At the dawn of the scouting season, Ryder Ritchie comfortably sat at No. 9 overall on our debut board for the 2024 NHL Draft.

Fresh off the heels of a highlight-filled Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he chipped in with nine points in five games, he looked like a player on the rise. And his thunderous start to the season with the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL only reinforced that perception. He scored 15 points in the first 10 contests and helped carry his team to some early wins. 

“He’s got that higher-end skill game and he can dangle guys, chain fakes into pass receptions. He could be a top-six point-producing forward who brings value in all three zones,” said Dir. of North American Scouting Mitch Brown in our October meeting, echoing the group’s opinion. 

At the time, we considered Ritchie to b