NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Ryder Ritchie celebrates his first goal as a Tiger, scoring in the second period of a 5-1 win Nov. 15 at Co-op Place over the Victoria Royals.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Ryder Ritchie is in for a week of firsts in his third year in the Western Hockey League.
The Medicine Hat Tigers forward scored his first goal in the orange and black on Nov. 15, a second-period power-play goal in a 5-1 win at Co-op Place over the Victoria Royals.
He’s about to return to the city where he started his WHL career, working his way into becoming the 45th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild.
The Tigers head to Prince Albert tonight to face the Raiders for the first time since they swapped 2006-born forwards in August, Ritchie traded to Medicine Hat for Tomas Mrsic along with a 2025 third-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick.
Ritchie played 108 games across two seasons with Prince Albert after being selected 14th overall by the club in the 2021 WHL draft. It’s a return he’s looking forward to but trying not to be overwhelmed by.
“I’m trying to look at it as just another game,” Ritchie said. “It’s going to be hard, I know a lot of guys on the team still, I have my billets there and it’s going to be great to see them. I’m just gonna try to look at it as a different game. But it’s definitely a business trip and I’m going in there with a chip on my shoulder.”
His counterpart in the trade has made good early in his tenure in the green and black. Mrsic was named the WHL player of the week after tallying five goals and seven points in two weekend wins. He’s up to 13 goals and 25 points in 16 games.
Ritchie’s return to Prince Albert will be only his eighth game of the season with the Tigers, missing time off the start of the year while at Minnesota’s training camp. He suited up in five games, notching an assist in a 3-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Oct. 9, the same game he suffered a scary injury that kept him out of the lineup for the next 14 games.
In a late, second period power play the 18-year-old Calgary product was in front of the net when Tigers’ captain Oasiz Wiesblatt, also around the crease, was tripped up and his legs went flying, with one of his skates catching Ritchie in the face.
He 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.”
He made good in his return to the lineup, showcasing the laser of a shot that intrigued the Minnesota Wild, scoring top shelf on the power play to get the monkey off the back and shake off the rust of watching from afar for over a month.
“To get one the first game back, it definitely helps confidence and the comfort level,” Ritchie said.
“It’s so hard watching and just getting to be back and be playing with the guys, it’s awesome. I felt pretty comfortable there, obviously my first game in a month. So I felt a little bit out of rhythm to start, but I thought I got better as the game went on.”
His return to Prince Albert comes a day after the Tigers kick off four games in five days, playing the Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday. They’ve had troubles against both teams, having lost 12 straight games to the Blades over the last five years, and hold a 4-6-0-2 record against the Raiders in the same span.
The Tigers look to snap that slump and also get a win for Ritchie, making good on his return. It’s something they weren’t able to do in goaltender Harrison Meneghin’s return to Lethbridge, coughing up a three-goal lead in a 7-6 loss to the Hurricanes on Nov. 6.
Prince Albert has also limited Tigers’ forward Gavin McKenna in his short career, he scored twice in a 6-2 win over the Raiders on Dec. 2 but was held scoreless in his other three matchups.
“It’s a tough building to play in, so we have to be prepared,” McKenna said. “We have to make sure we’re getting the rest that we need. And I think just do it for Rich, do it for each other. It’s a big game, they’re a solid team, so we have to be ready.”
