| Rieger Lorenz | Okotoks Oilers | AJHL | L | C | 6’2″ | 185 | Denver | 2022 | Calgary, AB | 2004 | 2021-2022: A- |
AJHL Playoffs: Brooks vs Okotoks, April 25, 2022: Lorenz is an average-sized forward whose skillset creates nightmares for the opposition. He is speedy and has quick hands which allow him to beat defensemen one on one all over the ice. He is shifty and can escape pressure in the corners or make moves on defenders off the rush. What was most impressive was his ability to change speeds depending on the situation. This creates headaches for defensemen as they attempt to find good gaps against Lorenz. He is smart without the puck as well which only opens more opportunities for him in the offensive zone when trying to get the puck back. Grade: A-
U18: Team Canada vs Team USA, April 24, 2022: Rieger Lorenz showed good strength in tight areas below the offensive goal line. We liked his ability to protect with one hand on his stick while still keeping his eyes up looking to make a play. He finished with 3 scoring chances and on each he showed a goal score’s prepared stick and quick hands. On line rushes he understood proper positioning and speeds by maintaining dot lanes or by attacking the middle lane when necessary.
AJHL Playoffs Series: Okotoks Oilers vs Brooks Bandits, April 16, 2022: Has a great set of hands and some solid vision to go with his. His patience with the puck is what allows him to be able to set up so many players and connect passes short and land. Likes to drive into the offensive and delay cutting back up the wall and let the coverage expand. Showed a nice job doing this backing off defenseman which creates a gap for him to make a play. He likes to hit the late guy into the zone and got an apple in a game doing this. Showed good habits of attacking the net after the pass. B-
AJHL: Each Team Evaluated over 9 Games, February 14, 2022: Lorenz is a pure goal scorer who plays with strength, a powerful stride, and an elite wrist shot. He is a strong, powerful skater with strong legs and a powerful stride that gets him straight up the ice with few strides. He is very difficult to knock off the puck due to his strong legs, his strength on his stick and the puck, as well as his skating and puck handling ability. He possesses an elite wrist shot highlighted by a quick release that he can get off while in stride or even off balance with high velocity. He can beat the goalie from anywhere in the offensive end. He scored the 1st goal after fanning on a feed from behind the goal line, finding the puck, using his speed to wheel around the offensive zone before beating the goalie from the top of the right circle through traffic with an elite wrist shot. He scored again late in the 2nd on a partial breakaway using his long reach, wide-ranging stickhandling ability, and patience to wait out the goalie before pulling it to his backhand and sliding the puck into an open net. He finished with 2 goals, 1 assist in this game. Grade: A
AJHL: 8 Game Reports, January 12, 2022: Above average size, point-producing, forward who uses his skill, patience with the puck, and excellent shot to put up goals and assists. He plays a skill game but his greatest attribute is his shot with which he can beat the goalie from anywhere. He consistently generates scoring chances and has an elite snapshot highlighted by a quick release, good velocity, and precise accuracy. He scored the first, and only goal for Okotoks on the PP from the left flank position, showing patience waiting out the challenging defender attempting to block the shot, changing his shooting angle, and then using a quick release, hard, accurate wrist shot beating the goalie far glove-side off the post and in. He drew another penalty in the first period on the forecheck when he jumped around the defender beating him to the puck. He is a sneaky good skater with strong legs, powerful stride, and the ability to pull away from back checkers. He shows a good ability to flip his hips in and out which allows him to transition and protect the puck well. He is a smart player who knows where to go without the puck and sees the ice well when looking to distribute. He also created turnovers on the forecheck using his long reach. Grade: A
AJHL: Camrose Kodiaks vs Okotoks Oilers, January 11, 2022: Lorenz does a real good job at moving the puck quickly. He understands the transition game and that snapping his passes is faster than him going coast to coast. Even though he has the ability to skate the length of the ice, he made multiple quick-ups that spanned a couple of zones. For me, this speaks volumes on his hockey intelligence, something that is hard to teach if you can at all. Made a nice play during the game on the power play putting the Oilers up by one. Again using his IQ, he put himself in an area where he would be able to get high-quality shots off with a little extra time being they were up a man. B+
AJHL: Grand Prairie vs Whitecourt; Brooks vs Okotoks, March 29, 2021: Rieger has excellent skating and puck skills. He is smooth and electric with the puck and he can make people miss in tight spaces. His vision and passing are superb and he also boasts a strong shot. He can really rifle the puck and he is a sniper who is able to pick corners from any angle. His feet and hands are quick and he did well to cut off passes on opponents’ breakouts. He looked dangerous this game on many of his shifts and was excellent at creating scoring chances. The ’04 has tons of potential moving forward. Grade: A-
AJHL: Olds Grizzlys vs. Okotoks Oilers, November 5, 2020: Gets himself into good scoring positions in front of the net. Battles hard around the blue paint to create second chances for his team. Had a great quick pass from below the goal line to a streaking player for a nice assist. B-
U16: WHL Cup, November 10, 2019: Lorenz plays at a breakneck pace, and with a manic style all over the ice. He has a very powerful stride and likes to attack wide and drive hard to the net with the puck. He plays on his edges well, and gains good speed out of his turns, and he doesn’t seem to lose speed in his transition. Rieger has a very heavy wrist shot, but doesn’t use it as much as we’d like to see when the play slows down on the powerplay. Not afraid to go to the net, Lorenz uses his strong lower body to gain position and to win puck battles along the boards. While at times, Rieger will be a solid defender, he can get flat footed, and puck focused, which is frustrating for us knowing just how good a skater he is. Grade: B+
U16: WSI 2004 Division, July 2019: Lorenz has a nice flow to his game as it almost looks effortless. He is a very strong pro style skater with a smooth stride. His skating is complemented by his quick release shot and hockey IQ. One of Rieger’s most notable moments throughout the tournament was a play when he scored a beautiful breakaway goal catching the puck in stride and executing an elite deke at full speed to beat the goalie. He creates rebounds and scoring opportunities with perfectly placed shots low pad, and he also had a wrister fly by the goalie short side on the powerplay as well as ringing one off the crossbar. He does a nice job protecting the puck, he’s tough on the wall, he has elite passing ability, and he has some wiggle and serious approach. He impressed our scouting staff this tournament and finished with a 4-2-6 line in seven games. Grade: B+
U15: Kamloops International Bantam Tournament (KIBIHT)January 18, 2018: Lorenz plays with Spak who was the best player in the tournament and is a great compliment to him and his other teammates. He plays in offensive situations and a lot on the PP. He is a two-option threat as he has the ability to score with quick accurate shots and good hands but he also has great vision and play making ability to help his teammates get more opportunity. Questions about his defensive game but that will come with experience and maturity. High grade for a 2004 and he has a high ceiling. Grade: A-
Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds Tournament, December 21, 2017: Lorenz is a big body forward for Edge and plays a power forward role for the team, with some offensive flair to add as well. He was his teams best forward and excelled in the offensive end, showing poise and patience to wait until a play opens up or for him to find a shooting lane and wire one towards the net. He’s got a quick release on his stick with some power behind his shot which goalies seemed to struggle with. He’s a good skater for his size and generates power in his strides, which with his size and strength makes him a dual threat and a pain for defenders to contain on the offensive end. He’s a shoot first player but showed some vision in the offensive end, drawing defenders near him around the slot/circle and opening play up for a teammate. Coming through neutral ice he can control the play and find zone entries into the offensive end. Lorenz works hard and competes for pucks in his and the offensive end. Lorenz could work on his play in tight as his skating and brain look to be ahead of his hands which can cause problems for him at times. Grade: A
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