Ryerson Edgar is an electric offensive talent with all the tools you want in a high-octane offensive player. He can explode up and down the ice, shift any direction in the blink of an eye, all while handling the puck seamlessly, giving Edgar all the tools to turn defenders inside out and win lanes to the net. He can beat guys to the middle, snipe from the exterior, and has no shortage of a playmaking game, making for just an exciting offensive package. Like many U16 players, he'll need to bulk up, and I'd be looking to work with him on tweaking some of his decision-making & diversifying his rush patterns, but there are tons of high-end tools and upside to Ryerson's game.

Dating back to last season, I was admittedly a little reserved about Ryerson's game. I felt he was opting for shots from the exterior way too often, and if that trend continued, it would have been hard to justify keeping him so high on my list. Over the OMHA Showcase and now the Silver Stick, I've just been so impressed with how he's been relying on his high-end skill and maneuverability to attack the middle of the ice way more often, squashing the doubts I had in the back of my mind. He can shift in any direction required to beat defenders and find ways to navigate to the scoring areas, and when he gets in tight, Ryerson has all the finishing touch to score. Edgar controlled the play so often on the outside of the offensive zone, drawing defenders to him, and then dishing to his linemates all over the offensive zone for quality scoring chances, and was just the primary engine for all offence on this YSE team. The skill and skating ability have always been apparent, but as the season goes on more and more, I've noted him leveraging those abilities way more, resulting in him jumping up a few spots on my most recent rankings.

Ryerson was yet another ETA forward with a strong performance over the Draft Day Showcase, mainly because he created many scoring chances off the rush. Almost every shift, Edgar flew up through the neutral zone, maneuvering around defenders to win clean zone entries, and then tried to attack once he crossed the offensive blue line. His success mainly came from his ability to handle the puck, drag around sticks and create space for himself to unleash shots from the dangerous areas on the ice. Ryerson was always trying to navigate his way into the shooting areas and unleash his cannon of a shot from the slot area. There were flashes of playmaking to Edgar's game, but it was mainly his ability to weave in and out of checks to get into the interior and rifle pucks on net, beating the goaltender a handful of times over the weekend. While most of his rush sequences were positive, there were moments when he crossed the offensive blueline and opted for shots from long-range rather than trying to spark higher-quality chances from in tight. These sequences aren't some big red flag; I just came away thinking that he can be more aggressive with his high-end tools, trying to penetrate the interior rather than taking shots from the outside. Nonetheless, it was a solid performance from the top YSE forward, further demonstrating why he's a top prospect for next year's OHL Draft.

Entering the year, Edgar was a player high on my radar after some very impressive views over U15 and the Draft Day Showcase. There's a lot I can say here from how he performed throughout the Titans Tournament, but I mainly want to highlight his technical ability. His explosive skating, especially gaining speed through his crossovers, was at the forefront of his game, as he could easily gain separation with a few powerful strides. Paired with the skating was high-end puck handling, giving him all the tools to problem-solve his way out of any pressure and just be impossible to contain. All of this worked together to make him dominant when he was on the ice, allow him to access anywhere he wanted on the ice and create scoring chance after scoring chance. Finally, his ability to get powerful shots off with a quick drag and release was the last ability that I noted, rounding out a very impressive offensive arsenal. I could certainly elaborate more, but I just came away really optimistic that these tools should bring him a long way and make him an exciting player moving forward.

Despite the 5-2 loss, I thought Edgar was the player of the game. He was flying up and down the ice, constantly trying to attack the middle of the ice, navigating his way to the center with skill moves shift after shift. Ryerson connected on a solid volume of dangerous passes, spotting open teammates in the slot, but his eagerness to drive the scoring areas was certainly the highlight. Edgar had plenty of quality shots, especially from the wing of the umbrella, but he just couldn't find the back of the net until late in the game, when he executed a quick move to the middle and ripped a shot short side. As always with a viewing of the Express' Edgar was fantastic, showing all of his high end tools that put him near the top of my rankings.

While Blyth led the offensive possession and Veitch was the main attacking force for the Express in this game, Edgar was the conductor who led this orchestra. He led the offensive play along the outside, using his ability to maneuver in all directions he would pull defenders onto himself, alter his position along the top of the zone, to then move the puck to an open teammate. Edgar also showed a willingness to play physically in the corners to secure possession or to force an offensive turnover when he wasn’t skating circles around defenders.

I'd say pretty comfortably that Ryerson Edgar was the top performer in my viewings at the Port Huron Silver Stick. He was sensational with the puck on his stick, dangling his way around any and every defender who tried to close him down and creating chance after chance. His success as a puck carrier mainly stemmed from his incredible lateral mobility, as even at top speeds, Ryerson could easily change direction to dodge whatever defender was trying to close him down. Combining with the high-end mobility, Edgar is a magician with the puck on his stick, and when both of these skill sets are working together in tandem, he was impossible to corner. He created plenty of scoring chances through these sequences that I could detail, but the tools in and of themselves made for Ryerson's fantastic performance. He certainly made an outstanding first impression, landing him high on my watch list as I work on my initial Ontario 2009 rankings.

Edgar was the star of the show during my day at the OMHA Championships. Ryerson recorded a goal and three assists in their 6-3 victory over Niagara, so there's lots I could say here, but I'll focus on one key theme. Edgar was so impactful at winning back possession and then turning the play around. Whether it was being in the right spot to support the play in his defensive zone or apply pressure on the forecheck, Ryerson always impacted the play when he didn't have the puck. After winning possession, he'd explode up ice, blow by his opponents in the neutral zone, and create scoring chance after scoring chance, highlighting the high-end offensive abilities he has. The high-end puck handling and explosive skating were incredibly impressive in Edgar's game, which made him so impactful, given how often he'd win back the puck allowing him to take over shift after shift.