The Medicine Hat Tigers acquired forward Ryder Ritchie from the Prince Albert Raiders in a trade Monday morning, sending forward Tomas Mrsic and two third-round picks the other way.--PHOTO COURTESY NATHAN REITER PRINCE ALBERT DAILY HERALD
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers made a trade splash Monday morning.
The Tigers acquired Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie from the Prince Albert Raiders, sending St. Louis Blues prospect Tomas Mrsic the other way.
The deal also includes a 2025 third-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick, both going to Prince Albert. The conditions of the pick were not released.
Head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins says the two sides had talked around the deal dating back to last season. He didn’t want to trade Mrsic but says there was not other way to make the deal work.
“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.”
Desjardins says Ritchie brings international experience, winning gold with Canada at the U18’s in May, and provides skill with a right-handed shot they’ve been missing.
“He was listed in the top 10 of the NHL draft but had some injuries last year, so he fell off a bit, but he’s a big right-shot forward,” Desjardins said. “We haven’t had many right-handed shots in our lineup, so he added that to us and gave us a little bit of flexibility. So if you’re going to get something good, you got to give up something good, and that was the case.
Ritchie, a 45th overall pick by Minnesota in June’s NHL Entry Draft, has 39 goals and 99 points in 106 games across two seasons with Prince Albert.
He was limited to 47 games last season due to injury. The 18-year-old Kelowna product had 19 goals and 44 points in the 2023-24 season, adding three goals and seven points in five playoff games.
He was selected 14th overall by the Raiders in the 2021 WHL Draft and won the league’s rookie of the year title in 2022-23. Ritchie spoke with the News from the Kelowna airport and says he’s excited for the championship expectations in Medicine Hat.
“I know a lot of players that play for the team and there’s a great coaching staff there with Willie,” Ritchie said. “I’m pumped to get started. We have a good team and we have a chance to win it, so I’m excited to do that.”
Ritchie and Tigers’ forward Gavin McKenna played together at RHA Kelowna in the CSSHL in 2021-22. McKenna is also represented by Ritchie’s dad, former NHLer Byron Ritchie, and lives with the family in Kelowna when needed. The 16-year-old forward is looking forward to teaming up with Ritchie again.
“I’ve played with him quite a bit growing up, he’s a great guy,” McKenna said. “He’s obviously got lots of talent, so to have him coming in, it’s pretty exciting we’re making moves and making a push for it, not just for one year, but two years. So it’s going to be exciting.”
Mrsic was the eighth overall pick in the 2021 WHL draft. In 131 games with the Tigers, the 18-year-old Surrey product had 33 goals and 86 points.
He suited up in 63 games last season, notching a career high 23 goals and 62 points. His offensive outbreak in the regular season rose Mrsic to being selected in the fourth round by the Blues, 113th overall.
“Tomas is an an unbelievable guy and unbelievable player as well,” Mckenna said. “To play with him these last two years, it was something special. He is one of my best friends and it’s sad to see him go. It’s tough, but we’ll stay connected and I wish him all the best of luck in PA. He’s obviously going to have a great year.”
The two teams have four meetings this season, the first coming Nov. 20 at Prince Albert. Mrsic and the Raiders will be at Co-op Place on Jan. 8, 2025.
The acquisition of Ritchie is the sixth trade the Tigers have made since May 5, the first day of the WHL draft. They added 20-year-old forward Mat Ward from the Swift Current Broncos and 18-year-old defencemen Jonas Woo and Bryce Pickford from the Wenatchee Wild and Seattle Thunderbirds respectively on draft day.
They also traded captain Tyler MacKenzie to the Everett Silvertips and sent defenceman Reid Andresen to Wenatchee in the Woo deal. Desjardins joked he’s made as many trades this offseason as he ever has in Medicine Hat.
He doesn’t like making trades, but Desjardins says he likes how the group is shaping up ahead of training camp and what has become a season full of expectations.
“I love the guys we got, I like our group, I like developing what we’ve got,” Desjardins said. “This year a little different, instead of doing it at the trade deadline, we did it all offseason so we have the whole year to develop them, make them part of us. I like doing that.
“Now we’ve got the whole year to work with them, that part’s exciting. We do feel we have a chance this year, we feel we have a chance every year, but I do like our group. We’ll have to watch it as we go through but I do like our group.”
Tigers training camp is scheduled to get underway Friday with three days of camp ahead of their first preseason game, Sept. 3 at Lethbridge against the Hurricanes.
Tigers sign both Import Draft picks
The Tigers announced Monday afternoon they’ve signed both Finnish defenceman selected in the 2024 CHL Import draft, putting pen to paper with Niilopekka Muhonen and Veeti Väisänen.
Muhonen was the Tigers’ 47th pick in the Import Draft, Väisänen was selected 107th.
The 18-year-old Muhonen was a fifth-round, 158th overall pick by the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
The 6-foot-4 D-man played a combined 42 games at three different levels in Finland last season, spending most of the year at the U20 level, putting up four goals and 15 points.
The 6-foot-1 Väisänen was a third-round, 96th overall pick by the Utah Hockey Club in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The fellow 18-year-old played a combined 57 games in two levels in Finland, a majority in the Liiga pro league, putting up four goals and 14 points.
Both Muhonen and Väisänen won bronze with Finland at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
They’re both in Medicine Hat and will be attending training camp, which gets underway Friday.
