Even though the Minnesota Wild’s season is over, the organization still has prospects gaining valuable postseason experience this spring. College prospects like Charlie Stramel (Michigan State), Rieger Lorenz (Denver), and Jimmy Clark (Minnesota) played in the NCAA tournament. The Wild organization also has nine prospects who have played postseason hockey for their junior or professional clubs.
Postseason statistics for Wild prospects, via Elite Prospects
Of the nine, Ryder Ritchie is the last one standing. The Medicine Hat Tigers won the Western Hockey League (WHL) championship last week and advanced to the Memorial Cup to compete for the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) championship. The tournament begins this Friday.
Ritchie, the Wild’s 2nd round selection in last summer’s draft, has played a key role this season for a dominant Tigers team. He’s bounced between the top two lines and finished third on the team, scoring 29 goals and 32 assists in 53 games.
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The son of former NHL player Byron Ritchie is playing in his third WHL season. He spent the first two years with the Prince Albert Raiders before Medicine Hat acquired him in an offseason trade.
It’s been a roller coaster of a year for the Calgary native. He attended his first NHL training camp with the Wild last fall and appeared in one preseason game against the Winnipeg Jets, recording one assist in just under 14 minutes of ice time.
As you’d expect from an 18-year-old (Ritchie doesn’t turn 19 until August), he struggled to process the game at a professional pace and looked overmatched physically. Still, Ritchie also showed glimpses of the skill, quickness, and hockey sense that make him a legitimate prospect.
The Wild sent him back to juniors the day after his lone preseason appearance. Still, the invaluable experience he gained practicing and playing against professional players should pay dividends for the player and organization.
After joining Medicine Hat to start the season, Ritchie suffered a scary injury when he took a skate blade to the face in a game on October 9. A story from the Medicine Hat News details the incident:
[Ritchie] raced off the ice, ditching helmet and gloves before retreating down the tunnel. The freak play missed his eye, a breath of relief, but was met with intense swelling and eventually surgery before he was able to return. Ritchie, donning a bubble for the next while, says he’s just happy to be back on the ice following the injury.
“Obviously it’s a scary moment like that, stuff can happen,” Ritchie said. “I’m just so happy it didn’t get my eye and I’m able to still play the game I love. So it was such an unfortunate scary injury, but I’m happy to be back.”
Ritchie missed 14 games as a result of the incident. However, he returned to the lineup on November 15 and recorded at least a point in his first seven games. Ritchie and his Medicine Hat teammates haven’t looked back since. They dominated the WHL’s Eastern Conference, cruising to a division title with a 47-17-3-1 record. The Tigers continued to dominate in the playoffs, winning four best-of-seven series in only 18 games, posting a 16-2 record.
In 18 postseason games, Ritchie has scored at a point-per-game pace. He finished the WHL championship series playing right wing on the top line alongside all-world prospect Gavin McKenna, who will likely be the first overall pick in the 2026 draft. Ritchie scored two game-winning goals, one of which was the series winner against the Swift Current Broncos in the first round.
His performance throughout the season indicates he’s on a solid trajectory toward a professional career. Seeing the Wild sign Ritchie to an entry-level deal after this season wouldn’t be surprising. He could play a leading role in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in September, and Minnesota could bring him to training camp and give him a handful of games. Odds are that he’ll return to the WHL for a fourth season, but all signs are pointing toward a player who will be ready to turn pro for the 2026-27 season.
Where things go from there will hinge on his development and the Wild’s depth chart. Minnesota is gearing up to contend, so Ritchie will probably need to spend a season or two in Iowa before he’s ready to be a meaningful contributor. Still, that should give him plenty of time to build strength onto his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame and round out his all-around game.
Look for Ritchie to push for a full-time roster spot by the 2028-29 season, if not a bit sooner. At that time, he’d be a 22-year-old with a couple of seasons of professional experience under his belt in a (hopefully) rejuvenated development system and well-versed in the organizational style of play.
Wild fans hoping to get a glimpse of Ritchie in the Memorial Cup will be able to watch on the NHL Network or stream for free on Victory+. Medicine Hat’s round-robin games take place on Friday, May 23, Monday, May 26, and Tuesday, May 27.
2025 Memorial Cup Schedule
- Round-Robin – Game 1: Friday, May 23 – Medicine Hat vs. Rimouski (7 p.m. ET)
- Round-Robin – Game 2: Saturday, May 24 – Moncton vs. London (6 p.m. ET)
- Round-Robin – Game 3: Sunday, May 25 – Rimouski vs. London (6 p.m. ET)
- Round-Robin – Game 4: Monday, May 26 – Moncton vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m. ET)
- Round-Robin – Game 5: Tuesday, May 27 – London vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m. ET)
- Round-Robin – Game 6: Wednesday, May 28 – Rimouski vs. Moncton (7 p.m. ET)
- Tie-Breaker (*if necessary): Thursday, May 29 (7 p.m. ET)
- Semi-Final: Friday, May 30 (7 p.m. ET)
- Championship Final: Sunday, June 1 (7 p.m. ET)
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https://hockeywilderness.com/news-rumors/minnesota-wild/ryder-ritchie-is-minnesotas-last-prospect-standing-r30717/