Ryder Ritchie
2023-24 Team: Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Date of Birth: August 3, 2006
Place of Birth: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height: 6-feet, Weight: 174 pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: LW/RW
NHL Draft Eligibility: First Year Eligible
Rankings
Ryder Ritchie is a playmaking winger who plays with a ton of skill and is really tough for defenders to nail down. Ritchie was named rookie of the year in the WHL last season (2022-23) on a Prince Albert Raiders team that finished in the league’s bottom five. Expectations were increased for Ritchie this season, and he started off the year with a bang, scoring nine points in five games for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Ritchie carried that momentum into the first few weeks of the regular season, though he slowed down in December and then missed some time with an injury shortly after. It took him a while to get his footing, but he played his best hockey of the season down the stretch and into the Raiders’ first round playoff exit, which is always a positive. I expect Ritchie will be a big piece for Canada at the U18 World Championship coming up this Spring.
Although he measured closer to 5-foot-10 last season, Ritchie is up to 6-feet now and that will certainly boost his draft stock. It has also helped improve his ability to protect the puck, with a slightly larger frame to put between the puck and his opponents.
Ritchie’s shiftiness comes from a combination of his great hands and a smooth, adaptable skating stride. He changes speeds really well and has great edges, which allow him to lose defenders effectively both with and without the puck. Ritchie has a solid shot too, especially when he does the curl-and-drag wrister that has become so popular these days.
Related: 2024 NHL Draft Guide
After scoring 55 points in 61 games (0.9 ppg) as a WHL rookie last season (same amount of points as Berkly Catton), expectations were pretty high coming into his draft year. He only managed 44 points in 47 games (0.94 ppg) this past season, though it’s worth mentioning he nearly matched his goal total from his rookie year despite playing 14 fewer games.
Prince Albert has been a struggling team for all of Ritchie’s tenure so far, and I think an improved team could go a long way in improving his numbers in the near future. Luckily for him, the Raiders had the top two picks in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft (Daxon Rudolph and Riley Boychuk respectively), as well as…
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