F Riley Heidt - Prince George Cougars, WHL (2023, 64th, MIN)

[Sergei Shirokov]

He is one of my favourite guys in this draft. Last year I liked Östlund very early on. This year Heidt is kinda taking that spot from me along with maybe Oliver Moore. Good playdriving skill-forward who can play center as well if needed. Has good hands, good shot. Strong compete. Defensive game is not his strength but he at least tries to do something.

He and Koehn Ziemmer both work really great on their line. I recommend to watch them both from Cougars if you end up watching their games.

Something good for Cougars will always happen when their line is on the ice.

Two more goals for Heidt tonight. Kid is a top 15 talent. I don't think he is that far behind Cristall

Cristall seems like more of an elite offensive talent.

And while Heidt is shifty & has some quickness I'm not sure he has separation speed like Ostlund.

 

[MeHateHe]

Watched PG in Victoria last night. If ever a player is going to show up like a shooting star, it should be against a team like the Royals, but Heidt and Ziemmer were largely invisible. If not for Wheatcroft, Victoria wins that game. Kids should be gearing up for a playoff run, not taking nights off.

 

[Bubbles]

Watched PG in Victoria last night. If ever a player is going to show up like a shooting star, it should be against a team like the Royals, but Heidt and Ziemmer were largely invisible. If not for Wheatcroft, Victoria wins that game. Kids should be gearing up for a playoff run, not taking nights off.

They've both tapered off a bit since their red hot start. I think the PG coach trusts the older guys more and has given more ice time to guys like Wheatcroft and Dubinsky. I haven't seen a drop off in play from either player.

 

[landy92mack29]

Should be a top 10 pick but instead some team will get a steal in the 20s...

 

[Half Clapper]

Outproducing yager by almost 20 pts, but yet supposed to go 10 picks after him. He’s now 5th in league scoring

Edit: Make that 4th in league scoring

 

[Lavar Ball]

 

[wetcoast]

Sweet.

 

[Scoresberg]

He's outproducing Savoie who was a top-ten pick last year and playing on a much better team. Why isn't this kid getting more hype?

I'm literally asking because I don't follow the WHL and don't know all the details.

 

[shotvalley]

He's outproducing Savoie who was a top-ten pick last year and playing on a much better team. Why isn't this kid getting more hype?

I'm literally asking because I don't follow the WHL and don't know all the details.

It is a really good draft year. Heidt would be ranked higher but this time there are more even better players. Heidt is also kind a lazy on his own zone. Skill is there though which can make him a "steal".

 

[Scoresberg]

It is a really good draft year. Heidt would be ranked higher but this time there are more even better players. Heidt is also kind a lazy on his own zone. Skill is there though which can make him a "steal".

Is his defensive game lacking other than the laziness or does he gets his points purely by "stealing" from the defense?

I.e. if he focused more on the defense would his offensive production suffer dramatically?

 

[shotvalley]

Is his defensive game lacking other than the laziness or does he gets his points purely by "stealing" from the defense?

I.e. if he focused more on the defense would his offensive production suffer dramatically?

He doesnt get involved which applies also on the offensive end. Too much watching you know, not very energetic playstyle and thats propably the biggest weakness. You dont want unenergetic players on playoffs even if the skill is there because they disappear in the game.

Hard work kills the skill. Hard working teams kill the skilled teams game (if not working hard) in playoffs if the skill difference is not immense.

 

[Scoresberg]

He doesnt get involved which applies also on the offensive end. Too much watching you know, not very energetic playstyle and thats propably the biggest weakness. You dont want unenergetic players on playoffs even if the skill is there because they disappear in the game.

Hard work kills the skill. Hard working teams kill the skilled teams game (if not working hard) in playoffs if the skill difference is not immense.

Well said. Thanks for the info.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Outproducing yager by almost 20 pts, but yet supposed to go 10 picks after him. He’s now 5th in league scoring

Edit: Make that 4th in league scoring

I'm not saying yager is definitely above him, but drouin out produced MacKinnon on the same team by a lot in their draft years too - projecting a players pro upside is a lot more than the amount of pts the put up.

I would say Heidt, in my limited viewings , shows a lot of skill but there will be questions if he tops out as a perimeter type offensive player who can get pts against weaker teams and play some pp, but never truly drives the offense especially against tough opponents, and isn't exactly a defensive minded player at this time.

There's nothing wrong with that, but I think that's kind of why he isn't being projected to go higher. He could obviously prove everyone wrong, but I'm not sure most people see a player who truly can tip the scales in a playoff series with Heidt.

 

[Half Clapper]

I'm not saying yager is definitely above him, but drouin out produced MacKinnon on the same team by a lot in their draft years too - projecting a players pro upside is a lot more than the amount of pts the put up.

I would say Heidt, in my limited viewings , shows a lot of skill but there will be questions if he tops out as a perimeter type offensive player who can get pts against weaker teams and play some pp, but never truly drives the offense especially against tough opponents, and isn't exactly a defensive minded player at this time.

There's nothing wrong with that, but I think that's kind of why he isn't being projected to go higher. He could obviously prove everyone wrong, but I'm not sure most people see a player who truly can tip the scales in a playoff series with Heidt.

Sorry but I respectfully disagree. This kid is dynamic out there! You’re born with the skill he has. You can always work on the defensive side, but you can’t teach hockey iq and skill.

 

[MichaelFarrell]

I'm not saying yager is definitely above him, but drouin out produced MacKinnon on the same team by a lot in their draft years too - projecting a players pro upside is a lot more than the amount of pts the put up.

I would say Heidt, in my limited viewings , shows a lot of skill but there will be questions if he tops out as a perimeter type offensive player who can get pts against weaker teams and play some pp, but never truly drives the offense especially against tough opponents, and isn't exactly a defensive minded player at this time.

There's nothing wrong with that, but I think that's kind of why he isn't being projected to go higher. He could obviously prove everyone wrong, but I'm not sure most people see a player who truly can tip the scales in a playoff series with Heidt.

I think it’s close right now. Yager is extremely inconsistent. Part of that is that his line lacks the chemistry that Wheatcroft, Heidt, and Ziemmer have. But, Heidt is also just a great line driver and does a great job of getting the puck into the offensive zone with his speed and passing ability.

I think Heidt and Yager are completely different players so it’s difficult to compare them in a sense. But, I think Heidt is the better line driver at this point despite Yager maybe having a better offensive arsenal.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Sorry but I respectfully disagree. This kid is dynamic out there! You’re born with the skill he has. You can always work on the defensive side, but you can’t teach hockey iq and skill.

I'm not disagreeing, but people said the same things about Jonathan Drouin too. Anything can happen, he could definitely become an elite offensive player or he could not - we've seen guys who have otherworldly skill in the CHL not turn into elite offensive stars, many of them.

I think it’s close right now. Yager is extremely inconsistent. Part of that is that his line lacks the chemistry that Wheatcroft, Heidt, and Ziemmer have. But, Heidt is also just a great line driver and does a great job of getting the puck into the offensive zone with his speed and passing ability.

I think Heidt and Yager are completely different players so it’s difficult to compare them in a sense. But, I think Heidt is the better line driver at this point despite Yager maybe having a better offensive arsenal.

agreed, I was just quoting the poster who said he was outproducing Yager and couldn't understand why he was consistently ranked lower, I was merely pointing out that there are more ways to judge a prospect than statistics.

 

[Half Clapper]

I'm not disagreeing, but people said the same things about Jonathan Drouin too. Anything can happen, he could definitely become an elite offensive player or he could not - we've seen guys who have otherworldly skill in the CHL not turn into elite offensive stars, many of them.


agreed, I was just quoting the poster who said he was outproducing Yager and couldn't understand why he was consistently ranked lower, I was merely pointing out that there are more ways to judge a prospect than statistics.

Drouin also went 3rd in the draft, and his problems aren't anything to do with his hockey skills and more so to do with his mental issues. At one point Drouin was looking really good in the NHL.

Heidt isn't supposed to go until the mid 20s, but that is just rankings, which do not always mean squat. If you watch them both play right now, Heidt is the better hockey player, and he has been since these two played bantam AA together. There is a reason he went before him in the bantam draft. The guy drives play more than Yager does.

 

[Gstank]

Is Heidt seen as a Winger or a C?

 

[Half Clapper]

Is Heidt seen as a Winger or a C?

He is a center.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Drouin also went 3rd in the draft, and his problems aren't anything to do with his hockey skills and more so to do with his mental issues. At one point Drouin was looking really good in the NHL.

Heidt isn't supposed to go until the mid 20s, but that is just rankings, which do not always mean squat. If you watch them both play right now, Heidt is the better hockey player, and he has been since these two played bantam AA together. There is a reason he went before him in the bantam draft. The guy drives play more than Yager does.

Because Yager said he wouldn't report to PG? I am not denying it and its always been close, but the book has always been that Heidt was likely going to produce more as a Jr than Yager but Yager has a more complete pro - style game with some unique tools that could help.

I really like Heidt FWIW, I was merely stating why, despite his amazing statistics he wasn't being ranked in the top 10. He does have flaws, if he didn't he would be consistently ranked a lot higher. I think its fair to say that he could absolutely end up being the worse of the 2 in the NHL. Now he could be better, but there are some question marks regarding his game.

 

[Half Clapper]

Because Yager said he wouldn't report to PG? I am not denying it and its always been close, but the book has always been that Heidt was likely going to produce more as a Jr than Yager but Yager has a more complete pro - style game with some unique tools that could help.

I really like Heidt FWIW, I was merely stating why, despite his amazing statistics he wasn't being ranked in the top 10. He does have flaws, if he didn't he would be consistently ranked a lot higher. I think its fair to say that he could absolutely end up being the worse of the 2 in the NHL. Now he could be better, but there are some question marks regarding his game.

Fair enough. I didn't know he said that. It kinda shows that Yager has a bit of a bad attitude in a way. Heidt reported to the team he got drafted by and has been a great player for them. He has made the best of the opportunity, considering what PG has been known to be.

What exactly do you feel makes Yager so much better in terms of being a better player at the next level? Also, how we do know teams do not have Heidt ranked in the top 10?

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Fair enough. I didn't know he said that. It kinda shows that Yager has a bit of a bad attitude in a way. Heidt reported to the team he got drafted by and has been a great player for them. He has made the best of the opportunity, considering what PG has been known to be.

What exactly do you feel makes Yager so much better in terms of being a better player at the next level? Also, how we do know teams do not have Heidt ranked in the top 10?

We're talking about the rankings we can see- how are we supposed to know what teams have for rankings?

Personally I think Yager has the better skating and shooting, he could play a middle 6 role better than Heidt IMO. I think they are close, you're reading too much into this - I was just explaining to the poster why its not unanimous for Heidt despite the production discrepancy, that's all.

 

[Half Clapper]

We're talking about the rankings we can see- how are we supposed to know what teams have for rankings?

Personally I think Yager has the better skating and shooting, he could play a middle 6 role better than Heidt IMO. I think they are close, you're reading too much into this - I was just explaining to the poster why it’s not unanimous for Heidt despite the production discrepancy, that's all.

Ya fair enough. Those ranking also aren't as recent. Heidt has taken off since the last rankings were released. I just think Heidt is better than Yager. Better skater, better playmaker, and has the higher hockey IQ. Yager has the better motor, better shot, and is better in the D zone. They're close imo, but I bet Heidt has the better career when it is all said and done.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

If the comparison is between Heidt and Yager, I'd say you go with the former if you need to take a shot at higher end potential in your organization. He has more things to work on than Yager (could stand to be responsible defensively in particular) but I also think there is more to work with.

 

[landy92mack29]