Throughout his multiple appearances on Kings Of The Podcast through the years, one of the key concepts Mark Yannetti (LA’s Director of Amateur Scouting) has referenced is the idea of tiers when raking players for the NHL Entry Draft. These tiers can manifest in different ways, though most notably there are players who have different skillsets while sharing a similar overall value.
Most of the players we have featured in our recent Draft Preview series have varying abilities, though generally they revolve around intelligence, sense, mobility, and size. We don’t cover a lot of prospects who are elite with puck skills. In this vein, we’re going to take a look at another player expected to be on the Kings radar but with a different skillset than usual.
Ryker Lee
Vitals
Date of Birth: November 8, 2006
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 181 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Forward
2024-25 Season
Lee spent the 2024-25 season playing for the USHL’s Madison Capitals. In 58 games, he had 68 points (31 G, 37 A).
This… is… Michigan State!
The native of Wilmette, Illinois is committed to play for Michigan State University, setting him up to play collegiate hockey as a Spartan next season.
This is US(HL)
Lee had an exemplary rookie season in the USHL. He finished fourth overall in league scoring, and was recognized as the league’s rookie of the year while being named to the All-rookie team and first all-star team.
This is Possibly a First
If you’re unfamiliar with the Madison Capitals, don’t feel bad. They have been in the league for only 10 seasons, and they have yet to have an alum make it to the NHL. There always has to be a first, and so maybe Lee could become that player.
Draft Combine Results
Lee attended the NHL Combine, and these are the categories in which he was ranked in the top-25:
Vertical Jump: 25.67 inches (1st)
No Arm Jump: 18.87 inches (13th)
Left Hand Grip: 151 lbs (tied for 10th)
Pull-Ups Consecutive: 12 (tied for 14th)
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked No. 34 by Elite Prospects: “On pure skill, Ryker Lee pushes for the top 10 in this draft class. Highly skilled with uncommon creation methods, it’s no surprise that he was one of the USHL’s elite scorers, finishing just three points back of the league lead in 10 fewer games.
Rapid-fire handling skill, explosive pull-back wristers, perfect lob passes, backhand dangles, precision saucer passes – Lee has just about every skill in the book. Without speed as an advantage, he prefers to press the middle, draw pressure, and delay for support, often landing a creative spin pass for a chance.
Lee also makes a lot of the subtler skill plays that the NHL game demands, like quick one-touch passes off the wall on breakouts, fakes on receptions, and firing the instant a pass lands on his stick.”
Ranked No. 15 by Hockey Prospect. “There’s a versatility and creativity to his offensive thought process. What this means is that he isn’t just using pre-planned dekes, he’s augmenting his attack dynamically, and that’s what truly separates him and might allow him to scale up through the pro-level with his offense. There are some junior tendencies in him still that need to be cleaned up, but he slowly learned over the season why developing a secondary-skill set is important when his offense is misfiring. His skating is the big drawback, although we have seen some progress with his speed and overall energy level throughout the season. He needs to continue to develop his ability to get off his own centerline by developing his crossover mechanics, while refining his posture and balance, so that he can lengthen his stride over-time. The best version of Lee is the one that plays with energy which can compensate for his lack of speed. There’s a huge boom or bust scenario with this player because of the skating, but we have decent confidence that he’ll make it as the result of his growth curve, talent level, and adaptive processing rates.”
Ranked No. 42 by McKeen’s. “Lee has a great shot, creativity, and hands. He elevates the puck very well in tight, suiting his hands, which he uses to toe drag past defenders and drive to the middle. Ryker has displayed the ability to place his shots accurately in many different situations, whether he’s at a standstill, moving laterally, or in stride. His release stands out as one of the more explosive in the class.
Where some players would settle for a poor shot, Ryker uses fakes to break past traffic and extend plays. He may commit a large number of turnovers, but as the main offensive threat on his team and a young player learning how to apply his skillset, there’s truly an x-factor in his creative playmaking abilities.
The two main criticisms of Ryker Lee are in regard to his defensive game and his skating. While not awful, right now his skating doesn’t allow him to blow by his defenders after making a deceptive move, which, unless improved, may limit him to more of a complementary player. Ryker’s defensive game was atrocious throughout most of the year. It looked like he didn’t care and wouldn’t help block lanes in the slightest. He needs to simply put more effort into defence.”
See For Yourself
Video of Lee versus Green Bay in the USHL:
Final Comments
Lee is a highly talented player who thrives on deception. Offensively, he roams around all over the zone, looking for opportunities to get the puck and route it to a dangerous scoring area. What makes him dangerous is the variety of ways to generate scoring chances and the little time he takes to make his decisions. The skilled forward has the capacity to draw defenders in one direction while feeding a teammate somewhere else. Scoring opportunities can come in the form of a wrist shot or slap shot, or through some simple subtle dekes to buy more time.
Unfortunately, Madison’s leading scorer needs to buy himself a lot of time, as the skating is below par. This leads to other issues as well. While he will hustle on the backcheck as the closest forward, Lee is also frequently the first to exit his own zone with the hope a teammate can break him out. USHL’s rookie of the year is willing to battle for space; he’s not lazy, just limited.
In transition, until Lee’s skating improves, any team would benefit more from him joining the rush than leading it.
Fortunately, Lee is entering a program where he will have plenty of opportunities to improve strength. While not undersized, a better physique will increase chances of winning board battles. At the Combine, he showed good leg strength with his jumps, and so improvements in skating will come more from improved edgework and technique. Mobility is among the most easily correctable attributes, though, so provided Los Angeles can build on this, they have a lot to work with.
Lee’s profile is closer to the unusual side compared to other prospects we’ve featured here. His shortcomings will need to be mitigated, because while he’s competitive, there’s not a lot of room for an average-sized albeit highly skilled prospect who can’t keep up with the play. Los Angeles has made it work in the past, so there would be plenty to get excited about in the coming years should he be chosen by Yannetti and staff.
Chat with David: You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
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