It will be a night under the bright lights for both Ryder Ritchie and Tanner Howe in January as the pair are off to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, New Brunswick on January 24.
“It felt good to find out,” Ritchie said in a Raider press release. “It was one of my goals coming into this season to be a part of the top prospects game, and it’s definitely an honour. I can’t wait to be able to represent myself and represent the Prince Albert Raiders.”
Both Ritchie and Howe are listed by NHL Central Scouting as ‘A’ grade players, meaning they are projected to be taken in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas.
On Craig Button’s 2024 NHL Draft rankings released on Nov. 30, Ryder Ritchie comes in at number 20 while Howe is listed at number 45.
On Sportsnet’s December draft rankings, Ritchie is listed at number 10 while Howe is not listed within the top 32.
Ritchie says he is hoping to hear his name called in the first round in June 2024.
“It’s definitely a goal of mine to be a first round pick, and to get drafted into the NHL would be a huge honour. I’m just trying to develop all the parts of my game, and I’ve been focusing on me two way game and getting better in my own end, but also trying to improve the other parts of my game like my speed and shot. I just want to make my overall game better so I can be that first round draft pick.”
So far this season, Ritchie has posted 13 goals and 18 assists in 34 games played. It hasn’t been smooth sailing at times for Ritchie as he did post an eight-game scoreless streak from Nov. 14 to Dec. 8.
He says it hasn’t been letting the dry spell get to him.
“It’s been an up and down year. I feel like I started off pretty well and then I had that little stretch there (where it wasn’t so well). I think I’ve still been creating and getting a lot of chances, they just haven’t been going in the net. The numbers aren’t there right now, but if I continue playing harder all of that will come. I’m just looking forward to re-energizing at home and coming back out and having a massive second half.”
For Tanner Howe, the Regina Pats captain has posted 39 points in 33 games including 20 goals. Howe ended off the unofficial first half with eight points in his final six games played.
In total, 18 WHL players will be playing in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects game. The full list also includes Andrew Basha (Medicine Hat), Berkly Catton (Spokane), Maximillian Curran (Tri-City), Tij Iginla (Kelowna), Adam Jecho (Edmonton), Ollie Josephson (Red Deer), Julius Miettinen (Everett), Terik Parascak (Prince George), Carson Wetsch (Calgary), Harrison Brunicke (Kamloops), Charlie Elick (Brandon), Colton Roberts (Vancouver), Carter Yakemchuk (Calgary), Dawson Cowan (Spokane) and Lukas Matecha (Tri-City).
The Prince Albert Raiders return to action on Dec. 27 when they take on the Saskatoon Blades at the SaskTel Centre. The next Raider home game is Dec. 30 when they welcome the Moose Jaw Warriors. Puck drops at 7 p.m. both nights.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
