In the final days leading up to training camps opening across the WHL, the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers announced a blockbuster trade on Monday morning.
The Raiders dealt 18-year-old forward Ryder Ritchie to Medicine Hat in exchange for 18-year-old forward Tomas Mrsic, a third round pick in 2025 and a conditional third round selection in 2028.
Raider general manager Curtis Hunt says the deal took time to develop and was initially discussed even prior to last season’s trade deadline.
“In the conversation with Medicine Hat, probably last January, we would discuss different things in the future and the’ would ever do this, would you ever consider this’. That’s where these things kind of start. Then at some point in time, it takes a serious turn. It gets to the point where both teams are happy and I think it can benefit everybody.”
In 63 games for the Tigers last season, Mrsic recorded 23 goals and 39 assists. In five playoff games, he recorded a single assist. Mrsic was selected in the fourth round of the NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues earlier this summer.
Hunt says Mrsic will make an immediate impact in all situations in Prince Albert.
“You see the numbers, so we know he’s got the ability to score and move the puck. He’s got tremendous speed and skill at pace. You know, he can transport puck through the neutral zone on the power play. We think he’s got versatility. He can play all three forward positions. We’ve seen him play all situation hockey. Last minute, first minute, power play, penalty kill. We think he can complement our group throughout the lineup.”
Mrsic was selected by the Tigers in the first round, eighth overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. In an interview with the Medicine Hat News, Tigers head coach and general manager Wilie Desjardins says he tried to get the deal done without including Mrsic in the return to no avail.
“Tomas was great for us, he really developed as a player,” Desjardins said. “He’s got an unbelievable shot, lots of skill, and he’s definitely a player we didn’t want to give up. I tried a lot of different ways to make that trade without putting him in it and just couldn’t find a way to do it.”
In the day leading up to the announcement of the trade by the two teams, the trade was reported on social media by several sources including RadioNL’s Jon Keen and Puck Preps Joel Henderson.
Hunt says by the time the trade was leaked online, the deal was already finalized.
“The deal is done long before anything gets out there. The most important thing in any trade or deal is that we speak to the players long before anything gets leaked out. In today’s social media world, hockey is relationships. They’ve got relationships with teammates, they’ve got relationships with billets and their experiences along the way. A player might have a friend on the team they’re going to and says ‘guess what I might be your teammate.’ It’s nothing you wouldn’t expect in terms of once you tell the players, and they start sharing with their friends, teammates, billets and those important in their lives.”
“The most important thing is that the players don’t hear rumours before things happen. I think that’s not fair, because if a deal falls apart and lots of them do, it’s just better that it’s kept out of the public domain.”
The timing of the trade falls just days before training camps around the WHL open in preparation for the 2024-25 season. With both players set to head to NHL training camps early next month, Hunt explained the deal could’ve been done either now or after both players returned from NHL camps to set both players up for success.
“It’s important that they are comfortable in their setting and their environment. There’s not a lot of anxiety on the first couple days. We’ll get them in, we’ll get the players in business as usual, we’ll get them in the right phase so they can go and be their best at their NHL camp. It wasn’t that pressing of an issue, but it seemed to come together and so we decided to do it before camp to give the kids an opportunity to jump right into leadership roles with their new teams.”
In 108 regular season games as a Prince Albert Raider, Ritchie registered 39 goals and 60 points for 99 points. He also took home the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL Rookie of the Year in the 2022-23 season. He is one of four Raiders all-time to win the award along with Chris Phillips (1995-96), Donevan Hextall (1990-91) and Dan Hodgson (1982-1983). Ritchie was also selected in the second round by the Minnesota Wild, 45th overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft.
With the trade, Medicine Hat will now roster the last two rookie of the year award winners with Gavin McKenna also on the roster.
Hunt says it wasn’t easy to move on from a player the caliber of Ritchie, but he thinks both players will find success with their new clubs.
“These decisions aren’t easy, and they don’t come lightly. They’re good kids. You know, Ryder Ritchie, he’s a good kid. But in the end, things are done with the best intentions for the club and we think both players will benefit as well.”
The Raiders open up the pre-season on Wednesday, Sept. 4 when they welcome the Saskatoon Blades to the Art Hauser Centre. The Raider home opener is on Friday, Sept. 20 when they take on the Regina Pats.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
