Brandon prospect Green seizes on ‘amazing goal’

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This article was published 13/06/2022 (1391 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An old expression suggests that necessity is the mother of invention: It may also be the father of goaltenders.

The Brandon Wheat Kings picked Ryder Green, a five-foot-10, 150-pound product of Prince George, B.C., with the 158th overall in the eighth round of the Western Hockey League draft in May.

Green was the only goaltender the club took, and he only found his way to the position through someone else’s misfortune.

“My goalie was hurt and I tried it and just loved it,” Green said. “I kept growing and growing and playing and playing, and now I’m here.”

Green was late to the game. He didn’t begin skating until he was 10, and immediately started his first season as a player. That means Green, who turned 15 in February, is only in his sixth season in the game.

He said goaltending really appeals to him.

“I love it when I make a big save,” Green said. “It keeps me in the game and keeps my whole team in the game. I love it when I win obviously. I’m competitive and just love to win. That’s probably why I like it so much.”

He actually comes from a soccer background because his father Andrew played in England’s Division 3. His family also includes mother Kelly and three sisters, Addison, Sophie and Bryn.

Green’s father is six-foot-one but Green hopes he can grow like one of his uncles, who stands six-foot-five.

Last season, Green played on a Cariboo Cougars squad that finished ninth in the 10-team B.C. Elite Hockey League with a record of 6-21-0-3. While playing on a bad team can be fun for a goalie because they face a lot of rubber, it’s not often very good for the numbers.

In 17 appearances, he compiled a 4-10-0-1 record with a goals-against average of 4.18.

He said it was actually at the B.C. Cup tournament in Burnaby, B.C., when scouts began to take notice.

“I wasn’t (on the radar) and after the B.C. Cup that changed,” Green said. “I was there at the right time and made my standing and everyone saw the potential I had. I had no idea about the draft. It was all a new experience for me.”

He wasn’t sure what to expect on draft day.

He was at school with his buddies, occasionally monitoring the draft. He actually found he had been picked another way after heading home.

“My dad got a call from Brandon and they said they want me and I got picked,” Green said.

Brandon acquired the selection at the 2021 draft after they were finished selecting. The Vancouver Giants wanted the 174th overall pick, so Brandon was sent Vancouver’s 2022 eight-rounder in return.

Green said it was a nice feeling to be chosen.

“It’s like a relief,” Green said. “It’s nice to see a team saw how hard I work. I put so much effort into everything. I got drafted and now I can put more work into it and see how far I can go again.”

After the draft, Wheat Kings director of player personnel Chris Moulton said Green, who catches with his left hand, plays a really balanced game.

“Ryder is a solid goaltender who does a great job of keeping rebounds tight, playing under control, playing with poise. He does everything kind of quietly and confidently,” Moulton said. “He just simplifies his game by staying square and keeping pucks in front of him.”

Green said he considers his strengths to be communication and quick feet, while adding he’s working on building his confidence, playing the puck more and never giving up on a play.

At prospects camp, where he and 16-year-old prospect Ethan Eskit were the only netminders, Green acquitted himself well. He was facing more talented players than he was accustomed to, some of whom were two years older.

Plus everything else was different.

“It’s harder shots, nothing I’m used to at home,” Green said. “Obviously it’s nicer change rooms and nicer and newer stuff. I’m grateful to be here. It’s nice.”

He faced a lot of shots through practices and two intrasquad games, and was especially dialled in when his team won 4-3 in a shootout in the first matchup. While it didn’t go quite as well in the second game, Green even found positives in getting scored on.

“It’s so motivational,” Green said. “These players are scoring on me and it motivates me that maybe next time I’ll get that save.”

Green calls playing in the WHL with the Wheat Kings an “amazing goal.” It was his first visit to Manitoba, but he’s determined that one day in the future it’s going to become his second home.

“My first impression is unbelievable,” Green said at Westoba Place during prospects camp. “This is my first step into something pretty big and I already love it. It’s amazing here.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson