Ryder Fetterolf is an athletic, undersized goaltender the Carolina Hurricanes selected 125th overall, and he arrives with the biggest trophy case in the class. After signing with the Ottawa 67s as an undrafted free agent out of prep hockey, he swept the awards as a rookie: OHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year, a franchise-record 2.07 goals-against average, a league-best .923 save percentage, and six shutouts, an OHL all-time rookie record, across a 29-9-3 season. At 6-foot he lacks the frame teams covet, but he counters it with elite skating and athleticism, sharp edges, and post-to-post explosiveness to shut down back-door plays, and he competes hard on every puck. Carolina is a fitting landing spot given its track record of developing late-round and undrafted goaltenders into NHL contributors. He leaves the OHL for Penn State this fall, where he will compete for a starting job right away. For fantasy he is a watch-only stash in deep goalie leagues, a genuine sleeper if the size questions do not catch up to him, and how he handles the jump to college is the tell before any dynasty consideration.

USA White Outslugs Sweden 6-4 at World Junior Showcase

The high-octane pace continued with a 4-goal third period. Jack Murtagh scored with a nifty move on the power play, Jacob Ihs-Wozniak banked one off the mask of Ryder Fetterolf and in, Mason West found the loose puck in a scramble and fired it into the back of the net, and then Viktor Klingsell scored off the rebound in the final minute, which finished USA White’s 6-4 win.

Finland Defeat USA White 4-1 At World Junior Summer Showcase

G Ryder Fetterolf (USA | Carolina Hurricanes) Starting on the bench for today’s game, Fetterolf was not on my bingo card to be a standout for today. Coming in for Xavier Wendt after a four-goal first period, Fetterolf was a key reason why this game remained as close as it did right to the end. Utilizing strong edges and good positioning, Fetterolf looked good throughout his 40 minutes of action, and with a projected start on Monday, he will look to solidify his spot on the merged team in hopes of making the World Juniors team come December.

Weekly Draft Eligible Three Stars: The Goalie Edition

Ryder Fetterolf | Ottawa 67’s (OHL) Ryder Fetterolf is really making a name for himself this season as one of the top netminders in the OHL. He is second in the league in both save percentage (.922) and GAA (2.11) with 26 wins in 36 games. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native ranked as the 16th goaltender on the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings of North American goalies. He is committed to Penn State next season. Fetterolf was a star on the American prep school circuit, putting up a .940 save percentage with 49 wins in 61 games in his final season with the Gilmour Academy. He played in one game with the United States Hockey League’s Tri-City Storm that went very poorly, as he allowed six goals on 25 shots. The 18-year-old continued his hot play this week with a pair of stellar outings. On Thursday night, Fetterolf was beat twice in the first period but closed the door through the next two periods. He stopped all 10 shots as the 67’s coasted to an 8-2 win over the Saginaw Spirit. The Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program alumnus was the first star of the game Sunday afternoon. The 67’s built a 3-0 lead in the first period, and Fetterolf stopped all 28 shots by the Sarnia Sting as his club won 5-0.

Goalie Spotlight CHL Edition

Ryder Fetterolf2025/21/11 Ottawa 5 @ Kitchener 3 (OHL) It was a relatively quiet game for Fetterolf, who handled his workload well without particularlystanding out in either direction. Although he’s primarily known for his quick feet and overallspeed, it was his depth and positional management that were most evident in this viewing. Hemaintained strong angle coverage by consistently setting up near the top of the blue paint, andhis small, controlled adjustments helped him stay square and balanced throughout.One elementto monitor in future viewings is his save selection and positional awareness on rushes thatextend toward the short side. Fetterolf opted to drop into RVH several times when the puck wascloser to the faceoff dot than the goal line—an approach that, in my opinion, isn’t optimal inthose situations. It limited his ability to influence the shot and control the rebound, leading to afew awkward impacts and loose pucks in unpredictable areas.My projection for Fetterolfremains unchanged: he’s a solid prospect with a good foundation. However, he’ll need to showa bit more upside and refinement if he hopes to surpass some of the higher-profile goalies in hisclass.2025/19/11 Ottawa 3 @ Kingston 2 (OHL) It wasn’t a high-volume game for Fetterolf, but he once again showed that he can stay sharpand compete throughout. He battled for every save without sacrificing structure or losing controlof his technique. An encouraging progression in this viewing was his handling of short-sidesituations: he relied more on effective overlap and added depth rather than defaulting too earlyto RVH, which noticeably improved his angle coverage.However, even with his smaller frame,he needs to assert himself more inside his crease. At times he seemed affected by traffic infront of him, which limited his depth management—usually one of his key strengths. His pucktracking on long-distance shots also dipped when a body crossed his line of sight, which is anarea that still requires attention. Taking these factors into account, I still expect Fetterolf to bedrafted. But his long-term outlook is less certain, as I question whether he has enough upsideand developmental runway to become a reliable candidate for the next level.

Ryder Fetterolf

Between the Pipes Weekly Spotlight

Ryder Fetterolf2025-26-09 Ottawa 2 @ North Bay 1 (OHL)Fetterolf is a smaller goalie, but one who makes up for it with his overall fluidity whilemoving. His movements are crisp and decisive, whether skating on his feet or sliding in thebutterfly. His speed in this viewing was above average, but he struggled with reboundcontrol. Pucks often hit him hard, and he had difficulty absorbing them cleanly. He alsotended to lose edge early and rely heavily on his butterfly. While this approach allowed himto seal the lower net effectively, it left him vulnerable on higher shots which is a particularconcern given his smaller frame. Fetterolf will remain on my radar, but I’ll be looking forgrowth in his overall game to justify a mid-round projection in the 2026 draft.