Don’t give 2023 NHL Draft prospect Riley Heidt room, because he’ll make you pay

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Riley Heidt (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)
Credit: (Photo by Steven Ellis/Daily Fac

The 2015 Brick Invitational tournament was the place to be, apparently.

If you’ve somehow never heard about the famed youth tournament, the best 9-10-year-olds play in one of the most unique stadiums in hockey – the ice surface at the West Edmonton Mall. The likes of Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Steven Stamkos, Michael Misa, Wyatt Johnston, Trevor Zegras and Mat Barzal have played over the past few decades, playing in front of packed crowds for the first time in their young hockey careers.

But the 2015 tournament was a stacked group. Whether it be Will Smith, Oliver Moore, Colby Barlow, Cal Ritchie, Brayden Yager or some whippersnapper named Connor Bedard, the high-end 2023 NHL Draft talent really looked the part at a young age, too.

But one of the best that year was a young center named Riley Heidt, who quickly started to build a friendship with Yager, another local kid. That connection carried through their hockey careers, playing together through all the ranks before eventually going their separate ways at the WHL level. But they’ve remained top prospects the entire time, and in a few weeks, they’ll be able to share the NHL Draft spotlight together.

“He’s just such a great guy, and a great friend,” Yager said during the 2021 Capital City Challenge when the two represented Canada together. “He’s always someone you can rely on, and he’s clearly a heck of a player.”

The Western Canadian invasion at that Brick tournament was a sign of great things. There could be as many as eight players from the region taken in the first round, which would be the biggest representation of anywhere. Saskatoon has seen one player drafted in each of the past five selections, with Kirby Dach being the lone first-rounder. It hasn’t typically been a draft hotbed for the NHL, but Heidt could be one of the first ones taken this year.

Heidt was an integral piece of Prince George’s rebirth this year, registering 72 assists and 97 points in his third year in the league. He and Dallas’ Chase Wheatcroft were the main catalysts for success this season as the Cougars finally won their first playoff series since 2007. While the team was prone to long stretches of absolute blegh, you could almost always count on Heidt generating offense, with his consistency being a strong sticking point.

Heidt’s game is built around being a highly skilled playmaker with a high hockey IQ. While the defensemen in the WHL can be a mixed bag, Heidt manages to pull off highlight-reel passes against them like it’s nobody’s business. He hits seams effectively and keeps defenders guessing at all times. On the power play, there are few that can control the puck and the pace of the game like Heidt. He doesn’t force plays – he’s patient and intelligent enough to know what he needs to do, and when. There’s a reason why Heidt led the way with 39 power-play assists this year: he uses every inch of the extra space. You almost never see a number that high out of a forward.

Going back to the creative aspect of his game, scouts like that Heidt is willing to try things out. He’s willing to try something new to find the right man. Heidt isn’t a one-dimensional passer, which limits some players at this level. He was the go-to faceoff guy whenever it mattered for Prince George, and there’s enough of a two-way work ethic that should transition to the next level. His skating isn’t pro-level yet, but he has enough speed in bursts to beat quality WHL defenders.

From an offensive standpoint, there’s enough there to make him a high first-round pick. But scouts, both public and private, seem to have mixed feelings. They like that he’s feisty and puts in the effort as an energetic forechecker. They do wish he’d show up more in important situations late in games, though. While he gets a ton of points, there are enough “garbage” points in one-sided games that you take notice. Heidt has a great release, but he needs to use it more. He’s willing to put in the work to help out defensively, but I wouldn’t call him a great defensive forward, by any means.

The biggest talking point, though, would be his lack of muscle mass He’s 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, which isn’t tiny by any means. But he rarely dominates physically and can be easy to push around. Given he figured out the offensive side of his game this year, it’s not uncommon for high-output forwards to focus more on building strength in a Draft+1 year, so I wouldn’t be too worried there right now.

That being said, Heidt can be a nasty player at times. He loves to engage in scrums and won’t hesitate to throw a few punches. But at speed, I’m not sure he’s physically there yet to land big hits or anything like that might help him excel if he got shuffled down the lineup a bit.

In all my rankings, I’ve been very positive about Heidt. I have him as the 13th-ranked prospect, which is higher than most. Given how we’ve seen him dominate every level he’s played in, there’s a lot to love. He’s downright unstoppable on the power play and above average in almost every aspect of the game.

If he slides outside of the 20, it’s due to the saturation of high-end talent this year. Scouts have been mostly positive about Heidt’s game, other than his period-to-period consistency that seemed to lack often late in games. But with some extra seasoning, Heidt should be able to become a valuable top-six forward in the NHL.

Bank on it.

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