After selecting high-scoring winger Melvin Fernstrom in the third round with the 93rd overall pick, the Vancouver Canucks have selected centre Riley Patterson with the 125th overall pick during the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Patterson spent this past season with the OHL’s Barrie Colts, tallying 29 goals and 33 assists through 68 games played. The six-foot centre picked up just ten penalty minutes in the process.
What catches my attention about this pick is that Steven Ellis over at Daily Faceoff had Patterson ranked even higher than Fernstrom. Ellis had Patterson at 89th overall on his mock draft, and Fernstrom at 93rd. The Canucks got Pattersson at 125 instead. Here’s what Ellis had to say about the Barrie Colts centre.
From producing one of the best Draft+1 seasons in recent OJHL memory to just missing out on the 30-goal mark as an OHL rookie, Patterson had an excellent season with the Colts. I especially liked him against Oshawa in the first round, when he found creative ways to make scoring chances happen while also playing a solid physical game. Patterson is a good skater who plays with skill and strength, and I think he should get picked higher than the No. 116 spot NHL Central Scouting placed him in.
Here’s what the Elite Prospects draft guide has to say about Patterson:
Best in transition, Patterson uses blazing crossovers and smooth puckhandling to attack the inside and catch the defence off-guard. Sometimes, he dangles through opponents before ripping a quick- release wrister. Increasingly in the second half, he started finding open teammates and starting give-and-goes.
Patterson’s shot also projects favourably to the NHL. He pulls pucks around sticks before, hammers tricky passes for one-timers, and deceives goalies in tight.
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