Riley Heidt is a smart playmaking center that plays for the Prince George Cougars. He scored 25 goals 72 assists in 68 games this year. In the playoffs he produced 2 goals 6 assists in 9 games. Heidt is another player that has been falling in many draft rankings due to his size and pro projection. He is first and foremost a high-level playmaker. He is a creator. He thrives on his ability to create space for teammates and develop high-scoring chances. He has a good complimentary skill-set for wingers that have a shoot-first mentality. If there is one player that is labeled "small and soft" that I can see becoming a good NHL player, it is Heidt. Scouts do not like his pro -projection and thats one of the many reasons he is seen as a late first - end of the second round player. I'd like to think I'm on the more optimistic side of Heidts abilities, but I'm not sure where most stand on him. He just missed my honorable mentions list. I'd take him anywhere from 32-45.
I don't have a good grasp on Heidt's skating ability because I've watched limited film on him. I didn't find him to be too slow, but he isn't a strong player. He has good fundamental skating, but lacks the power to move at a faster pace. His small frame might concern some because he clearly needs to add muscle to it. Adding strength to smaller frames is a hard ask because there is limited room to fill out. Heidt is a very smart player, but IQ can only take you so far in the NHL. Some NHL players are just bigger and stronger than you and it can be tough to go to battle against them with limited tools. If Heidt were to become a full-time NHL player, his bread and butter would be on the power play. He is great at opening lanes for players. This is the exact type of offensive skillset you want to see in prospects because when they get to the NHL, they play with better talent that can capitalzie.
Like I mentioned above, Heidt isn't the strongest player. This hurts his physical presence and compete level. You see these teams in the NHL playoffs right now and there are limited players that are both small and can't take the body. The ones that match this description are incredibly skilled. This is the exact reason a guy can light-up juniors and be ranked really low. If your team ends up drafting Riley Heidt, they are getting a smart playmaking center that plays on the power-play.
Below is his Elite Prospects page
Elite Prospect's page for Riley Heidt2/4 Average
2/4 Average
2/4 Average
3/4 Above Average
1/4 Below Average
Below are some sources to look at for visual demonstration;