Ryder Rolston (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, May 2020: Ryder’s speed is his biggest asset. He can go zero to sixty in two strides and can push the pace for extended lengths of time on a shift. I think the year in Waterloo has been fantastic for his development. He was able to play in all situations and play with the puck on his stick. He was making plays through the neutral zone, and in the grey areas… which will be coached out of him again in a matter of months. To me it looked like he was having fun again and he was engaged. I think Notre Dame is going to be great for his development and whoever drafts Ryder is going to feel the same. Realistically he’s not a top 6 guy in the NHL, but his skating ability will always be an asset as a bottom 6 guy. Notre Dame plays with such structure that when he turns Pro he will be ready for that role. I also think his motor and overall skating ability will make him an incredibly high level penalty killer and shut down forward. Everyone is falling in love with the little buggers who can dance and there is zero doubt that Ryder can keep up and he might cherish such a role.
2020 NHL Draft Right Wing Rankings: Ryder was Neutral Zone’s 33rd ranked right wing in our May rankings.
February NHL Draft Rankings: Ryder was ranked #125 in Neutral Zone’s February Draft rankings.
USHL – Waterloo Black Hawks NHL Prospects, January 2020: Ryder is an elite skater with incredible high end speed that was almost intimidating for the Madison defensive core. It is really no surprise that he was able to attack the offensive blue line at will and generate high quality scoring chances all night. His speed differentiates him from his peers and it always will. There is no doubt that Ryder will get drafted and he will immediately be a highly ranked prospect in whichever organization holds his rights, but where we are seeing the biggest difference is his grime. Ryder is no longer just a speed guy. He is jamming the scoring areas and initiating contact with intent on scoring ugly goals. He will always be a player who gets pretty points, but we loved his power play helper because he was digging and kept the play alive. His determination and quick stick kept the puck moving until it was in the net. If Ryder continues to have the sandpaper quality in his game we feel there is a chance he will move himself into the first round.
World Junior A Challenge, December 2019: Rolston is a great skater. He has a bent over stride, but can fly. He skated the puck in for entries and had some shots on the Powerplay, but otherwise struggled to generate many quality chances. He was there on the forecheck, but didn’t finish a lot of checks to my liking. His 2 assists over 6 games was just OK, but there is a lot to like there. The B-Rated Skater on NHL Central Scouting has good size at 6’1 and high-level skating with a quality shot. Committed to Notre Dame in the Fall. Grade: C
Ryder Rolston Scouting Report, October 2019: Ian Moran’s comments (1) Brain – Ryder plays the game at full speed and his mind is getting up to speed. We are not saying that he has a low hockey IQ. In fact, we think the opposite. We are literally saying that his mind is catching up to his feet. We fully understand that playing for the US National U18 Team is an honor and something that aides in a player’s development, but in Ryder’s case it might have slowed his progress down a little bit. Last year’s U18 Team played at full speed and seemed to overwhelm of their opponents with their speed and transition. Well Ryder was already fast and may have gotten lost in the shuffle. We’ve already seen huge progress and development in just a short time in Waterloo. Last year he was full speed all of the time. This year he is still playing with pace, but he is changing his gears and catching defenders off guard. Instead of going 100mph down the wall Ryder will slow a bit to give himself more options and a more advantageous gap. Last year we saw him over pursue on the backcheck. This year he is getting to his “area” and eliminating the player or threat. We were not really sure what to expect coming into the year, but Ryder is maturing as a player starting to look like a pro. (2) Vision & Poise – Improving every game and we feel they will continue to improve as the season progresses. (3) Feet – Can absolutely motor. High end quickness, top speed and agility. (4) Compete & Effort – 100% (5) Contact or Physicality – Ryder is not a banger, but aggressively engages in contact and wins 50-50 battles. (6) Release – Shoots with his head up and at top speed. (7) One Timer Ability – We have never seen Ryder fire one on a line rush or 2 on 1. We have seen him get open in the high slot and let it go off of the cycle. It is hard and on net. It seems heavy. (8) Body Language – Only Note Extremes (9) Special Teams Potential – Ryder will kill penalties in professional hockey. (10) Intangibles – Ryder is the son of an NHLer and the nephew of a former NHL Head Coach. These are obviously two incredible resources that he will use to bounce ideas and problems off of. And remember, Ryder is approximately 4 or 5 years from signing an NHL contract. He will have gone from the US Program (viewed as a free wheeling extra part), to Waterloo (looked at as a go to guy) to Notre Dame (NHL level defensive expectations will be pounded into his head) to Professional hockey. It’s going to be quite a progression. And one that we feel is going to prepare him to play in multiple roles during his NHL career.
USHL Draft Phase 1 Top 300 Rankings, May 2017: Although Ryder was selected for the US NTDP team he was still Neutral Zone’s 77th rated player and had a 3.75 Star Neutral Zone amateur rating.
OHL Draft Top 150 American Rankings, April 2017: Ryder was ranked #48 with a 3.75 Star Neutral Zone rating.
NTDP Evaluation Camp Rankings, March 2017: Rolston’s selection here was a bit of a headscratch, not because he didn’t belong because he’s a fine young player but because there were other ‘01s off that Little Caesars team who scouts favored more. Anyways, he came to camp with something to prove and in our mind, he did just that. He played a high energy, high pace game and always had his feet moving. He has good sense, accelerates very well and has a quick shot that he shoots to score. Our Michigan scouts told us before camp that he’s hit a growth spirt so he’s still growing into his frame and doesn’t have a ton of muscle at this point. Grade: B
HPHL Honeybaked Showcase (U16s), January 2017: Ryder has decent size but will need to fill out with time. He is a very smart player who works very well with his teammates in cycling and creating scoring chances. He has quick stick handling skills with a quick release.