead of completing his secondary education at Hunterdon Central High, the Reddington, New Jersey resident chose to enroll at The Hun School instead and repeat his junior year.

That was prior to the 2022-23 school year.

“I heard about [Hun School] through friends that had played hockey there,” Levesque recalls. “They’re older now, they’re in college. Then I heard about it from a friend at [Princeton Day School] which is actually surprising because he didn’t go to Hun, but his mother and my mother talked about it and she hard great things. We found that it was a good match for me.

“It’s been a great experience.”

Levesque (#15) takes his leadership role seriously

Now a senior at Hun School, Levesque acknowledged he had some adjustments to make when he first arrived on campus.

“I would say the first week or so was pretty tough,” he said, “trying to gauge the different education level, how they treated their students, how their classes were commenced.

“It was definitely a tough change at first, but once I got really settled in everything really just became a routine and it started to just come to me naturally.

“I never had a problem with meeting new people, but I would say breaking the ice was definitely the biggest part. I kind of had to get over that little hump, I would say. Because I didn’t know anyone going into the school so it was a definitely a big adjustment in that aspect, but now I have a lot of friends there. I keep in touch with them not only in school but out of school and I would say that was the biggest adjustment.”

Lavesque says his passion for hockey accelerated the transition process.

“I feel like the ice is a different home for me,” he said. “I’ve always felt it feels so natural to me. All my problems go away as soon as I hit the ice. It really doesn’t matter where I touch down but I feel as if I really jelled with the guys on the team last year and this year.

“For me personally, it was definitely a big step from transferring from a public to a private setting but I definitely felt as soon as I touched the ice I’d fit in right away.”

As a senior on a young team, Lavesque takes his leadership responsibilities seriously. He stresses the importance of being a positive influence for his teammates on the ice and elsewhere.

I definitely hope to produce my best for this team, on and off the ice,” he said. “I look to be a guy the younger kids on the team playing varsity for the first time, cam look up to, not only as a teammate but as a person on and off the ice.

“I’m definitely excited to take a leadership role just to be a guy people can turn to on and off the ice; if they need anything.”