Article: Riley Heidt Has To Prove His Unique Game Translates To the Pros

[Robert Brent]

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[Imyourhuckleberry]

I like a good prospect series, and I understand why different writers might be taking on different prospects, but I haven't been able to follow which of the other articles were continuations of the prospect list.

This one indicates "Those traits make him our 6th-ranked prospect in the Hockey Wilderness Top-11 Prospect rankings."

I honestly don't know who was ranked 7th through 11th in this and I check this page nearly every day.

Good information, I was just thinking a listing in each of them, or a ranking in the title might help tie this prospect series together a little more cohesively.

It will definitely be interesting to see what Heidt can do as he moves to higher levels.  He's been quite productive in the WHL.

[Citizen Strife]

6.Heidt

7. Ritchie

8. Stramel

9. Haight

10. Benak

11. Lambos, Spacek, etc 

That leaves the Top 5 to be pretty obvious.  Mainly just seeding at this point.  I'll make my guesses.

1. Buium

2. Yurov

3. Ohgren

4. Wallstedt

5. Jiricek

 

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

4. Wallstedt

The big camp battle for G2!

[Kato AK]

Quote

There are also questions about his consistency and effort in his defensive zone. Scott Wheeler noted that Hockey Canada wasn’t too high on Heidt during the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase. “There are mixed opinions on Hockey Canada on Riley Heidt. Even (Team Canada coach) Dave Cameron talked about his inconsistency.”

Those mixed opinions manifested when Canada left Heidt off their 2025 World Juniors roster.

And how have those decisions been working out for Canada's Junior Teams lately?

Sometimes taking a player that is competitive and an agitator is worth the inconsistency. 

[mnfaninnc]

If Heidt is going to be an agitator, then he will need more strength. He could get away with his size in jrs., but not up in the N. He will likely fill in naturally, but I would say heading to Sweden for Camp Ek/Ohgren might be a good idea. 

At any rate, in the preseason, they've got to play Heidt and Haight on the same line just for LaPanta. Could they play a preseason game using Yurov to center those 2? That might be interesting.

I expect Heidt won't make the team this time around either, but there should be some holes to fill next season where he'll have a chance.

[Sam]

5 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

6.Heidt

7. Ritchie

8. Stramel

9. Haight

10. Benak

11. Lambos, Spacek, etc 

That leaves the Top 5 to be pretty obvious.  Mainly just seeding at this point.  I'll make my guesses.

1. Buium

2. Yurov

3. Ohgren

4. Wallstedt

5. Jiricek

 

 

[1Brotherbill]

5'11" 175 lbs.  Small for his position.  Yet Kirill is 5'10" and 202 lbs.  Rossi is 5'9" 182 lbs.  We all know how everyone feels about Marco Rossi and Kirill Kaprizov.  The size factor on Hiedt shouldn't be an issue.  The skating ability is what people should focus on.  If he keeps the average skater label he will be an average center.  If he works on his skating he will be above average at his position.  The skill is there he just needs to be able to be in the right spot to use that skill. 

[Enforceror]

1 hour ago, 1Brotherbill said:

The skill is there he just needs to be able to be in the right spot to use that skill.

One of his other touted features is his physicality, but he won't have that in the big league. Hope he figures it out but he's pretty far down on my list of prospects. Hope I'm wrong.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

The Athletic is doing their own prospect rankings for each team right now.

While I completely disagree with Stramel at #4 by them, I did find it interesting that they have Lambos 6th, ahead of Wallstedt and Ryder Ritchie.

Quote

6. Carson Lambos, D

Jan. 14, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 196 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 26 in 2021
Tier: Projected to play NHL games

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Lambos played notable minutes for Iowa in his second pro season. The path for him to get to the NHL is through his defending and athleticism. He’s a good to very good skater, with NHL-level edge work and foot speed. He closes hard on checks and between his compete and skating, he’s great at killing plays. Lambos’ issues come down to his puck play and decisions. He can retrieve pucks and make a first pass, but he’s not a natural puck-mover. He could be a third-pair defender if that area of his game cleans up.

I wouldn't be shocked if Lambos were to develop into Jiricek's linemate on the 2nd pairing a few years down the road.  Jiricek was ranked 5th for the Wild with the following skills profile, so I think they might complement one another decently.

Jiricek: Middle of the lineup player(down the road)

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Naturally, the top 3 were Buium, Yurov, Ohgren, in that order.

[mnfaninnc]

Could Heidt be the guy who looks most like Peterka in our lineup? I think it's at least 2 seasons away from that, but this is what I would hope for. 

Should Rossi look great, and Yurov be a competent center, I see Heidt as a winger, not a center unless an emergency happens. 1BB is absolutely correct, skating is the thing to worry about. But let's not give him a pass on not bulking up a bit too. 

 

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

On 8/25/2025 at 5:12 PM, Kato AK said:

And how have those decisions been working out for Canada's Junior Teams lately?

Sometimes taking a player that is competitive and an agitator is worth the inconsistency. 

This past year the coaching staff was all from the OHL(Ontario Hockey League), and it really showed up in the roster. The leading eligble scorer from both the QMJHL and WHL were both left off the roster. There is a lot of politicing that goes on between the three leagues that make up the CHL, and very little love lost between them. All this is to say, I wouldn't put too much stock in who makes our Junior teams in Canada. Many of us who watch the junior leagues were extremely unimpressed with Cameron and how little he incorporated the other two leagues' players.

Riley goes to the tough areas constantly and for a smaller stature, definitely has bite to his game. I think he will do well down in the AHL this year. I really hope the coaching staff has their sh*t together this year as some of these prospects could be NHL contributors but will need some guidance and conditioning to make it that far.