Ritchie’s transition into college hockey has been underwhelming. When he has creative spurts, they are reflected in results: four goals and six assists in 12 games, and in the kinds of goals he is scoring. He has a deceptive shot when appropriately deployed and shines in his playmaking when the space and his linemates allow him to do so.

Ritchie committed to Boston University for the 2025-26 season. Moving to the NCAA should accelerate Ricthie’s development as he takes on a new challenge of playing against more experienced and physically mature opponents.

DRAFTPRO – 2024 7-ROUND CONTRIBUTOR MOCK DRAFT

42. San Jose Sharks (From NJD) –Ryder Ritchie, RW, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) SUMMARY: A 6 foot scoring winger, Ritchie is an excellent offensive force. With a tremendous floor and ceiling. Being able to score from all angles with his clever release and dangerous accuracy, Ritchie will be a longtime scoring presence for the Sharks. His skill on the ice had his name passed around a lot in the early season, but an unfortunate scoring slump and injury brought his name out of the limelight. But even though he by no means dominated with the Raiders this season, he was able to step up for his team in the playoffs where he scored 7 points in 5 games. Ritchie has all the potential to be an NHL caliber forward, and the Sharks are more than willing to bet on him. – Isaiah Bouchard

DRAFTPRO 2024 NHL DRAFT COMBINE REVIEW

Anaerobic Fitness (Wingate Test): Fatigue IndexF Oliver Josephson – 35.1F Ondrej Becher – 39.7F Ryder Ritchie – 40.5F Emil Hemming – 40.9F Christian Humphreys – 41.6

DRAFTPRO – 2024 IIHF U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW – CANADA

Slotted on the forward line alongside Jett Luchanko and Ryder Ritchie. Iginla was strong on the puck, resilient and found ways to get his stick on pucks. When sizing up against his opponent to protect the puck, he was effective at opening up his skating gait by widening his stance, to distribute the strength in his lower body making it more difficult for opponents to knock him off the puck, by opening up his gait it provided that needed additional time and space for Iginla to find his teammates and make a play. This may sound familiar but Tij is an Iginla who likes to score goals. Iginla finished third in total points on the team with 12 points, 6 goals and 6 assists, in 7 games. Iginla averaged just below 4 shots per game in the tournament, about one shot less than his shots per game in the WHL this past season. Iginla elevated his game during the knockout stages of the tournament, recording 7 of his 12 points in the final 3 games, including the eventual game winning goal in the gold medal game against the United States. The gold medal winning tradition continues to run in the Iginla family, like his father Jarome, Tij carries a gold medal for Team Canada.

Ryder Ritchie looks to be the third WHL player off the board this year as another quick, skilled forward. Ritchie has swift feet and hands with excellent puck-handling posture, making him a superb puck carrier. Especially when given time and space to attack downhill, Ritchie is particularly adept at using those hands to find the middle of the ice for high-quality chances. Ritchie is also an effective positionally focused player, utilizing great puck spacing and support in all three zones, and prioritizing strong body positioning before establishing puck possession. The following steps will improve Ritchie’s standstill explosiveness and checking lanes (which hinder his ability to win puck battles), and add more layers of deception to his playmaking. Ritchie has a good read of where his options are, but too often telegraphs his intentions, making many of his passes unnecessarily risky. If Ritchie can improve in these areas and continue to develop, he could challenge Catton and Lindstrom for a top WHL draft-eligible. (November Rankings: 17th Overall)

2024 NHL ENTRY DRAFT – DRAFTPRO’S FIRST GLANCE AT THE WHL

From the Prince Albert Raiders, Ryder Ritchie offers a lot of talent. Scoring 55 points (and 20 goals) Ritchie was a shining light for the below-average Prince Albert Raiders, landing in the top three for Raiders Point Leaders. This year all eyes seem to be on him as he is yet another first round option for the WHL. His ranking as a top end prospect was most likely cemented by his winning of the WHL ‘Rookie of the Year’ award in 2023. Not a small feat to pass over, as many potential future stars have missed out on such a prestigious award. Many past stars who had made their way through the WHL lost their chance to claim that title that Ritchie earned last year with his performance on a struggling Prince Albert Raiders team. Hopefully 2024 will be a step in the right direction for Ritchie and the Raiders (you can have that band name, I won’t sue) and Ritchie and his team can earn a chance to showcase their skills in playoff competition.

2024 NHL DRAFT – DRAFTPRO 2023 SUMMER INTERNATIONAL EVENT REVIEW

Ryder Ritchie, C, Canada, 6”, 175Ibs, R, 2024 NHL Draft eligible. Ritchie was one of Canada’s fast and agile marksmen. When on the ice, he looks like he is a race car due his agility. The definition of a fast and electrifying sniper who seems to never miss a scoring chance whether it’s a goal or an assist. His shot is just a laser beam locked on to one target from anywhere on the ice. His agility seems to give him a huge advantage over the opponent as he is one of the best at doing wraparounds. He has tremendous offensive awareness as he seems to always be at the right place at the right time to either stop a player from making a play, or if it’s even creating his own scoring chance. – Tyler Ballesteros-Willard

At the college level, he has been getting beaten in puck and board battles consistently, which hurts his ability to activate the innovative spark he is capable of. He needs to develop his physicality on and off the puck to unleash a truly competitive, consistent game.

In his final Western Hockey League season, Ritchie played with Gavin McKenna on the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Tigers acquired Ritchie in an off-season trade with the Prince Albert Raiders, which involved St. Louis Blues prospect Tomas Mrsic going to the Raiders. Ritchie produced 53 points (29 goals and 32 assists) in 53 games with the eventual Tigers. He finished third in team scoring. Ritchie will likely spend the next couple of seasons in the NCAA before signing with the Minnesota Wild and turning pro.

June 2024 Ritchie was selected in the second round, 45th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hadi Kalakeche

Ryder Ritchie is a conundrum. Ritchie is a dynamic, high-energy forward with plenty of raw skill, but he never seemed able to put it together fully. Ritchie is a highly effective puck carrier with space and a head of steam, but can get shut down trying to do it all himself. He’s a slippery puck handler, but often bobbles pucks off the first touch. He’s got a cannon of a shot, but settles for long-distance chances. He makes smart reads and puts the puck in a dangerous area, but can take his time doing so and telegraphs his intentions. He shows great energy on the forecheck but gets overzealous and allows an escape. Ritchie’s floor is high as a middle-six transition target with energy, but there’s also plenty of reason to believe that with a patient approach and a return to basics, there is some untapped upside. Luke Sweeney (April Rankings: 45th)