Scouting Report
EVALUATED 20/09/2024
Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
Did he bobble a puck even once all evening? I’m not sure he did. Ryan Lin’s superpower is making the little details of the game seem like a walk in the park. Whether it is defensive positioning, timing, puck control, or passing accuracy, Ryan seems to just thrive and make everyone around him better. He advances play, is steady on his outlet passes, and has a great understanding of how to counter pressure with spin moves, fake passes, and delays on his options. Through the first two periods, he seemed to win every puck race and set up his teammates multiple times in excellent spacing. I knew he was going to be good but if the goal was “effective” then Ryan hit the ball out of the park in his debut. He looked as comfortable blocking shots on the PK as he did settling pucks at the point on the PP. I overheard the announcers make a comparison to Bowen Byram and how Ryan might not have the offensive punch or flair that Bowen did. No two players are exactly alike but I’d never count out Ryan to continue to figure out ways to create offense in ways he even isn’t used to yet. He already looked the part of a top pairing defender as well.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 16/07/2024
Puck Preps
The 5’10, 165 lbs defender from BC is one of the most well rounded defenders that the WHL has seen in a while. The sixth overall selection in the 2023 WHL Draft led Delta Hockey Academy U18 in scoring with 32 points in 28 games which speaks to his ability to generate offense and make high-quality decision making from retrievals and outlets to create high-danger scoring chances from the offensive zone line. Much of his offense is generated through his calm demeanor, quality pressure reads, and his decision making. Combine those elements from a quick snapshot and give-and-go style tactics and you find yourself a versatile, trustable future number 1 defender in the WHL. That versatility and detail lends itself to the defensive zone with great positioning and an active stick as well, and if he has another little bit of physical growth in him, it could go a long way to a high NHL projection.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 14/06/2023 Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
Lin is a well-rounded defender who drives plenty of his value through the small, but important, details in his defensive game and his high hockey IQ. He has all the tools necessary to disrupt offensive sequences through swift & well-timed poke checks and practical use of physical contact to regain possession for his side. Not only is Lin stellar defensively, but he also offers considerable offensive contributions. Especially as a powerplay quarterback, Lin is a shooting threat and an efficient puck distributor who can set up teammates with clever passes for prime scoring chances. It's a thin margin between him and Ontario's Zach Nyman, but Lin's well-roundedness in every facet of the game gives him the edge on the first iteration of our list.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 20/04/2023 Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
I think if I was going to put the puck in anyone’s hands for breakout rush decision making or poise under pressure in big moments on the backend, I might want Ryan to have it. He’s been a personal fan favorite of mine because I’ve viewed him as a big of an underdog all year long. Ryan doesn’t have a long and lanky skating stride so he has to balance that with power, acceleration, and timing in his strides. He does that marvelously. Ryan also has an incredible sense of anticipation and timing defensively as he can adapt his play with poke checks and hard body checks to the shoulder in key separation moments. In the offensive zone, he’s about as smart as you can ask for; filtering in delays and look-off attempts before passing laterally or firing a heavy snap wrist shot. He has the ability to score from distance with how powerful and accurate his shot is and for Delta this season he was both the premier set up person and the best one-timer option from the outside. If you draft Ryan, you get a highly intelligent and detailed defender who understands how to defend against speed/size and use his creativity in the offensive zone both off the rush and the cycle.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 11/11/2024
Will Scouch
Regional Scout - North America
Creative thinker under pressure, passing ideas seemed a step ahead and mature for his age. He quarterbacked the Canadian power play with ease, using skill and body fakes to juggle options and disguise his intent. He may not carry the elite all-around skating ability of other high end defense prospects, but he sees the game so well and marches the puck around the ice well that leads to chance after chance and entry after entry and the potential in his game with further development is impossible to ignore. He had a few really impressive rushes to the net, dropping a shoulder and using raw determination to generate chances for himself on the power play as well. Making good play after good play, Lin was a versatile stabiliser on the backend with very few ill-advised decisions going on out there. He could track and monitor opposing rushes and keep play to the perimeter as much as was necessary, and showed some strong modern defending instincts that should carry him quite a ways in his hockey career. Capping off a great performance, Lin got Sweden’s goaltender to bite on a beautiful fake, overcommitting him below the goal line, tucking a gorgeous wraparound home to put Canada up three goals. The kid can ball.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 09/11/2024
Noah Poirier
Regional Scout - Eastern Canada
There’s been a ton of Ryan Lin talk through the tournament as he continues to make a case as one of the best 08 defencemen in North America. He makes the game look so easy. Lin is able to angle off attackers in the boards and off stride more effectively than anyone I have seen so far this tournament. His aggressive style plus his superb skating ability made him so hard to beat 1 on 1. He used his body position extremely well in the D zone to allow him to separate man from puck and win his battles. His quick stutter steps and activations at the blue line allowed him to open up quite a bit of space to get a lane to the net.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 07/11/2024 Noah Poirier
Regional Scout - Eastern Canada
With my main focus being Eastern Canada, a player who I was not too familiar with but came away very impressed with was Ryan Lin. His skating and mobility was so fun to watch, seeing him carve across the blue line to open up lanes. His off the rush, perimeter defending was outstanding, his feet in unison with his body able to stay with the attacker easily but using his frame to separate the puck. He moved the puck up ice quickly and efficiently leading to some smooth zone entries. Off puck, his feet were always moving in all three zones, looking to open himself up. Ryan was super versatile and could be relied upon in any situation.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 07/11/2024
Austin Robson
Regional Scout - Eastern Canada
Despite not bringing the same offensive punch I saw when I watched him at the Youth Olympic games, I thought Lin’s aggressive and proactive style of defending made him the most effective defenseman in this game. His ability to gap up on attackers in the neutral zone using his strong backwards skating and four-way mobility allowed him to deny zone entries on a consistent basis, either by forcing dump ins or dislodging the puck with a stick check and starting quick counterattack. He was able to take away time and space quickly defending odd-man rushes in transition, which was best exemplified in one particular sequence where he was able to manipulate the puck-carrier into thinking he was playing the pass before closing in on him in just a few pushes to get his stick on the ensuing shot. Lin was also very poised on his defensive zone retrievals, taking his time to scan even while pressure was right on him, embracing contact and sending the puck to an open area to initiate the breakout.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 01/02/2024
Jordan Malette
Regional Scout - Ontario
Across both my viewings of Canada, Lin has been consistently their top performer on the backend. With Ryan, what impressed me the most was just how assertive he was. When Lin received the puck, it was so clear and obvious that he wanted to attack and rarely hesitated to activate in the offensive direction. Regardless of what zone he was in, when he gained possession, he was thinking up ice, and this eagerness created so many controlled transitions and scoring chances. Ryan initiated two of Canada's four goals through his desire to take over with the puck on his stick and carry it with the intention of sparking dangerous scoring chances. One of these sequences was the game-tying goal in the third period when Lin received the puck at the point and immediately pushed forward, driving down the wall. On his way down the wall, he deceived two defenders with little fakes before threading a puck to an open Preston back door, who tapped it home. It was yet another outstanding performance from Lin that left no doubt in my mind that he was the top defender at the tournament.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 29/01/2024 Austin Robson
Regional Scout - Eastern Canada
The duo of Lin-Rudolph logged big minutes for Canada in this one and were immense factors in all facets of the game. Lin in particular was outstanding, using his high-end skating ability to either rush the puck up ice and initiate the breakout on his own or to smother opposing attackers in the defensive zone and limit their time and space. He’s a very elusive and deceptive player from the blueline, using a series of head fakes and quick changes of direction to shake defenders at the line and get into the second layer of coverage. He was deceptive on his puck retrievals as well, using fakes to manipulate the body position of forecheckers so he could escape the other way. He scored a beautiful goal in the third period to essentially ice the game for Canada. On a 5v3 penalty kill he picked up the puck in the defensive zone, used a burst of speed to get around a defender then wire a puck low blocker to give Canada a 3-0 lead. He’ll be relied upon quite heavily in Canada’s semi-final match up against the United States on Tuesday.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 27/01/2024 Jordan Malette
Regional Scout - Ontario
Ryan Lin was easily Canada's most impactful defender. A lot of his success came from leveraging smart and tactical puck touches to evade pressure, buying him time and space before connecting on passes up ice. As a result of Canada's dominance and play mainly being in the Korean end, they didn't have many transition sequences, but in the ones they did have, Lin was frequently involved as the primary puck mover, sparking a controlled zone entry. Ryan relied on the same tools in the offensive zone, often walking the line confidently and using similar smart puck touches to evade forecheckers and find a shooting or passing lane. Without the puck in the offensive zone, he was actively rotating around, trying to sneak in backdoor and be open for passes on the weakside. I've seen Ryan a bit here and there previously, and this opening match was a great refresher on why he stands as our #1 Canadian defender on our '08 rankings.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 24/10/2023
Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout - Western Canada
Lin’s complete game was on total display as he was both BC’s best defensive asset and their best generator of offence in this game. It was interesting how the BC coached deployed him almost as the third member of the Ruck line as whenever that forward line jumped on the ice so did Lin’s pair. The members of that five-man unit were the only ones to hit the scoresheet and as BC looked to level the score in the third period those five seemingly played every other shift. Lin’s area of influence is massive as he shows excellent anticipation and aggression, has the flowing stride to cover for mistakes, and shows a level of execution and maturity that most players his age don’t have. He is going to be a star.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 22/10/2023 Donesh Mazloum
Regional Scout - Western Canada
Even in a game where eight goals were scored against his team, Lin was a standout. He may have the highest potential of any player here and I think he is tailormade for the modern game. The more I watch him the more I see shades of Miro Heiskanen as he is calm, cool, and collected, with a simmering compete level underneath. His skating, physicality, stick skill, and decision making all grade out as high end. This was far from his best game, yet he was still showcasing talents that few others at this level could execute. Whether it was his crisp backhand stretch pass to spring a teammate or an absolute cannon off the crossbar, Lin was making an impact.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
SIGNED:
Vancouver Giants
18/05/2023
TEAM PREDICTION
TIMELINE
- 2023
18/05/2023
Vancouver Giants sign Ryan Lin
- 2023
11/05/2023
Vancouver Giants select Ryan Lin in the WHL Bantam Draft