Man Who Killed High School Hockey Coach Takes Plea Deal: Reports

ST. PAUL, MN — A St. Paul man has been convicted via a plea deal in the 2021 death of a Bloomington high school hockey coach, according to reports.

Ryan John Whisler, 45, was convicted May 22 of an amended charge of first-degree manslaughter while committing fifth-degree assault, court records said.

Whisler punched 48-year-old Michael G. Ryan on April 17, 2021, and Ryan fell and struck his head on concrete while leaving Herbie’s on the Park, according to the Star Tribune, which reported the husband, father and Bloomington Jefferson High School coach suffered a brain injury.

Earlier in the night, Whisler punched a hole through a cellophane barrier intended to create social distancing in the restaurant’s bathroom and urinated in it, the Tribune reported.

Whisler is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 7, court records said. Under a plea deal, he will face 86 months or less in prison, according to KSTP.